Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus,Spring Vegetables,Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes

Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus,Spring Vegetables,Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes

Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner:

Asparagus, Spring Vegetables, Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry

Recipes

Fresh Pea and Broad Bean Medley with Mint and Feta

Core May Ingredients:

Beef, Asparagus, Broad Beans, Peas, Gooseberries and Jersey Royal Potatoes

May Menu:

Two Cheese Asparagus Tart

Broad Bean and Pea Medley with Feta Cheese

Jersey Royal Potato Salad with Three Herb Mayonnaise

Cape Malay Beef & Fruit  Curry

Foolish Gooseberry Trifle

Welcome to May’s Thrifty and Organic Meal Planner post. Last month I shared several recipes for April’s organic seasonal ingredients, Oranges, Spring Greens, New Potatoes, Cream Cheese, Herbs and Salmon, a light spring menu with lots of ideas for leftovers too, and with the main celebratory meal coming in at a very low £3:70 a head. This month, I have more spring recipes where the emphasis is on a delicious vegetarian meal for all of the family, with a spicy South African beef curry too; there are ideas for lots of leftover meals and I hope to prove that organic is not just better for you and all of the family, but that it’s cost effective, delicious and very thrifty. This meal planner is perfect for a bank holiday weekend Sunday dinner, as well as mid-week suppers, tea, packed lunches and even a spring picnic too.

Cape Malay Beef & Fruit Curry

Just like April’s meal plan, I will be providing a cost breakdown for each recipe and meal, and the cost will NEVER go above the maximum limit of £15 per meal (for a family of four), and in some cases with imaginative use of left-overs you will be pleasantly surprised to see that some meals will be well under £5 per meal, which is extremely handy for today’s hard-pushed shopping budget. The main theme for this month’s organic meal plan is healthy and tasty vegetarian fare; a fabulous two cheese and fresh asparagus tart, served with lots of organic vegetables. For the carnivores in the family, I am also sharing a spicy South African style Cape Malay beef curry. Gooseberries and elderflowers work together like a dream, and I have put them to good use in May’s menu with a delightful “foolish trifle”, which is a mix of fool and trifle, for a light and creamy dessert.

Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus,Spring Vegetables,Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes

The large two cheese and asparagus tart (quiche or flan) will provide two meals for an average family, and there may be a small slice or two left for a light lunch or lunch box. The vegetable accompaniments provided more than was needed for one meal, and I managed to serve the leftovers the day after. This menu would be absolutely perfect for any spring family gathering, and as my birthday is in early May, I plan to make the tart and vegetables again and serve it as part of a birthday buffet, along with the gooseberry and elderflower foolish trifle too. I also had more than enough beef curry left over to make some curry puffs for another meal, and the curry can be made the day before you need to serve it if you are busy, as I always find that the flavour intensifies.

Foolish Gooseberry Trifle with Elderflower

Before I share the May recipes with you, here is a breakdown of the shopping costs for this month’s Thrifty and Organic Meal Planner:

May Shopping List:

350g organic asparagus = £3:00

Garlic and herb cream cheese (100g) = £1.00

Organic mature Cheddar cheese (150g) = £1.40

4 organic free-range eggs = £1:75

Organic milk (300ml) = 0.28

Puff pastry 500g = £1:00

Organic olive oil 100ml = £0:49

Organic British broad beans 750g = £1:50

So organic peas 750g = £2:20

Feta cheese, So Organic 200g = £1:75

Fresh mint 28g = £0:60

Fresh chives 25g = £0:60

Fresh parsley 28g = £0:80

Organic Jersey Royal potatoes 1.5kg = £2:35

Organic mayonnaise (125ml) = £0.98

Gooseberries 450g = £1:20

Extra thick double organic cream 300ml = £1:00

Ready-made organic custard 500g = £1:50

Amaretti biscuits 250g = £1.29

Elderflower Cordial 2 tablespoons = £0:10

Organic diced British beef 500g = £4:00

4 large organic onions = £0:35

Sultanas 100g = £0:30

Dried apricots 100g = £0:76

Desiccated coconut 50g = £0:37

Assorted spices (for curry powder) = £1:00

Organic easy cook rice 250g = £0:65

Total: £32:22

Individual meal breakdown costs:

Two Cheese Asparagus Tart = £8:43

Price per head (10 slices) = 0:84

Broad Bean and Pea Medley with Feta Cheese = £6:24

Price per head (10 servings) = 0:62

Jersey Royal Potato Salad with Three Herb Mayonnaise = £5:13

Price per head (10 servings) = 0:51

Total of veggie meal per head: £1:97

Cape Malay Beef Curry = £7:43

Price per head (8 servings) = 0:59

Gooseberry & Elderflower Foolish Trifle = £5:09

Price per head (6 servings) = 0:50

(I shopped at Waitrose, Morrisons & Sainsbury’s using the So Organic Range and the local Farm Shop. Prices correct at time of publishing)

Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus,Spring Vegetables,Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes

I was really thrilled with the costs for May’s menu – I used beautiful, seasonal and organic ingredients and created interesting recipes that should suit most family’s tastes, with the emphasis on vegetables this month. The tart makes 10 servings, assuming that the little ones have smaller slices than the adults, and the beef curry serves four as a main meal with enough leftovers for another meal. It proves, once again, that pesticide free vegetables and high animal welfare beef can be part of a healthy family meal planner, and a simple to assemble dessert can be made with some ready-made “cheat’s” ingredients! The total cost for all of the ingredients was a mere £32:22 and that provided enough ingredients for at least four main meals with a dessert, as well as two more left-over dishes too. I hope you have been inspired by my meal planner to buy and cook organic this month; it’s becoming so much easier to source organic ingredients now and most major supermarkets have a wide and diverse range on offer, as well as local independent’s and farm shops.  One more piece of exciting news, I recently attended an Organic event in London where the new “celebrity” brand ambassador of Organics was present, Monica Galetti; Monica showed us how to make some fabulous meals, all thrifty and easy to make after a long day at work and I will be sharing some her recipes and the day’s events in another blog post.  You can read more about the Organic, Naturally Different here: Organic UK. Do let me know if you make any of May’s recipes, and I will see you a little later with more organic news, Have a fabulous May Bank Holiday, Karen.

Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus,Spring Vegetables,Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes

More recipe and leftover ideas:

Asparagus Risotto

Asparagus and Beef Wraps

Soft Boiled Eggs and Asparagus Dippers

Asparagus Tips Soup

Asparagus Tips Stir-fry

Curried Beef Rissoles

Curried Beef Pie

Curry Puffs

Beef and Potato Pie

Broad Bean and Feta Guacamole

Pea Frittata

Mushy Fresh Peas

Gooseberry Crumble

Gooseberry Cobbler

Potato and Pea Omelette

Spring Vegetable Cheese Gratin

Potatoes Anna

Potato and Pea Curry

Sweet Gooseberry Soufflé Omelette

Check out Organic UK’s Face Book Page here: Organic UK

Recipes:

Two Cheese Asparagus Tart

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Serves	8 to 10 slices
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	40 minutes
Total time	55 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A delectable two cheese tart with the added luxury of fresh asparagus, this is a real “cut and come again” tart and will feed a family of four for at least two meals, with a couple of slices for lunch boxes and snacks.

Ingredients

• 350g fresh asparagus
• 100g herb and garlic cream cheese
• 150g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 300ml milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 500g ready-made puff pastry

Note

A delectable two cheese tart with the added luxury of fresh asparagus, this is a real “cut and come again” tart and will feed a family of four for at least two meals, with a couple of slices for lunch boxes and snacks.

Directions

Step 1	Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Grease and line a 10” (25cms) flan or tart dish.
Step 2	Roll out the pastry to fit the flan dish, prick all over the base of the base with a fork and then bake blind for 10 to 15 minutes. (Bake blind by lining pastry with greaseproof paper and covering with baking beads or beans)
Step 3	Take the pastry case out of the oven and take the greaseproof paper off the pastry case.
Step 4	Cut the woody ends off the asparagus spears and steam it for 3 to 4 minutes in a tall saucepan, with the delicate spears facing upwards. Take them out and allow them to drain.
Step 5	Meanwhile, beat the eggs, milk, cream cheese and grated cheese together, season with salt and pepper and then pour the filling into the pastry case.
Step 6	Arrange the asparagus spears on top of the filling, in an attractive pattern and bake the flan on the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is puffed up, golden brown and the middle is set. Take the flan out of the oven and allow to cool slightly, before cutting into slices and serving.
Step 7	NB: The woody ends of the asparagus can be used for soups.

Broad Bean and Pea Medley with Feta Cheese

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Serves	8 to 10 servings
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	12 minutes
Total time	27 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Salad, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Easter, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A beautiful medley of spring vegetables, with mint and Feta cheese; this recipe makes a wonderful vegetable accompaniment, or, it can be served as a stand-alone salad with crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 750g broad beans
• 750g fresh or frozen peas
• 200g feta cheese, crumbled
• Fresh mint leaves, cut finely, about 2 tablespoons
• 100ml olive oil

Note

A beautiful medley of spring vegetables, with mint and Feta cheese; this recipe makes a wonderful vegetable accompaniment, or, it can be served as a stand-alone salad with crusty bread.

Directions

Step 1	Cook the broad beans in salted boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, then drain them in a colander and peel them, taking off the outer tough skin.
Step 2	Add the peas to a fresh pan of boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, before adding the podded bread beans and cooking for a further 2 minutes.
Step 3	Drain the broad beans and peas, add the olive oil and mint leaves. Season to taste and pile the vegetables into a large serving bowl before adding the crumbled feta cheese over the top. Serve immediately, or serve at room temperature as a salad.
Step 4	This can be puréed and served as a dip similar to guacamole.

Broad Bean and Pea Medley with Feta Cheese

Jersey Royal Potato Salad with Three Herb Mayonnaise

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Serves	8 to 10 servings
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Allergy	Egg
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Salad, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A fabulous way to serve Jersey Royal new potatoes, this is also a perfect recipe for picnics, lunch boxes and barbecues. I suggest using mint, parsley and chives, as they go so well with new potatoes, but use any fresh herbs to hand, being careful that they are not too pungent.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Organic Jersey Royal potatoes, washed and scrubbed and cut into small bite-sized pieces
• Fresh mint, finely chopped
• Fresh chives, finely chopped
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 125ml mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Note

A fabulous way to serve Jersey Royal new potatoes, this is also a perfect recipe for picnics, lunch boxes and barbecues. I suggest using mint, parsley and chives, as they go so well with new potatoes, but use any fresh herbs to hand, being careful that they are not too pungent.

Directions

Step 1	Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, or until soft but not too mushy.
Step 2	Drain the potatoes and allow to cool before adding the freshly chopped herbs and mayonnaise.
Step 3	Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 4	Serve warm or cold

Cape Malay Beef & Fruit Curry

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Serves	8
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	2 hours, 30 minutes
Total time	3 hours
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A fragrant, spicy curry that is packed full of dried fruit and is slow cooked for meltingly tender beef. This curry benefits from being made the day before you need to serve it, and any leftovers can be made into delicious curry puffs or rissoles the next day.

Ingredients

Curry

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 100g dried apricots
• 100g sultanas
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 4 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 500g stewing steak, cut into even-sized chunks

Spice Mix

• ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon ground chilli powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Note

A fragrant, spicy curry that is packed full of dried fruit and is slow cooked for meltingly tender beef. This curry benefits from being made the day before you need to serve it, and any leftovers can be made into delicious curry puffs or rissoles the next day.

Directions

Step 1	Spice mix – place all of the seeds in a small frying pan and heat gently until they release their fragrance, then take them off the heat. Grind the seeds with a pestle and mortar and then add them to the ground spices, mix well, and set to one side.
Step 2	Curry – Heat the vegetable oil over a medium to high heat, then add the stewing steak piece by piece, sear each piece, turning it over to brown evenly – take the beef out as it browns and allow it to drain on some kitchen towel. Do NOT overcrowd the pan.
Step 3	Place the seared beef in a large oven-proof casserole dish. Add some more oil of needed and then cook the onions over a low heat, until they are just soft and opaque. Add the onions to the beef and then add the curry spice mix to the pan, and heat it up before adding a tablespoon of flour, mix well and gradually add 300ml water, stirring all the time to make sure it is lump free. Pour it over the beef and onions.
Step 4	Add the sultanas, apricots and desiccated coconut to the beef mixture and mix well. Add some salt and pepper and place the lid on the casserole dish.
Step 5	Cook in a pre-heated oven 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2 for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until the curry sauce has thickened and the beef is tender.
Step 6	Serve with steamed rice and assorted sambals, such as chopped tomato, chopped onion, chopped cucumber, chutney, peanuts, desiccated coconut and naan breads.
Step 7	This can be cooked in a slow cooker too – cook on auto for up to 8 hours or on high for 6 hours. (Times vary according to different slow cooker models)

Foolish Gooseberry Trifle

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Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	5 minutes
Total time	15 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Dessert, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Casual Party, Easter, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A classic gooseberry fool but served in the style of a trifle with elderflower cordial, and with ready-made custard for speed and convenience; organic ready-made custard can be bought in most supermarkets, or you can make your own custard.

Ingredients

• 450g gooseberries (topped and tailed)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons elderflower cordial
• 250g Amaretti biscuits
• 1 tin of ready-made custard
• 300ml extra thick double cream

Note

A classic gooseberry fool but served in the style of a trifle with elderflower cordial, and with ready-made custard for speed and convenience; organic ready-made custard can be bought in most supermarkets, or you can make your own custard.

Directions

Step 1	Gently poach the gooseberries in the sugar and elderflower cordial for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 2	Crumble most of the Amaretti biscuits into the bottom of 4 large glasses, reserving some for the top for decoration.
Step 3	Spoon over half of the poached gooseberries, including the syrup.
Step 4	Spoon over half of the custard next and then mix the remaining gooseberries with the rest of the custard and half of the cream - spoon the fool over the custard.
Step 5	Spoon the remaining cream over the top and add some crumbled Amaretti biscuits and a few gooseberries as a garnish.

Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus,Spring Vegetables,Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes

Disclaimer:

Organic UK is paying me an agreed fee to create and develop these Thrifty and Organic Recipes, as well as providing me with all the ingredients. However, as I am a big supporter of organic produce, I am happy to share these sponsored organic recipes and posts on my blog, for the benefit of my readers.

Karen S Burns-Booth

I have also entered the asparagus recipe into Lou from Eat your Veg’s Asparagus contest!