Monday 20 May 2013

Making meat go further

Vegetarianism is unlikely to ever feature in our house - my husband is definitely a carnivore and to be honest I'm almost as big a meat fan as he is.  But with the ever increasing prices in the supermarket I am trying to make the most of the meat we buy these days.  We had a really nice brisket of beef for Sunday lunch yesterday which at just over £8 for a small piece was expensive enough that it needed to do two meals but by the time I'd carved it there were only a couple of slices left.  Determined not to be defeated I set about to come up with something to stretch it and hit upon beef rissoles - basically meatballs but made with cooked meat not mince. 

 
Blitz the meat in a processor add a shallot, some capers, black olives, parsley and some fresh breadcrumbs (half the amount of meat) and bind without enough beaten egg to just bring it all together.  Make into walnut sized balls and carefully shallow fry.  In this case 2 slices of leftover meat that would have only just made a sandwich for one made 14 decent meatballs.  


Serve with spaghetti and your favourite sauce - in this case caramelized onion and sherry vinegar with tomatoes.