Value/Own label doesn't have to mean bland

How many times have you done your weekly shopping, only to get to an item and pick up a branded version?

Don't worry, its not your fault. In fact marketers and shops have special tricks to get you to do just that, firstly a shops layout is designed to make you spend, and on the most expensive things too! Also big brand items will have their own advertising campaigns so there is no avoiding them.

Often times branded items can be of a higher quality, but this isn't always the case, or at least when it is, that doesn't mean you should always avoid what seems like an inferior value product.

Case in point, I accidentally ordered the wrong type of sausage from my supplier (easy done when its all 7 digit product codes to me) the type that arrived were value rather than so called "best" sausage.

The difference in taste is noticeable, obviously less effort has gone into the recipe and the meat contains both more fat and more filler (usually rusk.)

However, this did not mean they had to stay bland. For my first dish I made a tomato based sausage casserole, very simple actually, I cooked the sausages, cut them up, and put the sausage, a tin of plum tomatoes (cut fine) mushroom (cheap button mushrooms are fine) some softly fried red onion (again cheap white onion would be fine) a bit of garlic (I use puree but actual garlic cloves or garlic salt is fine) and some bell peppers. If you have some, add some paprika and a bit of basil. If you want to be fancy, a little splash of red wine, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour or so, eat or let cool to reheat the next day (tastes better the next day!) a one pot dish, and add whatever ingredients you want to make it your own.

You see, sausages will take on the flavour of anything its cooked with, take for example the next dish a simple pasta bake.

I wanted to use frankfurters but I was all out so again to my value sausage and some rather strong smoked ham I have for a menu item that I had extra of. I cooked some pasta to al dente (slightly firm still) and blended a tin of tomatoes (tomatoes in everything this post, always keep tinned tomatoes, very versatile, blended can replace "passata" something a few recipes call for) cut up the sausage, and some onion and the ham, fry it all together and then mix with the pasta and blended tomatoes, cover with grated cheese and oven till the cheese browns. Delicious, and the sausage took on the taste of the smoked ham, so much so that I was asked if I made my own sausage!

So remember, most bland value foods can be fixed with the addition of any of a number of spices, thyme and sage (I have a mixed Mediterranean herb tub that i put in a lot of things and even on pizza) work with a lot of meats and garlic can fix a lot of dishes.

Until next time, happy eating