Thanksgiving holiday hacks for a budget-friendly meal

Home economists, Jodie Kachkar and Justin Gabinet joined Your Morning Edmonton with recipes for trying to keep costs down this Thanksgiving season.

Home economists Justin Gabinet and Jodie Kachkar share their budget hacks for the holiday season as the Thanksgiving weekend approaches.

CTV Your Morning Edmonton tasked the two with whipping up a festive feast for $100 or less, big enough to serve four to six people.

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The self-proclaimed “frugal” cooks got to work on Tuesday morning’s show, sharing their recipes for a main of roasted pork tenderloin, accompanying side dishes of seared cabbage, mashed potatoes, stuffing, perogies, a seasonal vegetable medley and homemade bread, and a pumpkin brûlée served in ramekins for dessert.

The final result was a meal that cost an estimate of $75 to $100, according to the home economists.

“Rather than do turkey, I did a pork tenderloin because it is a cheap, really inexpensive protein right now,” Kachkar said in an interview after CTV’s Your Morning Edmonton.

She said the pork was butterflied, pounded and stuffed with a mixture of spinach, onions, dried fruit and bread crumbs. The pork was purchased for $7.75 at Walmart, which Kachkar said was “the cheapest in town,” and cost less than $10 total for the main dish.

Cabbage is also making a culinary comeback according to the two, who say the leafy green is rich in flavour and easy on the wallet.

“Cabbage is a really inexpensive vegetable right now and it really shines once you roast it, so I will be adding that to my holiday table,” Kachkar explained, saying it costs about $2 for one head of cabbage at the grocery store.

“My rule of thumb is if you cook it in butter and smother it with cream, anything is tasty,” Gabinet added. “And so too is true with cabbage.”

Another top tip at the store is to buy seasonal ingredients and to consider buying frozen.

“If you’re looking to cut a couple of dollars off your overall budget, it’s buying what’s in season,” said Gabinet.

He created the vegetable medley with a mix of seasonal finds like butternut squash and parsnip, along with frozen carrots and brussel sprouts.

“It’s usually a little bit more nutrient dense … because they are flash frozen right at the moment of harvest,” he said, explaining that frozen can have an added nutritional advantage.

Frozen is also the way to go if your Thanksgiving isn’t complete without turkey, said Kachkar.

“It’s a little older, sometimes it’s bashed, but you thaw it and brine it and it will roast up just really nicely,” she said, adding that now is the time to buy if you are planning for turkey this weekend.

Gabinet emphasized that turkey needs to be fully defrosted before it is cooked, too.

Kachkar said purchasing a frozen bird can also be done in the summer months when it is on sale, explaining that meal planning is key to stretching your dollars all year-long.

As for a final cash-saving tip, Kachkar suggests making your meal a potluck.

“Then everybody’s not committing to a $100 meal–they’re committing to maybe $15 of it–and you still get an amazing time with family and friends,” she said.

Kachkar also said whether you are planning to whip up the full feast or do a potluck, you can also beat holiday stress by sharing duties for the day.

“Take your circle that’s coming to your table and pass out assignments because then it doesn’t feel so overwhelming,” Kachkar said. “And nobody cries. There should be no tears.”

“Just family drama,” Gabinet piped in with a laugh.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sasha Pietramala and Darcy Seaton

Thanksgiving dinner on a budget, full recipes

Jodie Kachkar: Pork Tenderloin, roasted cabbage, gravy and pumpkin custard brûlée.

Roasted and Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

• 1 pork tenderloin (1-2 pounds or 600g to 1kg)
• 1 sweet or white onion
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
• 3Tbsp (45mL) olive oil
• 3 Tbsp (45mL) fresh sage or 2 tsp (10mL) dried sage
• 3 cups (750mL) fresh baby spinach
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup (ish) dried apricots
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

1. Prepare the stuffing/filling ingredients: thinly slice the onion, mince the garlic, wash the spinach (if it needs it) and chop the fresh sage (if using), finely chop the celery.
2. In a frying pan (non-stick is easier) melt 2 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Once melted, add the thinly sliced onion and diced celery and cook, stirring until golden brown and caramelized (30-40 minutes). Mix in the minced garlic just at the end of cooking.
3. Remove the cooked onion to a bowl and increase heat to medium-high under the frying pan. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove to a separate bowl and once cool, drain any liquid.
4. Using clean kitchen shears, cut up the dried apricots into small pieces. Combine in a bowl the cooked veggies, drained spinach, apricots and breadcrumbs. Stir to combine well.
5. Take out your pork tenderloin and make sure you have a sharp chef’s knife and a cutting board. Using the Ontario Pork instructions and video butterfly the tenderloin. Use a meat mallet (or a heavy pot or rolling pin) to pound (carefully!) the meat to 1/2 inch (1.25cm) to 1/4 inch (0.6cm) thick. Season the pork with salt and pepper.
6. Spread meat with the filling, leaving a 1 inch gap along one long side. Season again with salt and pepper.
7. Starting on a long edge (that is NOT the gap edge) tightly roll the pork up with the filling inside. Using kitchen twine (cotton string) to tie your roll together. Here is a Outdoor Cooking video to help.
8. Now at this point, you can refrigerate your pork for up to 24 hours. Bring your pork out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
9. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray.
10. Get out a large frying pan and heat it on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add in 2 Tbsp of olive oil and then sear until well browned all the sides of your rolled pork tenderloin. This is a messy job!
11. Transfer pork to prepared baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for 25 minutes OR until registering above 145°F using an instant read thermometer.
12. Once tested for doneness, remove from the oven and tent with tinfoil. Let pork rest for 20 minutes. This is a good time to rewarm gravy and vegetables.
13. Transfer pork to the cutting board. Slice and serve, removing string as needed.

Gravy

My own recipe. This gravy is made ahead and ideal for something lean like pork tenderloin as it doesn’t have a lot of fat or drippings. This can be made up to 1 week ahead. Can be frozen.

• A handful of fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 an onion or a shallot (if you have one)
• 1 clove of garlic
• Beef stock (buy the nicest you can get - you need at least 2 cups or more if you want LOTS of gravy.
• 1 Tbsp (15mL) butter
• 2 Tbsp (30mL) olive oil
• 3 Tbsp (45mL) flour
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms.
2. In a non stick frying pan melt the butter and oil together over medium heat.
3. Once melted add in the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring until starting to brown. Add in the minced garlic and cook 2 minutes longer.
4. Sprinkle with the flour until everything is coated, and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
5. Slowly pour in the stock, STIRRING, until you get a mostly lump free liquid. Bring to a boil and cook until your desired gravy thickness.
6. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and pour the strained liquid back into the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Pour into a container to store. Rewarm in a pot on the stove and taste to check seasoning if made ahead.

Roasted Cabbage with Tahini Sauce

• 1 head green cabbage
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup plain yogurt (any kind, but the cheaper, runny kind is better for this)
• 1/4 cup tahini buy at Bulk Barn if this isn’t an ingredient you use-you can get just what you need
• 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Water

1. Mix the yogurt, tahini, cumin, lemon juice, garlic and a good pinch of salt and pepper together. Add enough water to get a thin, runny sauce. Taste and add more lemon, garlic, salt and pepper until you get something you like. Set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 450°F with an empty baking pan heating as well.
3. Peel off any dirty or wilted outer leaves of the cabbage and cut in half. Then cut each half in 8ths, through the core so that the wedges stay together. Toss gently with olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Once the oven comes to temperature, remove the baking pan (careful, hot!). And lay out the wedges of cabbage in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes, remove the pan, carefully turn each wedge over, and bake for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven. Serve with the tahini sauce on the side.

Both the sauce and the cabbage can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. To re-warm the cabbage, lay it in a casserole or back on a baking sheet, and warm in a 350°F oven until warm and crispy.

Pumpkin Custard Brûlée

• 1 cup of cooked pumpkin (from a can)
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup of milk (use a liquid measure)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In your large mixing bowl, using a whisk, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
3. Whisk in the eggs. Whisk until well mixed.
4. Mix in the milk with the whisk.
5. Divide your custard mixture into oven safe small dishes or ramekins. Place them in a large cake pan and place in the preheated oven. Pour boiling water (from a kettle) so that the water comes part way up the sides of the small dishes. Carefully close the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes, leave the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for minutes. Once done, check that your custards aren’t too jiggly!
7. Carefully lift the cake pan out of the oven and the custards out of the water. Let cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator.
8. Just before serving, top each dish with sugar (white or brown is fine). If you have a torch use that to melt and caramelize the sugar, otherwise place dishes on a baking sheet in the oven with the broiler on. PAY ATTENTION! Remove once the sugar is melted and caramelized. Allow to cool and serve.

Can be made ahead - up to 3-5 days.