Oh the frugality!

[quatrefoil]

I'm pleased with myself today.  I bought a couple of chicken schnitzels of the 'must be sold today' for $3, half a kilo of chicken breast in the same category for $3.50 (it's gone in the freezer, where it will be fine), a box of spinach at half price for $2, and a packet of pita bread for $1.  Dinner came out at less than $3 and was not vegetarian

Comments

[kirieldp]

I do wonder what true tuna mornay is supposed to be like? Is the white sauced Tuna, corn and pea concoction of my childhood true tuna mornay?

[quatrefoil]

I don't believe so - I think that's Tuna Mornay a la Women's Weekly (and the addition of a packet of french onion soup or a teaspoon of vegemite probably also belongs to that school as well).

A mornay sauce is a cheese sauce made with parmesan and gruyere - I suspect that the original version of tuna mornay involved that served over tuna fillets and pasta. Modern Australian variations use tinned tuna, frozen peas and corn, bake the pasta in with the dish and rely on the distinctive flavour of Kraft Tasty Cheddar, not to mention breadcrumbs. And I'll admit that my chunamornylove belongs to the latter school, but you can't expect too much for a couple of bucks per head and it's tasty and filling.

[omnot]

Ah! That sounds like the old family recipe we've given the elegant name of "Fish Gunge".

Tinned tuna? Check. Peas and corn? Check. We add tinned pineapple and champingions as well, and make the white sauce in the still-warm pot while the pasta drains. Curry powder goes in if I get near it, but I'm not sure that cheese makes an appearance at all, and we use no breadcrumbs.

It rates highly as a budget people filler.

[quatrefoil]

Fish gunge seems a more appropriate title than anything tuna mornayish under the circumstances. And it may bear family resemblance to my clean-the-fridge pasta glop.

But I do think that once you've added tinned pineapple, it's a whole different class of food. Not that I'm averse to tinned pineapple per se, but I believe its savoury manifestations should be limited to Hawaian pizza.

[doushkasmum]

The version I have inherited from my American Catholic-enough-to-eat-fish-on-Fridays-but-lived-inland grandmother involves tinned tuna, pasta, a tin of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, milk and grated tasty cheese. Mum put celery in it, but I am not sure if that was just her. When my food and entertainment budget was $20/week I ate a lot of this. 8-> I think it cost about $10 and it would feed me 5 dinners. We call it tuna casserole.