Budget meals.

Recipe by Cassie Kill.
Serves 4.

800g beef brisket (excess fat removed, cut into small chunks)
1 onion (sliced)
1 red pepper (deseeded and sliced)
400g chopped tomatoes
400g red kidney beans (in water, rinsed and drained)
2 big garlic cloves (crushed)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp tomato puree
300ml hot beef stock
Coriander (small bunch)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Place the onion, red pepper and coriander stalks into a slow cooker or ovenproof casserole dish with a lid. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, season the beef with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then fry in two batches until golden brown, transferring to the slow cooker when ready.

Add the garlic, spices and paprika to the pan and fry for one minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato purée, sugar, tomatoes and stock, then bring to the boil. Add the sauce to the meat, then cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook on low for seven hours. If cooking in the oven, cover dish with lid and put in a preheated oven at around 160°C (gas mark 2) for 3-4 hours or until the meat is tender. In both methods, now stir in the beans, then cook for an hour more until the meat is very tender.

Season the sauce to your taste, then scatter with coriander leaves and serve, perhaps with rice and a dollop of sour cream and cheese.

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Recipe by Cassie Kill.
Serves 4.

400g of fish offcuts (as available, often salmon and smoked finney at the markets)
1 onion, chopped finely
2 large leeks (trimmed, washed and sliced in to small chunks)
1 courgette (chopped)
400g chopped tomatoes
2 big garlic cloves (crushed)
200ml fish or veg stock
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Fresh thyme (1-2 teaspoons of leaves, stalks discarded)
Fresh spinach
Juice of half a lemon

Add onion and garlic to a large, heavy bottomed casserole dish with oil and fry over a low heat for two minutes. Add the courgette and continue frying for another three minutes. Add the stock, tomatoes, lemon juice and thyme and simmer for five minutes.

Remove the skin from the fish with a sharp knife and ensure the pieces are of a fairly even size. Add to the simmering broth and cook for about five minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Avoid stirring too vigorously as you will break up the fish.

Gently stir through the fresh spinach and serve.

Cooking by Freddie Bates
Photos by Sara Hill.

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