I've got a one-pound roll of breakfast sausage...and a goal to stretch it as far as possible.
Now the Bricks are -- and have been, for generations -- meat-eaters. That's one reason our family hunts -- because we like protein. So if I stretch my meat allowance, I have to make it seem as if I didn't.
I used this single pound of meat in four different meals -- and I did it by adding other ingredients that soaked up its flavor, like mushrooms and onions. The key is cooking it with the other ingredients, instead of beforehand, like most cookbooks suggest. Yes, you're adding a little extra fat -- but not that much. And fat is what adds flavor. And the second tip? Using a divide-and-conquer approach that doesn't waste a bit, and lets you use up vegetables in the crisper, as well.
A plus: these are all rib-sticking meals, good for chilly days and evenings.
Meal #1: Biscuits and Gravy
Cut your roll in half. (Put the rest away.) Start sauteing the meat while you start the biscuits. (This recipe explains it all.) Once they're baking, scrape up the excess flour/dough bits and dump them in with the meat. Stir until blended, pour in a cup of milk, and stir again. By the time your milk gravy is thickened and bubbling, the biscuits should be done.
Split them, and pour the gravy over. (Save any leftover gravy -- use leftover biscuits for jam and butter for 'dessert.') Great for breakfast -- and can be done as quickly as 20 min., if you start making the biscuits right after the meat.
Meal #2: Porcupine Rice
Go here for the recipe...but cut the half-roll in thirds, and use one, instead of the pound of meat suggested. Add 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms and your choice of veggies. (Celery, onion and peppers are particularly good; so is zucchini.) Stir in leftover gravy.
Meal #3: Minestrone
This one's perfect for the slow-cooker. Combine the second third-of-a-half sausage with a 15 oz. can of diced tomato or tomato puree, 4 cups water, 1 beef bouillon cube and 2-3 cups chopped veggies, your choice. (One or two chopped potatoes adds heft.) Add 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and a tablespoon of oregano or Italian spice mix. (Basil mixed with oregano is good, too.) Cook for 7-8 hours on low; one hour before serving, break up the meat, if needed, and add a handful of macaroni (or broken-up spaghetti, or...). Serve sprinkled with parmesan or mozzarella cheese.
Meal #4: Beans and Rice
Use the slow-cooker or a simmering kettle for 2 cups pinto beans, plus water to cover, and the rest of your meat. Cook for 7-8 hours on low...or 3-4 hours on a higher temp. Drain, if needed, then add what's left of your soup -- or another can of diced tomatoes and a few teaspoons of garlic powder. (I like a good-sized shot of Frank's Hot Sauce, as well.) Heat til bubbling, then serve over rice. Or leftover biscuits.
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| Or skip the beans, add the meat to the rice when you're cooking it.. and make Spanish Rice, instead! |
And that brings us back to the beginning. Congratulations -- you have have just fed four hungry people four meals, with only one pound of meat!
You can do this with ground beef, as well as a pound of ham, or chopped raw chicken. One of my blogger friends uses bacon for biscuits and gravy -- and bacon would work for the other dishes, as well. But the sausage really seems to give extra flavor.
Try it yourself, on some cold and hungry week, when you feel poor.
Or the paycheck's late. Or you just need some comfort.
Enjoy.
