The January slope arrives and families’ pockets suffer the consequences of Christmas spending, on the one hand, and the increases in the prices of supplies on the other. Although inflation moderated in December, the price of electricity has increased (VAT has risen from 5% to 10% as of January 1), gas and telephone prices, among others. Furthermore, the shopping basket continues to be one of the biggest burdens for citizens, since it has experienced an increase of up to 30.8% in the last two years, according to data from the corresponding Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU). to September 2023. This organization assures that this increase affects 90% of the foods and drugstore products analyzed and indicates that those that have experienced the greatest increases are, in this order, sugar, condensed milk, carrots, potatoes frozen fries and onions.
Although it is impossible to work miracles in the face of a skyrocketing shopping basket that includes increases in essential products such as olive oil (with increases of up to 75%, according to Facua), some changes can be introduced that save money and At the same time, eat better. Therefore, January is a good time to review some superfluous expenses and introduce some foods and recipes that we had forgotten, with the aim of not only saving but also eating better and healthier after the Christmas excesses.
The chef of the Pepa Tomate restaurants in Barcelona, ??Josep Carbonell, points out that “January and February are great months in terms of garden products and we find a large amount of vegetables that can be cooked in many ways.” The chef urges you to visit the markets and, if possible, the farmers that we often find in their surroundings. “It is the best way to find seasonal vegetables at a good price, from artichokes to cabbages, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, leeks, endives, peas and other less common ones such as tupinambo,” he explains. Artichokes are, according to Carbonell, a good example of the multiple possibilities that seasonal and local vegetables have, economical and nutritious in equal measure. “They can be prepared Giudia, a typically Roman dish, confit with oil and with a fryer, a delicious recipe that everyone usually likes.” This is not the only possibility of artichokes, which also work “boiled, in tortilla or cream, to give just a few examples,” continues the cook.
The director of the La Patente cooking school in Barcelona, ??Àngels Puntas, points out that a perfect way to save on the January shopping basket is not to throw away anything left over at Christmas and give free rein to your imagination. Those meats and fish that we may have stored in the freezer can be used to make croquettes, salads or lasagnas, while the neulas can be grated and used as a topping in smoothies or cakes and the nougats are wonderful in the form of ice cream. With the white asparagus typical of Christmas batches “you can make a soft and delicious cream, an ideal light starter for these dates,” says Puntas.
Dried or precooked, legumes are nutritious, economical and have multiple possibilities. “A good idea is to cook them in the pressure cooker, because it saves a lot of time and has a healthy and nutritious spoon dish in just fifteen minutes,” explains Carbonell. If the January slope also includes the desire to leave behind the caloric excesses of Christmas and opt for lighter dishes, nothing better than “preparing vegetarian legumes, with celery, carrots and pumpkin, all finely chopped.” spices to taste to give flavor.
The January slope is a good time to start incorporating herbs and spices into our dishes and maintain the custom for the rest of the year. “Many people complain that if we prepare vegetables with rice, pasta or couscous, the dishes are tasteless, and this is not true. Simply add spices to taste to give a new dimension to these winter dishes,” says Carbonell, all of which are healthy and economical. “Another trick to flavor rice with seasonal vegetables is to prepare a snack, for example with ñora, garlic and tomato, and add it to the dish. You have to prepare a very thick sauce and just add a teaspoon to the broth to get a great flavor that makes the difference,” says the cook.
Warm salads are a good way to incorporate seasonal vegetables into your diet, avoiding the classic boiled, baked or steamed vegetables. Pumpkin is a good example of how well some vegetables work in salads. “You can serve the pumpkin warm, baked, diced, and accompany it with fresh cheese and nuts, for example,” suggests Carbonell, who also invites you to explore the possibilities of pumpkin in other dishes such as creams or chips, for example. example.
Carbonell recommends taking advantage of the cabbage season, an economical and very versatile vegetable, to prepare all types of recipes. Trinxat (a typical dish from the Catalan Pyrenees that includes cabbage, potatoes and bacon) allows you to turn this vegetable into a successful and consistent recipe. Puntas remembers, for his part, that both in the case of cabbage and in that of any food, it is important to change the chip and keep in mind that all of them can be used “for lasagna, empanadas, croquettes, and all types of fillings that “They can be used to take advantage of leftovers.”
Taking into account that many homes have slow cookers, a good way to take advantage of this appliance that has been a top seller in recent years is to opt for less noble meats, and therefore also cheaper, ideal for stewing. Carbonell points out, in this sense, that January is a great time to bet on pork. “We are in the middle of the pork season, since it has been slaughtering season. Taking into account that it is the best time of year to buy fresh pork, there is nothing better than betting on cooking it in different ways, especially stewed,” explains the chef of Pepa Tomate.
Despite the temptation to buy the breasts (preferably already packaged so as not to have to wait in line at the butcher shop), if we want to save, it is best to always buy the chicken whole. With it we can make various recipes and use the carcasses for broths, the leftover meats for croquettes and prepare a stew with potatoes and peas, a very cheap single dish that everyone likes.
Another good idea to save on the shopping cart is to make the most of seasonal fruits, which can also be consumed in shakes and smoothies. They can also be used for baking and making some sweets at home that until now we bought at the bakery. Some examples? “It is easy to prepare a homemade lemon pie or an orange cake, which can be combined with a chocolate cream,” explains Carbonell. Other options are apple pie, roasted apples, pears in wine, preparations such as cheesecake with raspberries or a simple fondue with chopped fruits and melted dark chocolate.
As for fish, if we want to save there is no problem if we buy them frozen (although it does not always mean savings), since frozen fish have been subjected to a deep-freezing process and keep all their properties intact. In addition, it is a good time to opt for the consumption of cheaper but equally rich and nutritious fish, such as sardines, horse mackerel, mackerel or anchovies, for example. Among the fish that are in season, Puntas highlights the perch, “which can be found in fishmongers at very affordable prices” and recommends opting for other less known ones such as “pomfret, whiting, carp or halibut.”
Avoiding already packaged foods and buying them by weight allows you to save money in the shopping basket and always buy the right amount, without anything left over. It is also important to buy in the market and avoid supermarkets (where we end up acquiring superfluous products without hardly realizing it) and be attentive to offers, since there are many foods that are not perishable and that can be purchased in advance without spoiling, from wines to preserves.