November 27, 2009
Posted by Robin Bellinger, November 24, 2009 at 2:45 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
Lemon: $0.99
1 head romaine: $1.99
Medium bag Fritos: $2.50
1 1/2 cups cranberries (pro-rated): $1.50
1 apple: $0.56
1 jalapeno: $0.21
Cilantro (pro-rated): $0.25
Pantry items: Olive oil, buttermilk or yogurt, salt, pepper, cooked turkey.
Total cost (for 2-3 portions): $8.00
This week and this week only I am declaring turkey a "pantry item" and plugging it into a salad we used to eat growing up. We would toss lettuce, ground beef, kidney beans, salsa, shredded cheese, and tomatoes together in a pie dish and call it Frito pie. Since this might be confused with traditional Frito pie, a scoop of chili dumped right into a bag of Fritos (ahhhhh!), I suppose we should have called it salade composée avec Fritos; but the gleaming garnish, not the crunchy one, is the true star of cranberry salsa salad.
I have an aunt who would sometimes bring this unusual salsa to Thanksgiving, which was great except that I would inevitably eat too many Fritos before the meal. If you have better self control than I, you might put it out while the turkey is in the oven. Otherwise, save it for day two and introduce it to the bird then.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, November 17, 2009 at 7:15 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
14 ounces boxed chopped tomatoes: $2.00
1 cup dried chickpeas: $0.75
2 cups squash (pro-rated): $1.50
1 medium zucchini: $0.60
2 cups whole wheat couscous: $2.00
Pantry items: Ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, olive oil, cinnamon stick, onion, raisins, vegetable or chicken stock, salt, cilantro, parsley, harissa or other hot sauce.
Total cost (for 4 portions): $6.85
As I dished up this couscous, my heart sank: it looked like many other vegetable stews that had disappointed me in the past with their tasteless chunks of watery squash and air of grimly determined healthiness. I had recently been thinking of how Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian never lets me down, and I figured I was paying some kind of karmic price for being foolishly faithful.
Well, the faith lives! I don't know if it was the spice blend or the cooking method, but this dish was fragrant, deliciously various, and satisfying in every way. Although I had been too lazy to chop cilantro and parsley and did not have any harissa, in my opinion it shone even without garnishes. I didn't have it in me to make a salad, either, but some simply dressed romaine or a grated carrot salad would be nice here.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, November 10, 2009 at 3:45 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
This is about as fast as dinner gets at my house. That isn't saying much, but an hour from start to finish for meat-starch-veg is nothing to sniff at, especially when the cook can put her feet up (or fold laundry—or amuse the baby) for a good chunk of that time.
I usually make this with thighs only but this time bought the whole legs to save money. In the past I have tried this rub-and-roast with skinless pieces, and it seemed to work just as well.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, November 3, 2009 at 2:00 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
Heaping 1/3 cup arame (bulk): $0.60
1/2 bunch scallions (pro-rated): $0.50
12-ounce package firm tofu: $2.20
1/2 Savoy cabbage: $1.35
1 carrot: $0.25
Cilantro: $1.00
Pantry items: Panko or bread crumbs, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, oil, mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, rice.
Total cost (for 4 portions): $5.90
Mark Bittman calls this dish "Tofu Burgers, Asian-style," but since I can't really imagine eating these sesame scallion tofu patties on a bun I have re-christened them. Tofu is usually not greeted warmly at my house, and while I can't say I've received requests for a repeat of this meal, it was at least acknowledged to be better than plain old sautéed bean curd. Me, I thought it was quite yummy, especially over white rice with extra soy sauce.
Even my tofu skeptics could not resist the seaweed-laced slaw, which was deemed excellent by all. I bought my arame in bulk and can't say how much more expensive an entire bag would have been, but if you end up with a bunch of extra seaweed and don't want to make these dishes again, Bittman says you can simply toss it into other salads—even without soaking, if you have time to let it sit and absorb some dressing. I didn't have any cilantro but wished I had. Don't skip it unless you have to.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, October 27, 2009 at 3:30 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
2 cups dried chickpeas: $1.50
2 onions: $0.50
2 stalks celery: $0.20
1 loose carrot: $0.25
2 lemons: $1.50
Cilantro (pro-rated): $0.50
Baguette: $1.50
Bunch carrots: $2.19
Pantry items: Olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, ground cumin, dried chili pepper or chile flakes; optional ingredients, vegetable stock or bouillon powder, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds.
Total cost (for 6 portions): $8.14
I've gone fourteen cents over budget this week but am giving myself a pass, since this menu will reasonably feed not two, not four, but six people. A simple, filling spiced chickpea and lemon soup from Rose Bakery's Breakfast, Lunch, Tea is the centerpiece, and on the side you have some storebought bread and a simple salad of grated carrot dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, and garnished with pumpkin, cumin, and/or sesame seeds, if you like. (It's delicious with or without seeds).
Usually I just use water when a recipe calls for broth or water, but this time I used vegetable bouillon powder and thought it gave the soup a super-tasty kick in the pants. Although a bit of investigation revealed that the nutritional yeast extract in my bouillon powder might as well be MSG, as long as I stay headache-free I'll be going back to that little jar of umami.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, October 20, 2009 at 2:45 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
1 onion: $0.50
1 green bell pepper: $1.32
2 serrano peppers: $0.25
1 cup uncooked lentils: $1.00
1/2 cup uncooked beans: $0.25
2 or 3 canned plum tomatoes (pro-rated): $1.00
Cilantro (pro-rated): $0.50
1 cup uncooked millet: $0.50
2 ounces pepper jack (optional): $0.50
Pantry items: Oil, garlic, ground cumin, paprika or pimenton, dried thyme, dried sage, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, cornmeal, yogurt or sour cream (optional).
Total cost (for 4 portions): $5.82
Despite my pedigree as an enthusiastically carnivorous Texan, I've made plenty of vegetarian chilis in my time, all unremarkable. They got the belly-filling job done, more or less, but this Madhur Jaffrey bean chili is the first non-meat chili I've ever made that was still being enthusiastically eaten on the third day.
Except for the bell pepper and jalapenos or serranos, you probably have on hand all these ingredients. I used some of the pre-cooked beans I keep in my freezer, but canned would be fine, too. A spoonful of yogurt or sour cream makes the meal surprisingly richer; in fact, as long as you have that creamy kick, you won't miss cheese, if you don't happen to have any. And millet may sound like a punishingly healthy choice for serving, but its texture and bulk actually remind me of the ground beef in a chili con carne. If you're skeptical, make rice (or use your extra two dollars and change to buy corn tortillas or chips). Jaffrey says this is also good with polenta and doubles or triples well.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, October 13, 2009 at 3:30 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
1 pound ground pork: $4
1 cup French green lentils: $1
1 carrot: $0.25
1 stalk celery: $0.20
1 onion: $0.50
Pantry items: Salt, pepper, fennel seeds, garlic, chile flakes, vinegar, olive oil, mustard.
Total cost (for 3 portions): $5.95
One day this summer when everything was in disarray--we had just moved from New York to California with an insatiably curious and surprisingly locomotive baby--I broke down and bought hot dogs to heat up for dinner. "And so it begins," I thought, shoveling minced frankfurter into a mouth accustomed to homemade purées, "our descent into dinners dictated by family chaos."
But since I can't seem to stop planning life around dinner instead of the other way around (and since, to be honest, the hot dogs weren't half bad), soon enough I was thinking, "I should make my own sausage for last-minute dinners!" When I mentioned this plan to Andrew, his worried glance at our mountains of laundry and unpacked boxes forced me to acknowledge that making more of our food from scratch, though gratifying, would not actually be a time-saver.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, October 6, 2009 at 7:15 PM
I've never managed to take an attractive picture of enchiladas, so instead here are some of the raw ingredients. [Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
1 pound squash (pro-rated): $1.00
1 bunch chard, stems only (pro-rated): $0.50
3/4 cup dried black beans (pro-rated): $0.50
Cilantro (pro-rated): $0.60
Small can chopped green chiles: $1.89
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese: $1.50
1 package corn tortillas: $1.79
Pantry items: Salt, pepper, rice to serve on the side; for chili gravy, canola oil, flour, salt, pepper, ground cumin, dried oregano, chili powder, powdered garlic.
Total cost (for 3 to 4 portions): $7.78
I'm pretty sure Diana Kennedy would not bless this recipe for vegetable enchiladas, but it does make for a fast and versatile dinner. You can use pretty much any leftover cooked vegetables (or meat, for that matter); I used diced roasted squash and sautéed chard stems. If you don't like the idea of beans in your enchiladas, just use another cup of vegetables. The most important thing is to make your chili gravy delicious; taste it carefully before you sauce everything up. I love the Robb Walsh recipe posted by Homesick Texan.
To bring this in under $8, I had to cook my own squash and beans. If you substituted canned beans and squash (both of which work perfectly well), $10.37 would satisfy three ravenous or four regular appetites. I see now that the real big-ticket item here is the can of chopped chiles; maybe next time I'll try roasting a couple of poblano peppers at home instead.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, September 29, 2009 at 3:30 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
2 cups polenta (about 12 ounces): $1.20
1 bunch broccoli rabe: $2.99
Pantry items: Butter, salt, olive oil, garlic, crushed chile flakes
Total cost (for 4 portions): $4.19
I only started making polenta last winter, when I discovered Madhur Jaffrey's convenient method of cooking it in the oven: no prolonged stirring, no forearms burned by eruptions of scalding cornmeal. Even though it's inexpensive and quite good for you, fresh-cooked polenta tastes rich and special: The first time I served it to Andrew, he asked how much butter and cheese it contained, suspicious that I was trying to give him an instant heart attack. In fact, I had stirred in only two tablespoons of butter and no cheese at all.
The broccoli rabe, on the other hand, is doused in olive oil, but I think it's worth it. The sharp and peppery flavors of the greens and oil contrast beautifully with the creamy polenta. Since four servings of this luxurious dish don't quite hit the $8 mark, I'd use the difference to buy a piece of cheese to eat afterward or alongside.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, September 22, 2009 at 8:30 PM
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
2 portobello mushrooms: $3.74
2 English muffins (pro-rated): $1.40
Parsley (pro-rated): $0.75
1 pound sweet potatoes: $1.69
Pantry items: Garlic, butter, mustard, olive oil, salt
Total cost (for 2 portions): $7.58
As a child I refused to eat mushrooms--slimy!--until I was somehow talked into trying a portobello mushroom "burger." It was fantastic, and I never looked back.
Now I'm of the faction that believes burgers are burgers and mushroom sandwiches are mushroom sandwiches (and veggie patties are best ignored or forgotten). This fine hot mushroom sandwich is proud to be its succulent and flavorful self.
You don't have to call it a burger to eat it with fries. Baked sweet potato fries make this meal stick to your ribs, but if you're in the mood for something lighter you should be able to buy a pound of broccoli or a head of lettuce for salad without breaking your $8 budget.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, September 15, 2009 at 3:30 PM
[Photograph: Robin Belinger]
Shopping List
1 bunch baby bok choy: $2.00
12-ounce package soba noodles: $0.69
1 pound crimini mushrooms: $3.00
1 ear corn: $0.33
Knob of fresh ginger: $0.25
Cilantro (pro-rated): $0.50
Pantry items: Salt, peanut or olive oil, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, sesame seeds (optional), chili garlic sauce (optional)
Total cost (for 3 to 4 portions): $7.67
This is one of my favorite no-thought-required dinners, just waiting to be plugged into a hole in my weekly meal plan if noodles have not already made an appearance. It isn't brilliant, but it is fast, filling, yummy, healthy, and cheap.
I am not under the impression that it's in any way authentic. Last week Chichi gave us much more detailed instructions for stir-fried bok choy. I happened to have corn from the farmers' market and thought the natural sweetness might be nice here, but in truth, I barely tasted it. I certainly wouldn't buy corn just to make this dish. Same with sesame seeds. A drizzle of sesame oil, however, should not be skipped.
The soba is inspired by Nigella Lawson, who recommends soba with reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms for dieters, and the greens are descended from a recipe in Nigel Slater's cookbook, Appetite. Where would I be without the two English N's? Not improvising tasty dinners on the fly, that's for sure.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, September 1, 2009 at 3:00 PM
[Photographs: Michele Humes]
Shopping List
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs: $4.35
1/4 cup apricot or peach jam (pro-rated): $0.69
6 limes: $2.00
Small knob ginger: $0.28
Pantry items: Garlic, curry powder, soy sauce, peanut butter (optional)
Total cost (for 4 to 6 portions): $7.32
When I was a little girl, my uncle Victor was my chief tormentor. The youngest of my mother's three brothers had an impish streak that rejoiced in my vexation. He was devoted to me but had a rib-poking, name-calling, infuriating way of showing it.
Years passed, and Victor's son was born. In my young cousin, my uncle had a new target for his loving pranks, and I had a long-awaited reprieve. For the first time, I was able to see what years of peevishness had obscured: Victor, in addition to being a screwball, is one of the best cooks I know.
A graduate of a Chinese restaurant academy in Hong Kong, my uncle cooks with the fiery alacrity of one accustomed to short orders and flaming woks. Victor never did open the restaurant of his dreams in Vancouver, but he runs his home kitchen very much like one. He has that Cantonese mastery of balance, deploying sweetness, acidity, and aromatics with a generous but judicious hand.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, August 25, 2009 at 4:30 PM
[Photographs: Michele Humes]
Shopping List
16-ounce can cannellini beans: $1.09
Fresh rosemary: $1.49
Fresh basil: $1.50
Scallions: $0.69
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (pro-rated): $1.75
Red onion: $0.28
Pantry items: Extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, vinegar
Total cost: $6.80
I started off making this dish exactly the way Michelle Bernstein told me to: with left-over, rare roast beef. But I was so taken by the salad's vibrant palette of colors and flavors that I soon found myself roasting beef just so I'd have leftovers. And when it got too hot to roast much of anything at all, I'd slip shreds of rôtisserie chicken in there, or bits of duck from my favorite Chinatown roasted meats guy.
At its simplest, even a handful of crisped lardons or crumbled, fried bacon will complete the salad. You see, the vegetarian part of the dish is so rich and well-balanced on its own that the meat need only be an accent.
These rich flavors are typical of Michelle Bernstein's excellent and categorization-defying Cuisine à Latina, from which the recipe has been gently adapted. The cannellini-based salad gets sweetness from caramelized onions, brightness from heaps of scallion tops and roasted cherry tomatoes, and a woodsy complexity from its rosemary-packed dressing.
A fluid relationship with meat makes this recipe both adaptable and economical. (If you're one of the lucky ones with your own backyard or balcony herb supply—I, and my basil-loving rabbits, envy you--the cost goes down even more.) But the polished flavors ensure that no-one will ever guess you're scrimping.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, August 18, 2009 at 9:30 PM
Photographs by Michele Humes
Shopping List
1/2 pound medium shell-on shrimp: $3.50
2 hot dog buns (pro-rated): $0.79
Bunch celery: $0.99
Bunch chives: $1.49
1 egg (pro-rated): $0.20
1 lemon: $0.35
Pantry items:
Vegetable oil, white wine or cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, butter
Total cost: $7.32
In the days before air-conditioners, New Yorkers would go to considerable lengths to avoid roasting in their tenements. The blog Ephemeral New York lists some of them, from camping out on the fire escape to pitching a tent in Central Park. In August 1938, the temperature hit 93°F:
"More than 3,000 persons slept on the sand at Coney Island and Brighton Beach to escape the heat last night, the police estimated. Ten additional patrolmen were assigned to the area to prevent molestation of the sleepers, many of whom brought blankets and sheets." --The New York Times
As I write this, the mercury is set to creep up to 95. It is, in the words of Cole Porter, too darn hot. Being fortunate enough to own an air-conditioner, I've so far been able to avoid the drastic measures of yesteryear. Still, I do battle with the siesta-monster on a daily basis, and if I had a hideaway in Montauk, I'd be hiding there right now. But I don't, so I just pretend I'm by the sea--and these shrimp rolls do a pretty good job of setting the scene.
In this everyday alternative to the pricier lobster roll, poached shrimp are mixed with just a little diced celery, dressed in a homemade chive mayo, and piled into a butter-seared hot dog bun. (I love the sweetness of a Martin's potato roll.) Serve with a handful of your favorite potato chips--lately, I've been devouring Zapp's Cajun Crawtators, a supremely crackly chip with a wallop of Old Bay--and forget, for just a moment, that infernal heat.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, August 11, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Shopping List
1 bottle Charles Shaw merlot: $1.99 to $2.99
6 pieces dark-meat chicken: $2.19
1 large yellow onion: $0.38
1 large carrot: $0.28
Bunch parsley: $0.69
3 strips bacon (pro-rated): $0.99
Pantry items:
Garlic, bay leaf, flour
Total: $6.52 to $7.52
I spent much of my junior year of college in Dijon, a mustard town in the heart of wine country.
In this part of France, treating college students as though they were pyromaniacs is a time-honored tradition. Rather than see their property go up in flames, Burgundian landlords furnish the kitchens of their short-term rentals with nothing more than a plug-in hot plate. So it was on this sorry excuse for a heat source that I learned to make another regional tradition: coq au vin, or chicken braised in red wine.
When I arrived in Dijon, feeling lonely and flush, I had treated myself to a rich rendition of the dish at Brasserie La Concorde. It was tender, intensely flavored, and, on a student's allowance, completely unaffordable. So, back home in my little studio, I hacked vegetables into pieces with a utility knife and cooked chicken in the wine I could afford--that is, €1 bottles of the local vin de table, wine so rough that producers are barred by law from calling it Burgundy. Some pretty sorry stews resulted from my early experiments, but I persevered--with more diligence, I am no longer ashamed to admit, than I pursued my studies.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, August 4, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Shopping List
3/4 pound squid: $2.99
4-ounce package glass noodles: $1.69
1 red bell pepper: $1.73
1 red onion: $0.45
Bunch cilantro: $0.69
2 limes: $0.50
Pantry items:
Sriracha, fish sauce, garlic, vegetable oil
Total cost: $8.05
A couple of weekends ago, I was shopping at my local "gourmet" grocery store, a self-satisfied establishment that never seems to let me get away with spending less than $30 on dinner. Determined to break this alarming pattern, I headed straight for the fish counter, looked right past the striped bass and tuna steaks, and asked for some squid.
The fishmonger looked at me as though I'd asked for a fillet of blobfish. He didn't carry it, I was told. Because nobody wanted it.
I found this incredible, because the same store stocks baby cauliflower—in four colors, no less—all year round. Is miniature romanesco really such a hot item and squid such a dud?
It shouldn't be. Not only is squid one of the more sustainable seafood choices out there, it's also one of the cheapest. Delicious raw, grilled, or braised to tenderness, it deserves better than being relegated to occasional calamari duties.
I hope I'm doing it justice with today's recipe, a light, refreshing salad inspired by the Thai noodle dish yum woon sen. Here, the sweet, delicate flesh is seared very briefly, tossed with red onion, bell peppers and slippery glass noodles, and dressed in a Sriracha-spiked mixture of fish sauce and fresh lime. A final scattering of golden-fried garlic brings crunch and fragrance to this tart, cooling dish.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, July 28, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Shopping List
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound) - $3.29
1/2 pound green beans - $0.49
1 large cucumber - $0.55
1 lemon - $0.50
Small knob ginger - $0.25
24 ounces vegetable oil - $2.49
Pantry items:
Dark (Asian) sesame oil, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, corn starch, white sugar
Total cost: $7.77
I love fried chicken in all its forms but tori no kara-age, Japan's barely-breaded answer to popcorn chicken, holds a special place in my heart.
Each bite-sized nugget offers a higher crunch-to-flesh ratio than a breast or a drumstick—and I'm all about that crunch. Not that there's anything wrong with the flesh: tender, dark-meat chicken infused with soy, ginger, and, if you have it, a splash of bourbon.
The bantamweight morsels are a boon, too, to the novice deep-fryer. Golden-brown in four minutes, they're almost impossible to over- or under-cook.
For contrast, serve with either or both of these refreshing salads: cucumber sunomono—bright, vinegared cucumber slices enriched with just a touch of sesame oil—and cool, crisp green beans tossed in a sharp mustard sauce.
Perfect for a midsummer night's grazing.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, July 21, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Shopping List
6 plum tomatoes - $2.59
1 zucchini - $0.47
1 yellow squash - $1.04
1 bunch parsley - $0.69
1/2 pound dry spaghetti - $0.65
Pantry items:
Extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, garlic, white sugar
Total cost: $5.44
In cookbooks, as in Harlequin romances, there are one-night stands and there are keepers.
Some recipes call to you from the page, talking sweet and promising spice. But in the cold light of day, your kitchen a shambles, you begin to wonder if you really have time for this kind of relationship. (You don't.)
Other recipes aren't so obviously seductive, but are compatible with the way you already cook. Quick to get under your skin, they stay with you and grow with you. Your friends approve.
I'm starting to nauseate myself with my own metaphor, so I'll just get to the point: The pomodori al forno served at Seattle's Café Lago, recipe transcribed and exalted by Molly Wizenberg, is a keeper. I've made the slow-roasted tomato dish so many times in the last six months that it feels like, as the saying goes, I've known it all my life.
At first, I served the tender, sweet tomatoes just as the restaurant does, on baguette rounds smeared with aged goat's cheese. Then I started pouring the leftover olive oil, swirling with garlic and parsley, over spaghetti or angel's hair. The impromptu aglio e olio was so good that I took to skipping the bread and cheese altogether, tossing the tomatoes and their ruddy oil straight into hot pasta. The barely solid flesh collapses easily into the noodles, bringing welcome moisture and acidity to the classic Italian preparation.
To make the dish a little more colorful and quite a bit more substantial, I've added slices of grilled green and yellow squash, now at their sweetest and cheapest. The recipe will feed two, with enough vegetables left over for a really glorious sandwich.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, July 14, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Note: Isn't it nice to pay with a ten, but still get change? Michele Humes returns with her Eat for Eight Bucks feature, where she'll help you fix up a tasty spread for two, but still get two bucks back (at least). Take it away, Michele! --Erin
Shopping List
12 ounces fresh ramen noodles - $2.49
1/4 pound sliced deli ham - $1.99
1 medium cucumber - $0.33
1 ear yellow corn or 8-ounce can corn kernels - $0.79
1 medium carrot - $0.43
8-ounce bag mung bean sprouts - $0.99
2 eggs - $0.36
Pantry items:
Peanut butter or tahini, dark (Asian) sesame oil, cider vinegar, white sugar, garlic
Total cost: $7.38
Too often, sesame noodles in American-Chinese restaurants are wan and clumpy. "Pasta with peanut butter," Sam Sifton calls them—"fridge-flavored nostalgia." It's unfortunate, because the dish has such promise. More than that, it has history: For as long as there have been noodles, the Chinese have been warding off heat stroke by chilling and serving them, with a smattering of slivered goodies, in pools of sesame and chili oils.
Admittedly, my version of the dish is not strictly faithful to that history—but then it doesn't clump, either. I start with the Shanghai cold noodles I grew up with, eliminating a good part of the oil. Then I pilfer a few toppings from the Japanese variant, hiyashi chuka—which itself translates as "chilled Chinese-style [noodles]," so perhaps I'm merely reappropriating. Finally, I toss it all in a lightened version of the PB-rich paste that coats the American takeout classic.
The pan-Asian result calls for nothing that you wouldn't find in a typical American grocery store. (That said, you can considerably reduce the total cost of the dish by stocking up on noodles at an Asian supermarket.) It has richness, brightness, and crunch.
The dish is wonderfully flexible, too. I've made it with buckwheat soba, Italian capellini, and, in a pinch, the noodle block from a 50¢ packet of instant ramen, flavor pouch discarded. But I draw the line at rice-based noodles, which tend to seize up when chilled. Hulking strands of udon are no good here, either.
I've suggested some inexpensive toppings to get you started, but the recipe can easily accommodate slivered roast pork, shredded duck, chopped shrimp, or whatever leftovers lurk in your fridge. Just make sure to provide a range of colors and textures.
The only constant is the glossy, emulsified sauce of nut butter, vinegar and soy, and even that can be sweetened or sharpened to your liking.
Continue reading »
Posted by Michele Humes, March 5, 2009 at 3:15 PM
Shopping List
3 large russet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds) - $1.78
16 ounces beef/chicken/vegetable stock - $1.59
4 ounces Gruyère cheese - $3.95
2 heads garlic - $0.70
Pantry items:
Flour, butter, olive oil
Total cost: $8.02
When it's as cold out as it's been this week, my inner carb-monster crawls out and demands to be fed. Problem is, she's got my outer sloth-monster to contend with. When I'm bundled up at my writing desk, the fewer the steps, the more appealing the recipe.
This weekend, I came up with a dish to appease both beasts. Call it mock poutine or tarted-up disco fries, it's a comforting mess of thick-cut oven fries, shredded Gruyère, and rich beef gravy, strewn with roasted garlic.
In addition to being unapologetically stodgy, it's flexible. You can use any good melting cheese in place of the Gruyère, from Emmenthal to Cheddar to Fontina, and the gravy can be made with a full-flavored chicken or vegetable broth instead of beef. Best of all, it's really not much work at all. You don't have to peel the potatoes, there's no boiling oil to deal with, and—serendipity!—the garlic takes about as long in the oven as the fries.
Continue reading »
