Treat the whole family to Sunday dinner on the cheap with Mrs Crunch’s wonky fruit and veg tips

IT’S great when you get a large group of family and friends together on a Sunday to share a dinner. But if you’ve got an extensive guest list the costs can add up.

A great way to economise is to use wonky fruit and veg that may not look the same but tastes just as great and for years were wasted because of picky shoppers.  Here’s a great menu that family and friends will love using economical wonky fruit and veg.

Curried carrot and apple soup

(Serves 4 – 98p per serving)

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 30 minutes.

YOU NEED:

• 3 tbsp sunflower oil (or oil of your choice)
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 2 tspn mild curry powder
• 680g Morrisons Wonky carrots, scrubbed and chopped
• 1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium-sized cooking apple, peeled and chopped
• 2 pints vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tsp paprika
• Drizzle of chilli oil to garnish

METHOD:

1. Pour a little of the oil you’re using into a large pan, add the onion and cook until it softens slightly.
2. Tilt the pan to one side to get the residue of oil to one side and add the curry powder to the oil, cook off for 1 minute, then mix in with the onion.
3. Add the carrots, potato and apple and stir together with the curried onions for two ­minutes to coat the ingredients. Add the stock and the paprika and stir. Bring back to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
4. Spoon the contents of the pan into a blender and blend until the soup is thick and smooth.

Plum crumble

(Serves 6 – 58p per serving)

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 25 minutes.

YOU NEED:

• 8 Morrisons Wonky plums
• 50g light brown soft or caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• For the crumble topping:
• 175g plain flour
• 125g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 50g rolled oats
• 75g demerara sugar

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 200C, 180°C fan, gas mark 6. Halve and stone plums, then roughly chop and put into a large pan. Add the sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and 5tbsp of water. Cover and heat gently until softening for about five minutes.
2. Empty the fruit into a shallow, ovenproof dish. Set aside.
3. For the topping, put the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Mix in the oats and sugar, then scatter the topping over the fruit. Bake for 25-30mins or until the crumble is golden.
5. Serve immediately with cream, custard or ice cream.

Aubergine and steak mince bake

(Serves 4 – £1.60 per serving)

Preparation time: 20 minutes.

Cooking time: 60 minutes.

YOU NEED:

• 400g steak mince
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 150g red split lentils
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 400ml beef stock, made from a cube
• 300g Morrisons Wonky potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 aubergine, sliced
• 10g sunflower spread
• 20g plain flour
• 400ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 beef tomato, thinly sliced

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Dry fry the mince until brown. Drain the fat then add the curry powder, ­lentils, chopped tomatoes and stock.
2. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Spoon into an ovenproof dish.
3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and aubergine in separate pans for 5 minutes. Drain and arrange them over the mince.
4. Place the spread, flour and milk in a non-stick pan. Cook, whisking, continually until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Pour over the bake, arrange the tomato on top and bake for 30 minutes until piping hot and golden.

• GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk