Holiday cooking on a budget — 4 festive recipes to help get you through the season

Holiday cooking on a budget is a topic on every slick and glossy breakfast television show right now. 

Fair enough. Times are tough — prices for essentials are higher than ever, gas prices have skyrocketed, and world events have wreaked havoc on the supply chain.

It can all feel a little depressing.

Wartime cookbooks are chock full of helpful advice on living off rations, and you can turn to these for decent tips on budget cooking. 

These recipe collections emphasize using shelf-stable ingredients for longevity, molasses as a sweetener, vinegar to extend the shelf life of things, and root vegetables galore.

All solid advice, but here's the thing — those old recipes aren't that fun. They're mostly pickled eggs and tomato soup cakes.

But playful and affordable treats are possible, so here are some budget-friendly holiday treat suggestions.

Scenario 1: You're invited to a feast and assigned a side dish

Potato prices rose this summer thanks to European drought and gasoline costs. Still, compared with other products, potatoes per kilogram are doing much better and even dipped in price this past August. 

Plus, they are a holiday staple, they keep well, and you can use them in a million different ways.

If you get asked to attend a big meal, and a side dish is requested, this one is a crowd-pleaser, and you can cut down on waste by prepping precisely the right amount.

Baked Potato with Leeks and Cheese
*Serves four

Ingredients:

• 4 baking potatoes 
• Olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ cup sautéed leeks
• Either ¾ cup of aged cheddar, shredded (cheese has been the dairy product the least impacted by rising prices) or ¾ cup goat cheese. I used a mixture of aged cheddar and goat cheese.
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Rub the skins of your potatoes with olive oil and sea salt, prick with a fork and place in a baking dish. Once your oven is ready to go, bake for an hour until the insides are tender.

Now sauté your leeks in the butter and get your cheese shredded or (if you're using goat cheese) just ready to go. 

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice off the tops and use a teaspoon to scoop out the insides, being careful not to break the skin. Put the flesh in a bowl, mash with green leeks and three-quarters of the cheese, and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Now, transport to your party. Once you get there, heat that oven to 375 F, sprinkle on the remaining cheese, and cook for about 10 minutes. Top with chives!

Scenario 2: Something fancy to go with cheese, charcuterie and wine at a friend's party

According to Statistics Canada, onion prices have been all over the map this past year, but they dipped late in the summer and have remained pretty reasonable. 

Plus, like the humble potato, you can grab them locally, they'll keep well, and you definitely won't waste them.

This onion tart is a gorgeous treat, and it's perfect alongside salty charcuterie, spicy nuts and smooth, rich cheeses.

Onion Tart 
*Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 4 medium onions
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
• 2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 8 cloves of garlic
• Package of all-butter puff pastry, cold

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F/gas 7.

Peel the onions and cut them into 1-inch circles.

Place the butter in a medium-sized pan — cast iron would work best — and place the pan atop medium heat.

Strip the thyme leaves, shake the pan, and get it bubbling, then add sugar, vinegar, and 100 ml of water.

Place the onions in the pan.

Peel and halve the garlic cloves and place in the gaps between the onions, then season generously with sea salt and black pepper.

Cover, turn the heat down to low and leave to steam for 10 minutes to soften the onions slightly, then remove the lid and cook the liquid down. You want it to get all brown and caramelized, and it should take about 12 minutes.

Place the pastry over the onions, using a wooden spoon to push it right into the edges of the pan.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. Pull it out and turn it over atop a cutting board.

Scenario 3: You have friends over for board games, and you need a nice dip to serve them.

I eat a lot of dips during the holidays.

They're quick to make, so you don't feel like you're spending your holiday chained to the oven.

A navy white bean dip is among the most affordable option, but cheese has been the most stable of all the dairy products over this past year, and you don't need to make this with fancy cheese — a block of Monterey Jack will do just fine.

Cheese and Chorizo Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 ounces fresh chorizo or spicy sausage, casing removed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• ¾ cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• ¾ cup aged cheddar, shredded

Instructions:

Cook the chorizo over medium heat in a cast iron pan.

Add your minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the diced tomatoes to the skillet. Stir and cook for about five minutes.

Pour your evaporated milk into the skillet and cook for about three or four minutes. We want the milk to be thoroughly heated.

Turn the heat down to low.

Add the cheese. Once it's melted, you can take it off the heat and serve it with chips, maybe topped with serrano peppers or cilantro.

Scenario 4: You need a cheap-to-make but tasty dessert for a family meal. 

I've written about gingerbread and its history before, but I didn't mention it's a reasonably affordable cake to make.

Molasses is a cheap way to add flavour, and while flour and other staples have gone up, these ingredients still last a long time.

Gingerbread Cake
​​​​makes one 10-inch cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh ginger, grated
• 1 apple, grated (I like to use Gala or Honeycrisp)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2½ cups of flour
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp cloves
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper.

Grind the sugar, apple and ginger together in a food processor. Pour this mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add canola oil and molasses. Mix at medium speed for 3 minutes.

Mix all the spices, baking soda, salt, pepper and flour together in a separate bowl. Take a moment to sift this well, then set it aside.

Next, turn the mixer back on at a very, very low speed. Add the cup of boiling water, being careful not to burn yourself. 

Once the water has been incorporated into the sugar-apple-ginger-oil-molasses mixture, make a well in the bowl of dry ingredients and pour in the mixture.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg. The batter is going to seem absurdly thin, but don't worry.

Pour into the cake pan and bake for 40 minutes. 

Test your cake using a toothpick, and leave in for 5 more minutes if needed.

Once cool, dress with a lime glaze.

Lime glaze

Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2½ tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest

Instructions:

Just mix it all together and make those clumps disappear!

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