I learned this recipe in Ohio. We liked it so much, we didn’t consider it “poverty food” at all. My spouse in France will not eat this. Bread, cheese and so on are sacred in France and generally not to be cooked. Different culture.
I ate it, however, although I am gluten intolerant. I watch PastryParrot1’s frugal chef channel, and thanks to her, I’m tackling cooking I was never good at, such as breads, bakery and fried things. My kitchen is drafty and bread is so good here around Paris, I don’t eat it and my husband likes the stuff from a local bakery; it is not something I do, yet I wanted to be sure I can make bread if need be. It is very cheap, I must say. I have no luck with sourdoughs but with yeast, I can manage.
Thus, we had fresh hot homemade bread he would not eat but I did, knowing it would not agree with me, but the taste was fine. The stale chunk finally leftover from two loaves was made into this recipe. Please use butter and not margarine, which is not a healthy choice.
“Plastic cheese” food products such as Velveeta are also nasty, but work very well indeed for this. The fact that I used quality Gruyere was no problem, however. Good ingredients do little harm!
Don’t forget ground nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in your cooking. These are French cooking secrets. Ground pepper is hard for me to tolerate, as I have pain issues, and I do need to limit salt, so this was not the best of recipes for me, but again, it’s real comfort food. It can be a main dish as well as a side dish.
Old milk should never be spilled out. I had some buttermilk and some rather old regular milk, used in this. I do use powdered milk. Horse milk is very healing and I can get you powdered horse milk as well as sheep milk if you like. But look for what is local, cheap and seasonal. You’re better off!
copyright 2011 Lisa B. Falour, B.S., M.B.A. all rights reserved LISA, INC. (EURL) cutecatfaith.com
This recipe is best when allowed to sit and soak for about a day in the fridge, in a greased dish. The finished dish puffs up like a soufflé! In Italy, all stale bread tends to be kept and ground for breading. In France, stale bread can be grated and added to bouillon instead of noodles. If you are gluten intolerant, try buckwheat flour.
We keep to a food budget of 40 USD per week (equivalent) for two. I have been on this budget since the 1980s in the USA. You do need to be creative. I have many videos up of how the French make do with little. They serve a first course and a main course, followed with cheese and fruit as dessert. Vegetable soup is a typical dinner during the week, with nothing else. Lunch is the main meal. Sunday dinner is often soft cooked eggs. This is easy on the cook and the light fare makes you better set for your Monday morning.
I do CUTECATFAITH here and SLOBOMOTION too, and on Dailymotion, my videos are grouped under “LisaFalour.” I do slideshows there, too. Keep your portions small, sit down, chew slowly, and even if alone, taste it and feel the food. I often criticize the French but their daily food habits are generally pretty reasonable and cheap. Make the most of what you have, and try to avoid processed things. I grew up in a poor family in Ohio, and cooking was a family project. My father learned it later and the fun expanded.
These are good times for communing with your loved ones. I have a Pennsy Dutch side and many do not speak during the meal, but I was not raised strictly. Sunday lunch can be a nice time to sit for a couple of hours with family and it all gets discussed and worked out. Friday nights were special to me as a Jew in New York. The candles were lit, I said my prayer, and everything stopped until Saturday night. Candles and prayer by the woman or women bring peace to every Jewish home. Muslims take Fridays off. Breaking bread is primordial.
Go in peace, be well. Please rate, comment, subscribe and share!
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