BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Yesterday I went holiday shopping with my friend Brett and I think we may have single-handedly saved the economy.

OK, not really, but jeez the holidays are damn expensive. But you are a BrokeAss, so you know that there is more to the holiday season than consumerism. You know that cooking a beautiful meal doesn’t need to be costly and that it is a wonderful way to show the people in your life that you love them.

So here are some menus for any upcoming holiday cooking you might be planning (I made knishes for Chanukah —now I’m planning what my family calls “Chrismukkah”).

Note: sometimes, when I’m feeling extra BrokeAss, I assign recipes to friends and make the party a potluck, leaving me free to sip wine and boss everyone around instead of rushing to finish everything at the last minute. Just sayin’.

And speaking of wine, I frequently consult Adam’s TJ’s Wine Blitz for great wine that won’t cost me more than $10—an excellent tool.

Quasi-Traditional Holiday Dinner
Feta Walnut Spread with sliced baguette and vegetables
Roast Chicken with Rosemary-Walnut Pesto
Caesar Salad
Sweet Potato Gratin
Pear Spice Cake with Molasses-Cream Cheese Icing

Dim Sum Christmas
Scallion Pancakes
Mango-Salmon Summer Rolls
Pork-Kale Gyoza
Ginger-Shrimp Potstickers
Brown Sugar-Banana Spring Rolls

X-Mas Picnic Lunch
Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich
Roasted Rapini-Carrot Salad
Hearty Quinoa Salad
Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Sriracha Aioli
Dulce de Leche Brownies

Vegan Solstice Extravaganza
Chili-Gilded Tempeh Satay
Eggplant-Chickpea Fritters over Zhug
Rice Cakes Over Black Bean Puree With Mango-Avocado Relish and Fried Plantains
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Pistachio-Rosewater Cupcakes with Fluffy Vegan Buttercream Frosting

Christmas Morning Brunch
Rosemary-Bacon Scramble
Sweet Potato-Ricotta Cinnamon Rolls
Ricotta Pancakes with Cranberries and Pine Nuts
Fresh Fruit

I have a lot of cooking and present-wrapping ahead of me in the next couple of days, so I’m not sure if I’ll be posting much this week, but I want to take this opportunity to wish you, from the bottom of my heart, the happiest of happy holidays and a peaceful new year.

Love,
Gabi

Category: Meals

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Fresh Beet Ravioli with Ricotta, Goat Cheese and Mint

  • Prep Time 2:00
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $14.50
  • 1 Comment

My friend Michael brought his pasta machine over last night (on his bike, no less) and we embarked upon the the most adventurous meal I’ve made in awhile. I will not lie to you—this dish takes a long time to make. We started around 7:30 and didn’t eat until after 10, but it was well worth it. Tender beets keep this pasta very moist and give it a beautiful purple color. Goat cheese, a natural pairing for beets, is absolutely perfect with fresh mint, and the ricotta keeps it from being overwhelmingly rich.

Note: if you don’t have a food processor, you can still make the dough—just mash the beets well with a fork and mix the dough in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

Ingredients

  • 1 large beet or 2 small beets, stem(s) removed $1.50
  • 1 1/2 cups flour Pantry
  • 3/4 cup semolina flour $4 for 12 oz.
  • 2 eggs, beaten (room temp) $1.50 for 6
  • 6 tbs olive oil, divided Pantry
  • 1 tsp salt, divided Pantry
  • 1/4 cup ricotta $3 for 10 oz.
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese (chèvre) $3.50 for 6 oz.
  • 1 small bunch mint leaves, finely chopped $1
  • freshly-ground pepper Pantry

Recipe Serves 2-4

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the beet and place it on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, approximately 45 minutes.
  3. While beets roast, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, mint, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  4. Once cooked, place the beet(s) under cold running water to cool down and carefully remove the skin (it should just fall off). Cut beet(s) into chunks and place in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
  5. Add the eggs and 1 tbsp olive oil and pulse until incorporated. Add the salt. Slowly add the flours and run machine until a smooth dough forms. You may need to add more all-purpose flour to achieve a dough that is elastic enough that it doesn't stick to your fingers.
  6. Remove the dough from the food processor and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead 10-12 times to ensure an elastic dough. Press dough out into an 8" circle. Cut circle into 4 even strips.
  7. Using a rolling pin, roll each fourth to about 1/16-inch thick. If you have a pasta machine, use that to roll out your pasta. Each strip should now be about 18" long and 4" wide. Keep strips on a floured surface and avoid stacking them so they don't stick together.
  8. Cut a 18" strip in half so you have 2 9" strips. Evenly place 4 dollops (approx 1 tbsp) of the mint-cheese mixture on one 9" strip of dough, approx 2" apart. Cover with 2nd 9" strip, making sure to line up edges. If you have a ravioli stamp, use that to cut the raviolis. Otherwise, use a knife to cut each ravioli into 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 square. Use a fork to gently press the edges to ensure a tight seal. Set finished raviolis on a lightly-floured plate.
  9. Bring a large pot of salted water to a light boil. Drop raviolis in, 6 at a time and cook, 2-3 minutes or until they float (taste one to be sure they are fully-cooked). Place cooked raviolis in a large bowl. Cook in batches until all are cooked.
  10. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over the ravioli and very gently toss with tongs. Divide onto plates. Garnish with Parmesan if desired.

Category: Meals

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Rosemary-Bacon Scramble

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $8.00
  • 22 Comments

Were there ever two flavors more complementary than bacon and rosemary? This easy scramble would be perfect on Christmas morning…or any other morning for that matter. The spinach keeps it from being overwhelmingly rich, but the bacon and cheddar do plenty to make it very satisfying. Potatoes and toast would be a nice but totally unnecessary accompaniment.

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs, lightly beaten $1.50
  • 3 strips thick-cut bacon $1
  • 1 small red onion, chopped $0.50
  • 1 packed cup fresh spinach $1
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary, removed from stem $1
  • 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese $3 for 12 oz.
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 2-3

Directions

  1. Fry bacon on both sides in a large, dry frying pan over medium-high heat until crisp, 2-3 minutes. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Discard half of the remaining bacon fat, keeping the other half in the pan. Reduce heat to medium and add onions. Cook onions for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add spinach and rosemary and cook 1-2 minutes, or until spinach begins to break down. Add eggs and scramble, stirring occasionally, until eggs set. Crumble cooked bacon into eggs and gently stir. Season with salt and pepper taste. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over contents of pan and stir to melt.
  2. Serve immediately.

Pomegranate-Balsamic-Glazed Chicken

  • Prep Time 0:45
  • Cook Time 0:30
  • Estimated Cost $9.50
  • 3 Comments

It’s too cold to barbeque at my house, but this sticky-sweet recipe helps satisfy my cravings for BBQ chicken. Plus, it’s classier and prettier-looking. I served it with orange-coconut sweet potatoes and a green salad.

Ingredients

  • 6 assorted pieces chicken, with skin $5
  • 1/2 cup Pom 100% pomegranate juice $2
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar Pantry
  • 1/8 cup honey Pantry
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar Pantry
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme $1
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry
  • toasted sesame seeds $1.50 for 1 oz.

Recipe Serves 2-3

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, combine pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir until honey and sugar dissolves.
  3. Place chicken pieces in a large zip-lock bag. Carefully pour marinade over them, press air out of bag and seal. Move bag around to ensure marinade disperses. Refrigerate bag for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove chicken from bag and place in a large glass baking dish, spacing chicken evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is tender but fully-cooked.
  5. While chicken cooks, carefully pour remaining marinade from bag into a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil (to kill bacteria), then lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 12-15 minutes until marinade is thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and carefully fish out thyme stems.
  6. Once chicken has finished baking, brush glaze over each piece. Sprinkle generously with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Pasta Sheets and Mushroom Cream Sauce

  • Prep Time 0:20
  • Cook Time 0:20
  • Estimated Cost $17.50
  • 4 Comments

What do you do when your friend gives you some hand-picked Boletus mushrooms? Aside from making sure they’re not poisonous? Well, make cream sauce of course! Don’t worry, you can also buy the mushrooms and it will be just as delicious. I have included directions to make the pasta from scratch, but feel free to buy fresh linguine if you’re in a rush.

Ingredients

Pasta

  • 1 1/2 cups flour Pantry
  • 2 eggs, beaten (room temp) $1.50 for 6
  • 2 tbs water Free!
  • 2 tbs olive oil Pantry
  • 1/4 tsp salt Pantry

Sauce

  • 8 oz Crimni Mushrooms, sliced $2.50
  • 1.5 oz Dried Boletus Mushrooms, diced $5.00 
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
  • 1 small onion, chopped $0.50
  • 2 tbsp olive oil Pantry 
  • 1 cup white wine $2 for a bottle 
  • 1cup vegetable broth $1.50 for a 15-oz can
  • 1 cup heavy cream $2.50 for a pint
  • dried thyme $1.50 for 1 oz
  • dried sage $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 2-4

Directions

Pasta from Scratch (optional):

  1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. If you happen to have semolina flour on hand, you can substitute it for half of the flour. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the water and olive oil. Pour this mixture into the bowl containing the flour and stir everything together with a wooden spoon. Once the contents become too firm to stir, begin kneading with your hands until you are left with a cohesive slab of dough that does not stick to your hands. You may need to incrementally add water or flour to reach this state.
  2. Cover the dough with a towel while you prepare your other ingredients for the sauce.
  3. Return to your dough and cut it into fourths. Use a rolling pin to roll each fourth individually on a floured cutting board. If you have a pasta machine, use that to roll out your pasta. Cut the thinly rolled sheets of pasta into 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Set the pasta aside. Avoid placing the strips on top of one another as they'll stick together.
  4. Fill a large saucepan with water, generously add salt and set it to boil while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

  1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium-high heat until they become translucent, then add the mushrooms and continue to sautee until the mushrooms are slightly browned and softened. Lower the heat to medium and pour in the wine. Stir occasionally as the wine reduces. Once it is mostly reduced, throw in a few dashes of thyme and sage before pouring in the vegetable broth. Again, let it reduce almost entirely while stirring periodically. As the vegetable broth is approaching a reduced state, throw the pasta in the boiling pot of water and stir periodically as it cooks. Pour the heavy cream into the sauce. Allow it to bubble-up slightly and then reduce the heat and stir it as it gently simmers. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  2. When the pasta has finished cooking (roughly 4 mins or according to package, but taste it to be sure), strain it and return it to the pot. Pour the hot cream sauce over the pasta right away to prevent sticking. Serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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