Bezpłatny fragment - 50 ways to make cheap dinner

Introduction

Hello! My name is Maria Siecińska.

I have been helping in kitchen since I was little. Cooking is something I love and want to share with you. It brings me true joy.

You probably know me from my YouTube channel — Gotuj z Maszką, which has been around since 2019.

I know a lot of interesting recipes and have loads of ideas, so It would be a shame If I kept them to myself :)

I hope you learn some new things from that book and you will enjoy it. Not only does It contain Polish recipes, but also cooking ideas from all over the world!

Remember!

Cooking is not only a necessity

IT IS A WONDERFUL PASSION!
Chapter 1 — Delicious Soups

Fried onions and carrots are a key to making a delicious soup. They add great color, aroma and of course — taste.

My favorite is the meatball dill soup — It reminds me of my childhood, when I used to eat it all the time.

A good soup is best for cold afternoons and evenings. It is also crucial during Christmas — Christmas Eve borscht and the mushroom soup with pea puffs are something I always make during that time.

Remember about hygiene! Wash your hands and cook only in clean environment.

Traditional Chicken Broth With Noodles

Ingredients:

— soup vegetables (celeriac, carrots, parsley root)

— 1 onion

— 1 stock cube

— chicken carcasses

— 2 chicken thighs

— 10ml of maggi

— salt, pepper, laurel leaves, lovage, thyme, parsley

Put the chicken carcasses and thighs in a pot alongside with water. Boil everything, then take the meat out, wash the pot and pour in fresh water. Add the soup vegetables, stock cube, onion, laurel leaves and allspice seeds. Cook on low heat for up to 2 hours.

Cook the noodles in a separate pot.

When the vegetables and meat are fully cooked, take them out and let them cool off. Dice them in shape up to your liking.

Add maggi, parsley, salt and pepper to the broth in amounts up to your liking. Put the vegetables and meat in the broth.

Serve it with noodles. All done!

Ukrainian Borscht

Ingredients:

— 1 rib

— 150g of bacon

— soup vegetables (leek, celeriac, parsley root)

— half of an onion

— 150g of cabbage

— 2 beetroots (cooked separately)

— 6 potatoes

— 2 fresh or canned tomatoes

— half of a can of white beans

— 4 allspice seeds

— 2 laurel leaves

— half of a lemon, parsley

— salt, pepper, sugar, vegeta

— sour cream (12%)

Pour water in a pot, add the rib, laurel leaves, allspice seeds and cook for up to an hour. Cook the beetroots separately. When the meat separates from the bone, take it out to cool off. Add the diced potatoes, one carrot, cabbage, celeriac and leek. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft.

Pour some oil in a pan and fry the previously diced bacon. Add chopped onion after a moment. When 3 minutes pass, add the grated carrot and tomatoes. Fry them together for up to 5 minutes on low heat. Add the sugar, seasonings and lemon juice.

Cut the meat into smaller pieces and add it to the soft vegetables alongside with beans and grated beetroots. Season and add some parsley. All done! Serve with a tablespoon of sour cream.

Christmas Eve Borscht

Ingredients:

— 100g of leek

— 1 parsley root

— 100g of celeriac

— 1 carrot

— 2 laurel leaves

— 4 allspice seeds

— 100g of dried mushrooms

— 500ml of pickled beetroot juice

— salt, pepper, marjoram

— 2 garlic cloves

Pour 1.5 liters of water in a pot. Wash and peel the carrot, celeriac and leek, then add them alongside with the laurel leaves, allspice seeds and salt. Boil everything. Add the mushrooms and cook on low heat.

When an hour passes, take the vegetables out of the broth. The mushrooms may stay if you want. Add the beet juice, garlic and marjoram. Add salt and pepper, stir. All done!

Cucumber Soup

Ingredients:

— 1 smoked bone

— 6 pickles

— 200ml of pickle juice

— 6 potatoes

— 2 carrots

— 1 onion

— 1 tablespoon of sugar

— soup vegetables (leek, celeriac, parsley root)

— 2 laurel leaves

— 4 allspice seeds

— salt, pepper, vegeta

— parsley

— sour cream

Pour a liter of water in a pot, then cut the rib bone into smaller pieces and put them in alongside with the soup vegetables, laurel leaves and allspice seeds. Cook the contents of the pot for about an hour. Grate the pickles and put them in a pot alongside with the pickle juice. Cook for about an hour. When the broth is cooked, take the bone pieces out of the pot and add the previously diced carrot and potatoes. Cook until the vegetables become soft.

Preheat a pan with some oil on it, dice the onion and fry it. Grate the remaining carrot and add it. Give it a moment, then take everything off the heat. When the potatoes are cooked, add the pickle mixture and the contains of the pan to the broth and stir. Add sugar, salt, pepper and vegeta. Take it off the heat, add some sour cream and parsley. All done!

Żurek With No Sourdough Base

Ingredients:

— 1 smoked bone

— 2 laurel leaves

— 4 allspice seeds

— 4 eggs

— 2 carrots

— 1 onion

— soup vegetables (leek, celeriac, parsley root)

— 6 potatoes

— 200g of bacon

— 500g of sausage (white or regular)

— 2 packets of żurek mix (Winiary)

— parsley, marjoram

Pour 2 liters of water in a pot and put the smoked bone, laurel leaves, allspice seeds, soup vegetables and carrots in it. Add salt, then cook a broth.

Peel and dice the potatoes, put them aside. Hard-boil the eggs in a separate pot.

Preheat a pan with some oil on it, dice the onion and fry it. Add the previously diced bacon after a moment. If you have regular sausage, dice and add it now as well. White sausage can be added whole to the broth.

When an hour passes, take the soup vegetables out of the broth, add potatoes and cook until soft. When that happens, add „żurek” mix, previously dissolved in some cold water. Cook for another 15 minutes. Add the contents of the pan and marjoram. All done!

Serve with eggs and parsley.

Meatball And Dill Soup

Ingredients:

— soup vegetables (leek, celeriac, parsley root)

— 7 potatoes

— 1 egg

— 500g of minced meat (shoulder)

— 1 bunch of dill

— sour cream (18%)

— a stock cube or vegeta

— salt, pepper

— 2 laurel leaves

— 4 allspice seeds

Pour 2 liters of water in a pot and add the soup vegetables (previously cut into smaller pieces), salt and stock cube. Put the pot on the heat. Peel the potatoes and carrots, dice them and put in the pot as well.

Meanwhile, start preparing the meat. Put it in a bowl, add egg and seasonings, then mix thoroughly. When 30 minutes pass, form little meatballs using your hands and a spoon and put them in the broth right away.

Cook for about 10 minutes. Finally, add the chopped dill and sour cream. Add seasonings in amounts up to your taste and liking. All done!

Tomato Soup With Rice

Ingredients:

— 1 chicken thigh

— soup vegetables (leek, celeriac, parsley)

— 2 carrots

— 2 tomatoes

— 3 tablespoons of tomato puree

— 1 teaspoon of sugar

— 2 laurel leaves

— 4 allspice seeds

— 100g of sour cream (18%)

— 3 teaspoons of flour

— 50g of butter

— parsley

— salt, pepper, vegeta

— 200g of rice

Wash the meat and clean the vegetables. Pour 2 liters of water in a pot, add the chicken, soup vegetables, carrots, laurel leaves, allspice seeds and salt and cook for up to an hour. Cook the rice separately. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes.

Preheat a pan with some butter on it, then fry the tomatoes for a moment. Add the tomato puree and let it fry for a while. Take it off the heat. When the broth is ready, strain it.

Put the sour cream in a bowl, add some flour and mix. Pour some soup in the bowl using a ladle. Mix thoroughly, then add everything to the broth. Add some salt, pepper and vegeta. Chop the meat, carrots and parsley and add them as well. All done!

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

— 8 potatoes

— 2 laurel leaves

— 3 allspice seeds

— 1 carrot

— vegetable medley (frozen)

— half of an onion

— 1 tablespoon of flour

— 100g of sour cream (12%)

— salt, pepper, vegeta

— parsley, dill

Pour 2 liters of water in a pot and add diced potatoes, laurel leaves, allspice seeds and salt. Cook for about 20 minutes, then add the vegetable medley and cook until soft.

Preheat a pan with some oil on it, dice the onion and start frying it. Grate a carrot and add it. Fry for about 3 minutes. When the vegetables are cooked, add the contains of the pan to the soup.

Mix the sour cream with some flour in a bowl, then add some soup using a ladle and mix thoroughly. Add it to the pot. Finally, add some chopped dill and parsley. Add salt, pepper and vegeta up to your liking. All done!

Mushroom Soup With Pea Puffs

Ingredients:

— 200g of dried mushrooms

— 1 onion

— 1 processed cheese

— soup vegetables (leek, celeriac, parsley root)

— 50ml of sour cream

— marjoram

— 2 laurel leaves

— 2 allspice seeds

— pea puffs

— salt, pepper

Let the mushrooms soak in water overnight, as it will speed up the cooking process. Cook them separately.

Prepare a vegetable broth. Pour 2 liters of water in a pot, add the soup vegetables, onion, laurel leaves and allspice seeds. Add salt and cook for about 40 minutes. When the vegetables are cooked, take them out of the broth.

Blend together the mushrooms, celeriac and carrot with a little bit of broth. Pour some of the broth in a bowl and add processed cheese, stir until it melts, then add sour cream and mix everything together.

Add everything to the main part of the broth and stir. Add marjoram and seasonings. All done!

Serve with some pea puffs.

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

— chicken or turkey thigh bone

— 1 fresh broccoli

— 1 carrot

— 7 potatoes

— half of an onion

— laurel leaves

— 3 allspice seeds

— 1 processed cheese

— 100ml of sour cream (12%)

— soup vegetables (leek, celeriac, parsley root)

— a stock cube or vegeta

— salt, pepper, parsley, oil

Pour 2 liters of water in a pot, put the bone, laurel leaves, soup vegetables, allspice seeds, salt and pepper in and cook for up to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and dice the potatoes. Cut the stalk off of the broccoli and wash the rest thoroughly. When the broth is ready, strain it and add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the broccoli floret.

Preheat a pan with some oil on it, dice the onion and fry it. Grate the carrots and add them. Fry for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, take a small bowl and put the processed cheese (previously diced) in it. Add some broth to it and still until it melts. Add sour cream and mix thoroughly.

When the vegetables are done, add the contains of the pan and the cheese mixture to the main part of the broth. Add parsley and seasonings and stir. All done!

Chapter 2 — Meat Dishes

I cannot imagine my cooking without pork. That kind of meat is known from being tender and good in taste.

A lot of Poles cannot imagine their lives without pork cutlets on Sunday dinner. Ham and pork loin is a great source of protein.

Fresh pork should be reddish in color, as it belongs to the group of red meats. If the color is faint, the meat probably contains a lot of water.