When we meet an obstacle on our life’s path, we get to choose how we will respond. Do we stop our journey because there’s something in our way? Do we move the obstacle off the path entirely? Or can we use the obstacle as a stepping stone to view the path from a different viewpoint?
An opportunity to create new recipes
It’s no different when the cost of food rises. When food is expensive, or there is a short supply of our favourite ingredients, we tend to wallow in doom and gloom. But these situations offer us an environment to create something new and allow unique food ideas to be born.
Take the Great Depression, for instance. Meals like the classic nostalgic bubble and squeak were made with a beef base, but during the food scarcity of the Second World War, the British replaced the beef base with potatoes.
And what about bread and dripping? This meal was a sign of economic hard times, feeding hundreds of thousands worldwide. Bread and dripping wouldn’t have been a meal of choice, but when that’s all that’s available, that’s what you eat, and that’s what you’re grateful for.
Waste not, want not
Many older members of our society with the memory of these times recall these meals as the hallmarks of food rationing when nothing – I mean nothing – was wasted. The simple rendering of fat created from cooking a piece of meat (which today many throw away) was considered valuable and was served cold on a slice of bread and sprinkled with salt and pepper. And the substitution of beef with potatoes created an entirely new dish we have come to love.
Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who collects beef drippings let alone indulges in it as a meal. But simple pairings like these go beyond popularity. They represent an era of ingenuity and creativity, where new dishes were created based on the produce that was – or wasn’t – available.
Turning food scarcity into abundance
We aren’t in a Great Depression, of course, but many in our society are finding the rising cost of food a strain on their household finances. Home cooks are turning common ingredients into something unique – a sign of our times, perhaps. These simple recipes are some of Australia’s Best Recipes’ ‘new’ creations. We hope they can help you cultivate a new way of looking at what’s in your pantry so that you can stretch the pot and still provide hearty, nourishing, and virtually waste-free meals with a twist to your family.
Deep dish egg and bacon flan
Transform your bacon and eggs into something heartier with this deep-dish egg and bacon flan that uses up an abundance of eggs.
Tuna, sweetcorn and rice rissoles
No mince? Make these tuna rissoles packed with leftover rice, canned tuna, and sweetcorn. They’re delicious hot or cold.
Bubble and squeak Yorkshire pudding traybake
Blend two old favourites and create a new version of bubble and squeak by using up your leftover veggies in this glorious union of old-school dinners.
Spaghetti and cheese
No macaroni? Use a different pasta instead. Switch up your regular mac ‘n’ cheese with this simple spaghetti version – it’s heavy on the cheese and finished with a crispy crumb topping.
Peanut butter bread
No yeast? This Depression-era recipe makes a simple peanut butter quickbread that doesn’t need yeast. It also makes a delicious breakfast bread when spread with butter and jam.
Water pie
No eggs? This pie is based on a Depression-era recipe that uses humble pantry ingredients and water for a tasty sweet treat. The result is similar to a cinnamon-flavoured custard tart – delicious!
More ways to save on food
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