Remember the drought?
As I type, I’m looking out at lush greenery and the long, dry spell seems like a distant and unimaginable past. But the drought was crippling for Australia’s food sector and it’s going to take a long time to recover.
Meat prices are going up
As the drought started I noticed, somewhat oddly, that meat prices trended down – especially certain meats like pork. I was amazed that some cuts of meat that I only bought on special occasions were cheaper than I had ever seen them before. This is because farmers were downsizing their herds as feed supplies and water became expensive.
Now that the drought has broken, farmers are building up their herds. Consequently, farmers are holding onto more cattle than previously, thus of prices of livestock – and thus meat – are going up. We were already seeing an increase in meat prices as the drought broke, but then the stockpiling began, which put further pressure on supplies and thus price.
Meat has become hard to find
Increased meat prices can be seen across nearly all meat cuts, except to a certain extent chicken. But it is especially evident in mince. Mince at my local supermarket has doubled in price, and one of my members in my Facebook group shared how mince cost $19 a kilogram in her country town. That’s a lot for something that is often a cheap, staple ingredient in the kitchens of many Australians.
Further, because it is usually a mid-week staple, people have been buying in bulk along with toilet paper. Accordingly, mince is often just as hard to find as other essentials. Many people have shared with me that they find it is next to impossible to buy. (That said, we managed to buy some on Monday.)
Buy mince meat
Many savvy cooks have developed hacks for making their beef mince stretch, including through adding hidden vegetables for their kids. Here are some of my top tips.
Ways to make mince meat stretch
Use red lentils
Red lentils will soak up the liquid in a bolognese sauce and help thicken the mixture. People probably won’t even notice that the sauce has lentils in it. Lentils are cost-effective and a good source of iron and protein. I like to add around two tablespoons to a kilogram of minced meat, but add more if (like me) you like the texture and flavour.
Add pureed carrots
Kids and adults with an aversion to vegetables can spot grated carrots a mile away. If they like them, all good, but if not, it can be challenging to include them. Instead, steam carrots and blend them or pass them through a mouli. Pureed carrots will help thicken a bolognese sauce and give it a lovely colour and texture. Plus, no one will notice they are there. Use one to two medium-sized carrots to a kilogram of mince.
Try grated zucchini
Do you grow zucchinis or have a friend who does? If so, what do you do with oversized gourds? I like to peel mine, grate them, place them in a colander with a weight on top and drain for thirty minutes. The white flesh is super soft and almost falls apart in a bolognese. The best bit is that kids never notice it is in there. Use around a cup per kilogram of mince.
Add beans
We regularly eat chilli con carne in my household, which is bolognese with red kidney beans, chilli and oregano. Use a 400g tin of red kidney beans per kilogram of mince, or equivalent soaked and cooked from dried beans. (Being a frugalista, I nearly always use dried beans and pulses).
Buy spinach
Any greens go well in a bolognese, but silverbeet melts down and pairs nicely with a rich ragu sauce. Expect to see spinach on sale as the weather gets colder. All green vegetables are rich in antioxidants and help boost your immune system.
Add pearl barley
Pearl barley will help make it less liquid and add a lovely, chewy texture. As a plus, it’s extremely good for you – it can assist with stabilising blood sugar levels, help reduce blood pressure levels and even assist weight loss.
Use tomatoes
A good bolognese sauce contains tomatoes as an essential ingredient. But you can bulk out your bolognese further by adding extra tomatoes. Autumn is a great time for harvesting ripe tomatoes, and you can take advantage of this by adding fresh tomatoes as well as canned to your pasta sauce.
How are you making your mince stretch?
