Cost of living: Top SA chefs share their favourite low-cost, but still filling and delicious, recipes

Even as the cost of basic staple ingredients climbs higher, it’s still possible to prepare delicious, nutritious meals on a budget. Some of SA’s top chefs show you how.

Yes, you can absolutely substitute cabbage for lettuce in recipes to save coin at the grocery store, say Adelaide’s top chefs.

Other thrifty tips include buying seasonal produce, hunting for cheaper farmers’ markets and planning multiple meals from single ingredients.

Some of SA’s culinary kings and queens have shared their money-saving secrets and recipes as supermarket prices surge by up to 22 per cent since last year, adding more than $2000 to a typical family’s annual grocery bill.

OzHarvest founder and chief executive Ronni Kahn said the food relief charity had seen demand spike in the past month.

“The charities we support are all feeling a rise in demand,” she said. “In the last three months Ask Izzy searches went up 22 per cent – a function on our website, which shows the number of people looking for food relief. This is up 62 per cent from pre-Covid times, averaging 53,000 searches a month.”

A single iceberg lettuce is retailing for as much as $12 in some parts of the country because of supply issues following the NSW and QLD floods. Fast food giant KFC this week announced it would mix lettuce with cabbage in its products to account for the shortfall.

While that news caused outrage among some Kentucky Fried Chicken diehards, switching out lettuce for cabbage is a completely reasonable move to make, says chef Terry Intarakhamhaeng of acclaimed Adelaide Thai restaurant, Soi 38.

Soi 38 chef Terry Intarakhamhaeng cooking Wombok with his children Adelaide, 10 and Bertie, 7. Photo: Brenton Edwards.

His top tips are to buy local, seasonal produce, and create recipes with affordable ingredients.

“If it’s too expensive, just avoid it,” he said.

“If you buy out-of-season vegetables, it can be more expensive than buying meat.

“At the moment, because of the floods, the lettuce shortage is bringing the price of lettuce up, so you might need to learn what the alternatives are. Wombok, or Chinese white cabbage, doesn’t get affected.”

Talking to local farmers at markets is a good way to learn what’s plentiful and cheaper right now, he says.

But not all markets are created equal.

“There are farmers’ markets everywhere, in Marden Oval there’s one, and Gepps Cross every Sunday – that’s a cheap one,” he says. “They’re not all cheap.

“Central Market after 1pm (on Saturday) you’re more likely to find stuff cheap, because they’re not open Sunday.”

Using proteins as flavour rather than a bulk component of a meal is another hot tip. “My grandparents weren’t poor, but they would cook with one fish,” Mr Intarakhamhaeng said. “In the end you can’t even see the fish but you can taste it.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Lot 100 head chef Shannon Fleming, who, with four children at home, knows well the demands of feeding a family.

When it comes to proteins, secondary cuts such as ox tail or brisket are rich in flavour and go a long way. “You might get two or three meals out of a brisket,” he says. “Rather than having leftovers in the fridge and ultimately not using it, plan to do a slow cooked barbecue one night and then a beef noodle soup the next night, or tacos … because it’s quite rich you don’t have to use much to feed a family.”

Mr Fleming’s other tips are to “shop at your local fruit and veg shop, rather than one of the big guys” and be open to cheaper alternatives of an ingredient. “If you’re looking for iceberg lettuce, try cos or something that hasn’t been as badly hit by the weather,” he says. “Give it a crack.”

Mr Fleming said brassicas, such as broccoli, cauliflower and romanescos were in season now, as well as leafy greens such as kale. “You’ll get a little bit more in your bunch,” he says.

“Bulk recipes out with grains – pearl barley or spelt for example – they cost nothing and … are really easy to cook.”

He added that saving vegie scraps in the freezer was a thrifty way to make stock, rather than buy it.

Using the leftover bones from a roast chicken is another great way to make stock, said Fino Vino executive chef David Swain. “That will give you the base for another meal,” Mr Swain said.

Cheap eats are a specialty of Daniella Guevara Muñoz of Mexican diner, La Popular Taqueria in Port Adelaide.

She suggests incorporating dry goods such as beans into the kitchen. “When you cook them, you end up with more than what you started,” she said. “In Mexico, we try to use things that would otherwise be wasted. Day-old bread, or tortillas – you make and eat fresh but then next day you can fry them to become corn chips.”

ROO TAIL WITH BARLEY RISOTTO AND LEEK

by Shannon Fleming, Lot 100

Seves 4

Shannon Fleming’s roo tail with barley risotto and leek.

INGREDIENTS

1kg kangaroo tail (see notes)

350g farro (pearl barley, spelt grain)

1 lt chicken stock

2 sticks leek

Broccoli leaves

1 bunch cavolo nero

2 cloves crushed garlic

50g pepitas

30g butter

Sherry vinegar

For the roo tail

METHOD

There are many ways to cook roo tail really well but for this recipe we are going to keep it really simple.

No sealing off needed, simply place roo tail pieces in a deepish small tray, close together but not touching. Just cover with water (or veg stock), cover with foil and cook at 140C for about 5 hours.

The meat will be tender around the bone and should be able to be picked off quite easily. Set that aside. Keep the liquid left over for later!

Cook the grain like you would potato: start with cold water and bring to simmer, cook until tender and strain, set aside. While that’s cooking, start the leek.

Wash and split the leek lengthways, place cut side down on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and a splash of vinegar, cook at 200 until tender, about 20 min.

Remove the tougher outside layer (set aside for veg stock) and peel the remaining cooked leek, mixing it together with the cooking juices in the tray.

Broccoli leaves can be found at your local fruit and veg or you can use any other brassica leaves in season right now.

Give them a quick wash and fry lightly in a pan with the crushed garlic. Do the same with the cavolo nero, keeping the stems for veg stock later.

Wipe out that same pan and while still hot, add a little oil and fry off the pepitas gently until they have a little colour, add some salt and drain on a paper towel, don’t eat all of them, they are addictive!

So when it comes to dinner time, reheat the grain in a pan with the chicken stock (or veg), add a little of the roo cooking liquid, add the butter, and season. add the cavolo and the broccoli leaves.

We want it almost soupy but not dry, almost like a wet risotto. Heat the roo tail pieces and leek in the oven and arrange on top the grains, garnish with the pepitas for a bit of crunch.

NOTES

Roo tail can be substituted with ox tail or even a small amount of brisket.

It can be found at Something Wild in the markets or Goodwood Quality Meats

BBQ CHICKEN, BRAISED SAVOY CABBAGE

by David Swain, co-owner and executive chef of Fino Vino in Adelaide.

Serves 4-6

David Swain’s chicken with braised cabbage

STEP ONE

Brine solution (optional)

Ingredients

1 litre water, 60g salt, 40g sugar, 1 bay leaf. 6 peppercorns, 7 coriander seeds,

1 clove

Method

Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil. Remove from heat and place in your fridge until completely chilled before using.

STEP TWO

Prepare chicken for brining

Ingredients

1 whole free-range chicken 1.6 – 2kg

Method

Find your favourite chicken and ask your butcher to butterfly it.

Place chicken in brining liquid ensuring it is fully covered in liquid. Place in refrigerator overnight (about 16 hours). Remove chicken from brining liquid and pat dry with absorbent paper. Set aside

STEP THREE

Braising Savoy cabbage

Ingredients

¼ Savoy cabbage – leaves pulled apart

1 medium-large carrot, cut into batons the size of your pinky finger

1 brown onion – cut in half, thinly sliced

1 stick celery – cut into batons the size of your pinky finger

1 rasher of bacon, sliced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

3 cloves garlic – peeled and sliced

100ml chicken stock or water

30-60ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

METHOD

In a wide-based saucepan or casserole pan add olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and lightly sweat down for a few minutes.

Add garlic, thyme and cabbage leaves and cook until the cabbage starts to wilt. Add chicken stock/ water, turn down to low heat and braise for about 10 minutes, add seasoning to taste.

STEP FOUR

Cooking the chicken

Preheat a lidded barbecue to 200C. Place the chicken skin side down and cook until the skin is nicely caramelised. Turn the chicken over, reduce heat to medium or low, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes until done.

Remove from barbecue, cover with foil, rest the chicken for 15 minutes.

STEP FIVE

Place braised cabbage ingredients on a serving platter, carve the chicken. Serve immediately.

NOTES

Price depends on kind of chicken you buy.

MOLLETES

Daniella Guevara Muñoz of La Popular Taqueria

Serves 4

Chef’s comments: “These are often made by Mexican students as they are so economical,” she says. “Molletes are an open sandwich covered with refried beans, melted cheese and served with zesty pico de gallo. These are generally served for breakfast or lunch, but I eat them any time.”

Molletes by Daniella Guevara, La Popular Taqueria.

INGREDIENTS

4 large crusty bread rolls; think Vietnamese bahn mi rolls

2 tablespoons of butter, softened

2 cup refried beans

2 cups mozzarella, shredded

Pico de gallo

METHOD
1. Preheat oven or grill to 200C.

2. Slice bread rolls in half lengthwise.

3. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Spread butter over the cut sides of the bread halves. Place them, cut sides down, in the pan and cook until they are lightly golden brown and crispy, a minute or two.

4. Spread each side of the rolls with refried beans and add cheese. Arrange molletes on a tray and put in the oven. Bake until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.

5. Top them with ‘pico de gallo”.

Pot Beans

½ kilo of pinto or black beans

½ white onion finely chopped

2 small garlic cloves

8 cups water, more if necessary

1 tablespoon salt

1. Rinse beans in cold water and drain. Place in a big heavy pot and cover with water. Add onion and bring to boil. Cook beans at medium heat for about 1½hours, until the beans are soft and then add the salt. Don’t add the salt in the beginning or it will toughen the beans.

2. Let them boil for about another 15 minutes, until the beans are soft. If the beans are not soft yet and the broth is drying out, add more water and cook longer.

3. You can have this by itself, with a little bit of chopped coriander and onion and fresh cheese on top. You can keep beans in fridge or freeze them for future molletes.

REFRIED BEANS

2 cups of the pot beans with a little bit of the cooking stock

¼ finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or lard

4. Heat the oil or lard in a frying pan over a medium-low heat.

5. Start frying the onions until they are transparent and start to brown.

6. Add beans and mash down using a potato masher until they become a paste. Taste to check if it needs salt.

PICO DE GALLO

1 large ripe tomato finely chopped

1/3 large onion finely chopped

1 jalapeño chilli finely chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/3 cup of cilantro (coriander) finely chopped

Salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

STIR FRY CHINESE CABBAGE (WOMBOK) WITH PORK

by Terry Intarakhamhaeng, Soi 38

Serves 4

Terry Intarakhamhaeng’s Stir Fry Chinese Cabbage with Pork.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons oil

400g pork belly or loin/fillet

5 cloves garlic (smashed and cut in half)

500g wombok, hand-shredded into bite sized pieces, washed and thoroughly dried

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

½ cup of water

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a wok over high heat, add the oil. Sear meat until caramelised. Add garlic, turn down the heat to medium and stir-fry for a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic.

2. Add the cabbage, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Turn up the heat to high, cover the lid and let the cabbage cook for 1-2 minutes. Uncover the lid, and stir in the black vinegar, scallions, and salt to taste. The cabbage should be wilted, but still slightly crunchy
and caramelised. Serve hot.

CHARGRILLED ROASTER CARROT HUMMUS

Magill Estate head chef Scott Huggins recommends using leftover roast carrots in this twist on traditional hummus.

Carrot hummus by Scott Huggins, Magill Estate Restaurant

INGREDIENTS

Large carrots 500g

Chickpeas 250g – cooked until soft or use canned

20ml olive oil

1tbs tahini

1tbs lemon juice

Salt and pepper to season

1 tsp lightly toasted coriander seeds, ground

1 tsp lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground

½ tsp lightly toasted fennel seeds, ground

METHOD

Season carrots with salt and pepper, place on a barbecue to chargrill. Once grilled place in tray and cover with foil until cooked through about 20-30 mins at 180C.

Blitz carrots in a Thermomix or blender and add olive oil, lemon juice, tahini paste until a smooth puree.

Add chickpeas and seeds. Blitz on high speed for 2 mins. Check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if required. Serve in a bowl with roasted carrots, sliced green olives, fresh coriander, toasted walnuts.