BrokeAss Gourmet, The premier food, wine and lifestyle blog for people who want to live the high life on the cheap.

Prep Time 0:10

Cook Time 0:08

This recipe is the very definition of effortless elegance. A food processor makes the aioli come together very quickly, but it will still be good if you just finely mince the garlic and cilantro and stir it into the other ingredients.

If you can’t find wasabi paste at your grocery store (look in the Asian ingredients section), try an Asian specialty store or ask for a little extra the next time you order sushi—they’ll likely give it to you for free.

• ingredients
• 1/8 cup mayonnaise Pantry
• 1 clove garlic, smashed Pantry
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped $1 for a bunch
• 1 tsp (or more to taste) wasabi paste $2 for 4 oz.
• 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce Pantry
• juice of 1/2 lemon $0.50
• 2 (5-oz.) salmon fillets (skin-on) $8
• salt and pepper Pantry
• oil for the grill/grill pan, if needed Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients: $11.50

Directions

In a food processor or blender, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, cilantro, wasabi soy sauce and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, mince the cilantro and garlic very finely and stir it into the mayonnaise, wasabi, soy sauce and lemon juice. Refrigerate, covered until ready to use (up to 4 hours).

Lightly season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush with oil. Grill the salmon on both sides, until still-pink in the middle and nicely-charred on the outside, about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve the salmon immediately, topped with a generous smear of the aioli.

Serves 2.

Prep Time 0:15

Cook Time 0:40

Adorable, reasonably healthy and even kid-friendly. This works equally well for breakfast as for dessert.

• ingredients
• 2 small sugar pumpkins (note: they should be about the size of a large orange), tops cut out, seeds and stringy bits removed $3
• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt $2.50 for 16 oz.
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (or cinnamon) $1.50 for 1 oz.
• 3 tbsp honey (or more to taste) Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $5.50

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast the pumpkins for about 25 minutes, or until the flesh turns soft but the pumpkin is still intact. Remove pumpkins but leave the oven on.

Let the roasted pumpkins cool until they can be handles. Use a spoon to gently scoop out the roasted flesh (being careful not to scrape too deeply—you want the pumpkin to retain its shape) and transfer to a bowl. Mash gently with a fork.

To the mashed pumpkin flesh, add the yogurt, cinnamon and honey. Stir well.

Divide the pumpkin-yogurt mixture between the two pumkin shells. Bake for 12-15 minutes, just until heated through.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2 (1 whole pumpkin each) or 4 (1/2 pumpkin each).

Prep Time 1:00

Cook Time 0:15

Dumplings are a Chinese New Year tradition, so today, the first day of the Lunar calendar and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, seemed like an ideal time to try mixing and rolling my own dumpling dough, as opposed to buying more convenient, pre-made wrappers. A little patience and attention is required, but in the end, the thicker, chewier wrappers yielded a much more delicious, authentic-tasting potsticker.

• ingredients
• 1 cup all-purpose flour Pantry
• 1/2 cup cold water Pantry
• 1/2 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed $5
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
• 1 1” piece ginger, peeled and grated $0.50
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped $1 for a bunch
• 2 tsp soy sauce Pantry
• clear cooking oil, such as vegetable, canola or coconut Pantry
• 1/8 cup shelled fresh English green peas (frozen will also work, but fresh will yield tastier dumplings—Trader Joe’s sells them) $2.50 for 12 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients: $9

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and water. Stir well until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too try, sprinkle in more water 1 teaspoon at a time. Knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface, until the dough is very elastic, but no longer sticky (this is extra-easy to do in a food processor or stand-up mixer). Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a 6” log. Place the logs on a floured plate, sprinkle them lightly with flour and cover with a clean dish towel. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour).

While the dough rests, make the filling. Chop the shrimp into 1/4” pieces, and combine in a bowl with the garlic, cilantro and soy sauce. Heat a large frying pan (make sure it has a fitted lid) over medium heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Cook the shrimp mixture just until the shrimp is no longer raw—about 1 1/2 minutes and remove from heat and spread out onto a clean plate to cool.

Once the dough has finished resting, cut each log into about 10 pieces. Sprinkle them with flour to keep from sticking.

I find it’s best to roll the wrappers out as you assemble the dumplings. To assemble each dumpling, use a rolling pin to roll out a piece of dough on a floured surface, until it is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter (aim for a circular shape, but don’t worry if it’s a little misshapen). Brush the edges with a little water (use pastry brush or a clean finger).

Place about 2 tsp of the shrimp mixture and 2 or 3 green peas onto 1 half of the dumpling. Fold over so you have a half-moon shape and press the edges to seal. Place the completed dumpling on a floured plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough, filling and peas until you have about 20 completed dumplings.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan you cooked the filling in over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary (it likely will be), fry the dumplings for 1-2 minutes on each side. After they’ve browned on the second side, pour 1/8 cup water into the pan, cover the pan tightly and reduce heat to medium. Steam the dumplings like this for 1-2 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the lid, aerate the dumplings until they are no longer soggy, and place on a serving plate. Once all the dumplings have been cooked, serve immediately with soy sauce and/or chili sauce for dipping.

Makes 20 dumplings.

Prep Time 48:00

My father taught me three very important lessons about food:
1) Matzo brei should be savory, not sweet.
2) The proper breakfast to order in a diner is two eggs, over-easy and an English muffin to dip into the yolks.
3) The way to eat a bagel is with cream cheese, sliced red onions and a big heap of lox.

The third is probably my favorite, and at this point in my life, I have zero use for a lox-less bagel. What’s the point? The thing is, lox can be very expensive, often up to $20/lb.

Enter this easy, delicious and damn fun recipe. All you need is some fresh salmon, simple brine ingredients and a little patience. And, of course, bagels, cream cheese and onions.

• ingredients
• 1/4 cup sugar Pantry
• 1/2 cup kosher salt Pantry
• 2 tbsp freshly-ground black pepper Pantry
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill $1 for a bunch
• 16 oz. skin-on, center-cut salmon, preferably wild (it’s fine to buy this frozen, just let it thaw before you cure it) $10

Total Cost of Ingredients $11

Directions

Combine the sugar, salt, pepper and dill in a mixing bowl. This is your brine mix.

Cover a plate with plastic wrap, and pour half of the sugar-salt mixture on top and spread evenly. Place the salmon on top of the spices, flesh-side-down, and cover with the rest of the sugar-salt mixture.

Wrap the whole thing tightly with plastic wrap (I wrapped around the plate twice) and refrigerate for at least 48 hours (it will be cured after 48, but it’s better after 60-72). Every 12 hours or so, flip the fish over and redistribute the brine mixture. As the brine mixture pulls the liquid out of the fish, you’ll notice a lot of oily residue seeping out. Wrapping the whole thing in a thick dish towel helps to keep mess to a minimum.

Once the fish has finished curing, rinse well under cool running water, pat dry and slice very thinly against the grain and serve immediatley.

If you have leftovers, store them tightly-wrapped in plastic wrap. They’ll keep for another 4-5 days.

Makes about 1 pound of lox.

Prep Time 0:05

Cook Time 1:00

I yearn for peak-of-the-season, flavorful tomatoes all year long. When they are in-season, it feels so fleeting, as if the love of my life is only in town for a few short months and I have to simultaneously make the most of our time together, while keeping myself from getting too attached, since he’s on his way out anyway. Like many men in San Francisco, tomatoes drop everything when the weather gets cold and have to go find themselves for a few months in South America.

But um, anyway…back to the recipe. Each bite of these is slightly charred and caramelized on the outside, and tastes of warmer, sunnier summer tomato days on the inside. Serve as a side dish, or toss with freshly-cooked pasta and grated Parmesan.

• ingredients
• 16 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes $3.50
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme $1 for a bunch
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients:4.50

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Spread the tomatoes over a large baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Use your hands to coat the tomatoes well.

Pull the leaves from the thyme twigs and sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes.

Roast in the oven for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the tomatoes are charred in places on the outside and very soft on the inside.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately or at room temperature.

Serves 3-4.

Prep Time 0:15

Cook Time 1:15

There’s not much to this—it’s really just bread, milk, sugar, eggs and butter, plus chocolate chips and a kiss of cinnamon, but every time I make it, people freak out and beg me for the recipe. The secret is to use rich brioche or challah for the bread, which bakes with the milk and eggs into a mouthwatering custard.

A scoop of vanilla ice cream served alongside really puts this one over the top.

• ingredients
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted (reserve the wrapper) $1 for a stick
• 1 (16-oz.) loaf of challah or brioche, sliced into 1/2”-thick slices $3.50 for a loaf
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips $2 for a 12-oz. bag
• 1 quart whole milk $2
• 3/4 cup sugar Pantry
• 1/2 tsp salt Pantry
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon $1.50 for 1 oz
• 6 eggs $1.50

Total Cost of Ingredients: $11.50

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Use the wrapper from the butter to lightly grease a 9” x 11” baking pan.

Layer the bread slices in the prepared baking pan, topping each layer with a scattered handful of the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon and eggs. Whisk just until incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Pour the milk-egg mixture over the prepared bread and chocolate and gently press the bread down to ensure the milk-egg mixture is completely distributed.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Serves 6-8.

Prep Time 0:20

Cook Time 0:12

These vibrant, protein-rich burgers feature classic Spanish flavors: parsley, garlic, tomatoes and Manchego cheese. Plus, they’re topped with a European classic: a fried egg. I like these plain or over seared spinach, but they’d also be good on toasted sourdough bread.

Note: This recipe requires a bit of multitasking. Be sure to keep one eye on the burgers while you cook the eggs, so neither is over or under-done.

• ingredients
• extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 1 lb ground beef (80/20 is fine) $5
• 2 shallots, diced $0.50
• 2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely-chopped (reserve a few pinches for garnish) $1 for a bunch
• 1 Roma (plum) tomato, cored and chopped $0.50
• 3 tbsp slivered almonds $1.50 (buy in the bulk section)
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper Pantry
• 5 eggs, divided $1.50 for 6
• 4 generous slices of Manchego cheese (if you can’t find Manchego, use a dry aged jack or cheddar) $4 for 6 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients: $14

Directions

Preheat a grill, grill pan or heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush lightly with the olive oil.

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, shallots, garlic, parsley, tomato, almonds, salt, pepper and 1 egg. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Shape beef mixture into 4 patties and place on the grill to cook.

Keeping an eye on the burgers, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan with a little bit of space between them, being careful not to break the yolk (unless you dislike runny eggs, in which case, do gently break the yolk). Cover pan and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked the way you like them (I prefer medium-runny).

Meanwhile, once the burgers have cooked on both sides to your desired doneness (cut into one to see if it’s cooked enough), turn off the heat and place a slice of the cheese on top of each burger and cover the grill/pan/ Let the cheese melt for a minute or two.

To serve, slide a cooked egg on top of each cheese-topped burger and garnish with additional parsley. Serve on buns, toasted bread or plain.

Serves 4.

Prep Time 0:40

Cook Time 0:15

I love spicy, sweet Mongolian beef and almost always order it at Chinese restaurants, or when the roomie and I do takeout. A major benefit to cooking it at home, however, is that I get to control what goes into it. I opt to use significantly less sugar than most recipes call for (3 tbsp in the whole recipe, as opposed to 3/4 cup!) and I skip the cornstarch.

Additionally, I stole a technique from Thai satay chicken: marinating the meat in plain yogurt before cooking. The acids in the yogurt work overtime, breaking down the connective tissues in the meat (isn’t that just the most delicious image ever??), yielding a finished product that cooks quickly into juicy bites of beef with tender, juicy interiors and crispy, caramelized exteriors.

• ingredients
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt $1.50 for 8 oz.
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided Pantry
• 1 lb flank steak, sliced into 1/4” thick bite-size pieces $5
• 2 tbsp cooking oil (canola, vegetable, peanut or coconut) Pantry
• 2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
• 1 1” piece ginger, peeled and grated $0.50
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp brown sugar Pantry
• 1 1/2 tbsp (plus more to taste) Asian chili sauce (preferably sambal oelek) $2 for 8 oz.
• 3 green onions, cut into 1” slices $1 for a bunch

Total Cost of Ingredients $10

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Stir well. Add sliced flank steak, mix well to combine, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). Once beef has finished marinating, rinse in a strainer to remove excess yogurt.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Brown the marinated, rinsed beef for 2-3 minutes on each side, until edges become crisp and caramelized. Transfer beef to a clean plate.

Reduce heat to medium, add the second tbsp oil and cook garlic and ginger for about 20 seconds, moving the pan around to keep the garlic from burning. Add the remaining soy sauce, water, brown sugar and chili sauce, increase heat to high and bring to a simmer (this should take about a minute).

Add the beef to the sauce and cook, moving the pan around and stirring frequently, until the beef has absorbed most of the sauce and is cooked through. In the last minute of cooking, add the sliced green onions and toss well.

Serve hot, with steamed rice if desired.

Serves 2-3.