I’m trying to learn to buy groceries, cook for myself again.

Can’t afford to buy and keep produce. Limited cookware. So, any recipe telling me to crush garlic, dice onions, etc, can’t do.

Need budget, ghetto, for people on a fixed income, easy no frills way to make diy tomato paste pasta sauce.

Good suggestions so far. Tks. I have 1 bowl, 1 plate, 1 spoon, 1 fork, 1 butter knife ; 1 small sauce pan; Only stores nearby are corner stores. Hardly any produce. Having to make due with what you can find in a liquor store.

  • atan@lemmy.ml
    4·
    11 months ago

    Can’t go wrong with Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce recipe if you’re looking for easy and tasty:

    28oz can of tomatoes (San Marzano is best), 5 tbsp butter, onion peeled and cut in half. Add all ingredients to a pan and simmer on a medium heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, and gently crushing tomatoes. Remove onion and add salt to taste. Makes 4 servings.

    I like to throw in a sprig of basil too, but it’s not necessary.

    • ThisIsNotHim@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      2·
      11 months ago

      Great recommendation! I’ve made this many times.

      Some additional notes:

      With the limited budget, I would recommend eating the onion halves rather than discarding them.

      And if an onion is too much produce, onion powder will work. Both onion and garlic powder are reasonable options, especially in any recipe that cooks a while. Especially given your limited budget, do not shake any spices directly into the pot (they’ll start to clump). Always put spices in another dish (like your bowl, you can always rinse it if you feel the need), or your hand and then add them to the pot.

      Onions will keep for quite a while in a cool dark place, and can still be used even if they start to go off.

      • Soft spot? Cut it off

      • Sprouting? That’s edible, chuck it in too

      • Mold? If it’s black mold, Peel off all layers with evidence of mold, or wash it off, it’s probably only on the top layer

      In any of these cases, you might consider using twice as much onion as the recipe calls for, to try and use up as much as you can.

      Carrots and celery can also keep for similar amounts of time in the fridge, and bad spots can be cut out. They can also be added in a lot of places where they’re not asked for. I understand that produce might be challenging, but even if you only make it to the grocery store once a month, these may still be an option.

      • atan@lemmy.ml
        1·
        11 months ago

        Some good suggestions. The cooked onions are delicious, and definitely worth keeping. I’ve used them in a roasted vegetable side dish, and within a veggie lasagna. The recipe is very well known though so there’s lots of suggestions online for what to do with them e.g. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/what-to-do-with-onion-from-marcella-hazan-tomato-sauce-article.

        Just to note, while black mold is common on onions and can be washed/cut off. The roots of some other molds can be highly toxic and discarding the visibly affected parts may not be enough, so be very careful.