Marks and Spencer | Livin On A Budget

At the moment I am busy applying for jobs and practising for psychometric tests. Probably for comfort seeking reasons that I had been having random late night cravings in the form of Kreme Ball with chocolate sauce from KFC (yes.. KFC can you believe it?) At £1.49 it provided me with what I needed after a long day of intense mental activities.

Last night I had a different craving- the sudden thought of having apple turnover came out of nowhere. So I made a late night trip to Tesco but the apple turnover looked so sad that I couldn’t bring myself to grab it and I decided that I would go to Marks & Spencer today instead. In the end, I walked into KFC AGAIN to grab another Kreme Ball (ahhhh!!! Can’t believe I fell for it again!)

Waistline Expansion Contributor- Kreme Ball with Chocolate Sauce from KFC

While enjoying my Kreme Ball, I decided to watch Hells Kitchen. The episode was on Italian food. I struggled to understand how some of the contestants weren’t capable of making a decent carbonara or even spaghetti vongole (I mean these are pretty basic and you don’t have to be an extraordinary Chef to make these dishes even at home)!

So, when I woke up today, naturally, not only that I was excited to buy my apple turnover but I also wanted to cook Italian food. I then proceeded with my plan to go to Marks & Spencer. I started searching for ingredients. Honestly, I had no specific plan in mind and I allowed the ingredients that I can find at M& S speak to me. Without a doubt everything is so much more expensive in comparison to Tesco, so I figured the best way is to make something that is packed with flavours and keep the cost low. I still wonder if prices are the direct reflection of the quality of ingredients purchased- the parmesan that I ended up buying is £1 more expensive than the parmesan I would usually buy from Tesco but at the same time it has been matured for 18 months. (Now that I’ve opened the pack of parmesan cheese that I bought- WOW, the cheese is so soft and the texture is amazing!!!)

Another cooking show that I had been watching lately is My Kitchen Rules. For the past two episodes, the contestants had been making tortellini. I had never made my own pasta and this is something that I would attempt to make at some point in my life- just not today. I went to the fresh pasta section and grabbed a packet of Three Cheese Tortellini. This costs me £1.50. I know that I am making Italian food but at the same time, what strike me almost instantaneously was the flavour combination of ham and cheese (or in my case Bacon and Cheese). So I decided to make Amatriciana Sauce to go along with my Tortellini.

On my way to Marks & Spencer, I went to the world food aisle and saw a small jar of chipotle chilli flakes. I thought to myself, Bacon, Cheese and Chillies should be good. The chilli flakes costs me £1.79. I also grabbed the diced Italian Pancetta which costs me £2.00. I then decided to grab a packet of Bistro Salad (only because it was the most different from the salad leaves that I would usually use and also the cheapest) to balance the richness of the meal. The following are the ingredients for my take on my Italian Food Fiesta.

Ingredients for Amatriciana Sauce (For 2 Servings):

1 Onions (Sliced)

4 Cloves of Garlic

1 Canned of Plum Tomatoes

Italian Diced Pancetta (£2)

Chipotle Chilli Flakes (£1.79) – Depending on how spicy you would want your sauce to be, I added One Tablespoon but I love spicy food!!

One Tablespoon of Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper as Required

Ready, Set and Go

Method:

Heat a tablespoon of Olive Oil and add Pancetta. Sauté until golden and crispy. Turn the heat down. Add in One Teaspoon of Chilli Flakes (OR Tablespoon depending on how spicy you want your sauce to be) and add Onions and Garlic. When the Onions soften add in the plum tomatoes. Season with Salt and Pepper as Necessary.

Saute

Add the Three Cheese Tortellini(£1.50) into the sauce and wait for 2-3 minutes.

I don’t usually dress my Salad (£1.75), so I added it on top of my meal but a tablespoon of Olive Oil, A Tablespoon of Lime Juice and Some Grated Parmesan Cheese (£2.70) will be an amazing addition as a side for the dish.

I then added some grated parmesan and pepper just to complete the dish

In the end the total cost spent for this dish was: £9.74 (£4.87 per serving)

The Cheese Tortellini is actually £0.50 cheaper than if purchased in Tesco!!!! Packed with flavour and it is not too thin (Highly recommend it!!!)

I can tell you that my first bite was close to what I would call as an ‘orgasmic bomb’! Everything was perfect and as I had expected- the heat from the chilli flakes was counterbalanced with the cheese, the bacon added some smoky flavour and depth while the salad added some earthiness to it.

I will definitely be making this again, so Enjoy!!!!