a splash of oil
some flour if you’ve got some
2kg of cheap stewing steak (ask the butcher for that!) or stewing Kangaroo ($10/kg)
garlic (chopped or whole cloves)
2 onions
any or all of the following: carrots, parsnips, turnips, celery all peeled and cut into equals size pieces (check the old veggie section at work, they sometimes pack these as ‘soup mix)
1 can of tomatoes
1 can/stubbie of beer (something dark such as coopers dark is best)
1 cup of beef stock or water

In a big pot heat the oil to medium. The pan is hot enough when you see the oil move a bit
Dust the meat in salt and pepper and flour if you’ve got some and brown it, handfuls at a time. Once each lot it browned remove it from the pot, until all is cooked.

Add in a bit more oil if the pot is dry and cook your onions until soft.

Throw in the rest of the veggies and garlic and turn the heat down. Pop a lid on for a few minutes until the carrots start to soften.

Splash in the booze and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the cooked on bits off the bottom of the pot. Increase the heat a bit until the liquid bubbles for a minute or two.

Throw the meat back in, along with everything else. Put the lid back on and turn down to the lowest temperature. Simmer for 2 hours. If you’ve got really cheap meat it might take longer.

If your saucepan doesn’t have any wooden or plastic bits (handles etc), pop it in the oven for the 2 hours instead at 150ºC/280ºF

Variations:
RED WINE SAUCE: Replace the beer with 1/2 glass of red wine and some tinned tomatoes.
OR
Red Curry: Don’t flour and season the meat and replace the beer and stock with coconut milk and add in some red curry paste

Note: this is part of the Cheap Eats series, aimed at arming my brother, who has just moved out of home with a few dishes to get him by. The heavy use of rotisserie chickens is because he works behind a supermarket deli counter and often gets the leftovers.

Chicken nasi-goereng (makes a shitload- easily about $1 a serve)

A good slug of oil
random cheap veggies gathered at the central markets OR 1 bag of mixed frozen stir-fry veggies (about $3)
Shredded cooked chicken from work
cooked rice (add more rice to make the meal cheaper!!)
a good slug of soy sauce (kecap manis is better but you could theoretically steal soy sauce from sushi bars and mix in a little sugar to sweeten it)
sambal oelek or chopped chilies
1 egg, beaten

Heat a wok or big frying pan to very high and add in some oil.
Chuck in the veggies and cook until done.
Throw in the rice and the chicken and chilli and stir fry for another few minutes until the rice is golden
Add the soy sauce, enough to coat the rice without making it soupy. Continue to stirfry for a few more minutes until dry.
Push the rice to one side and add the egg and fry until nearly cooked then stir into the rice.
A bit of coriander would brighten this up.

Image courtesy of http://ninecooks.typepad.com/

Base
1 (30g) scoop pea protein powder
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 ts baking powder

Thoroughly combine all the base ingredients in a mixing bowl. It should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Generously spray a 9″ non-stick frying pan and heat it to a medium heat. Spread the batter evenly across the pan and wait until bubbles form. Flip and cook for about 1 minute more. Remove from heat and allow to cool on a wire rack if not using straight away.

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF

Toppings
2 tablespoons pasata
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup low fat mozzerella
1 1/2 slices of proscuitto (parma ham), sliced into thin strips
about 8 marinated artichoke quarters
1/2 sliced onion
1/2 cup small broccoli florets
a handful of rocket
1 ts olive oil
a few shavings of aged Parmesan cheese

Place the base on a oven proof tray and spread the pasata evenly on top. Top with garlic, oregano and mozzarella. Layer on the proscuito, artichoke hearts, brocoli and onion.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add the rocket. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle on the shavings of Parmesan.

I ate half because I wanted the other half for lunch tomorrow. The whole recipe is probably 1 1/2 small serves.

In the interest of voyeurism here’s mine.

Top shelf: ice, lamb casserole, chicken and fennel casserole, squid stew, cooked quinoa, soy bean.

Bottom shelf: more squid, more soy beans, x-lean mince, alba baci gelati, rice noodles,  frozen spinach and peas. stock

Bottom shelf: blue box (spuds, celery, pumpkin, beetroot), various nuts and seeds, pea protein, quinoa
1st shelf: Ameranth, supplements, artificial sweetener. Draws contain bulk spices
2nd shelf: Coconut, coconut milk, soy milk, organic tin tomatoes, sauces, coconut milk, freebie pot noodles, honey, 5 different kinds of soy sauce, refried beans, at least 6 different vinegars, grits.
Top shelf (out of eyeline): organic pasta, lots of different rices, crispy fried onions, cornflour.

top shelf: sesame paste, salsa, pesto,  mustards, chilli pastes, cat food, chinese pickled salted cabbage
the egg shelf: 30 eggs, thawing chicken casserole, flax bread, parmesan cheese.
The meat draw shelf: Rump steak, cadbury chocolate (Stephen’s- Yuck!),  leftover AT flax lemon ‘cheesecake’,  miso paste, curry paste.
The shelf below: Butternut pumpkin, leek, capsicums, hemp protein, Stephen sandwich for tomorrow
The top of the vegie draws: Vital greens, soda stream bottles of sparkling water, avocadoes
Vegie draw (Left): capsicums, mushrooms, herbs
Vegie draw (right): brocolli, fennel, more herbs, 3 brussel sprouts that need throwing out.

Here’s what’s been cooked in the musclechef kitchen this weekend.

Meal 1: Sardines, Spinach, fish oil
Meal 2: Goat burger and coleslaw with lemon sesame dressing
Meal 3: Chicken and sausage ragü, cauliflower mash, fish oil
Meal 4: Maple macadamia and walnut protein bar
Meal 5: Soup, stirfry or caseroles, TBA, Fish oil