BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Bacon-Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms

  • Prep Time 0:25
  • Cook Time 0:20
  • Estimated Cost $11.00
  • 31 Comments

Crispy, salty bacon comes together with nutty Parmesan and juicy mushrooms in this gloriously easy dish. These are made from the simplest of fresh ingredients and require highly uncomplicated techniques. I love to serve them as appetizers or over dressed fresh greens as a main course salad.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb whole white button mushrooms, cleaned $2
  • 3 slices raw uncured bacon $1
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1/2 onion, chopped $0.50
  • 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs $1.50 for 8 oz.
  • 1 large handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten $1.50 for 12
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling $3.50 for 10 oz.
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper Pantry

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Gently pull the stems from the mushrooms (I like to do this by gently inserting my thumb between the cap and the stem and carefully rotating North, West, East, South to gently loosen the stem and ensure you pull the whole thing out). Finely chop the stems and set aside.
  3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook bacon on both sides until crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel, leaving the bacon grease in the pan, reducing heat to medium.
  4. Cook the garlic and onion in the bacon grease for 1-2 minutes, or until very fragrant. Add the chopped mushroom stems and bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently until mushroom stems soften, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Crumble or chop the bacon and add to the slightly cooled filling. Add chopped parsley, egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper and stir gently to combine well.
  6. Fill each mushroom cap with 2-3 tsp of the filling, depending on size. Top each stuffed mushroom with a tiny sprinkle of Parmesan and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until filling is crisp on top and mushrooms soften and brown slightly.
  7. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes about 30 stuffed mushrooms.

Eggplant-Chard Won Ton Soup

  • Prep Time 0:30
  • Cook Time 0:25
  • Estimated Cost $8.00
  • 4 Comments

I made this partly because I had been thinking about (and lusting after) the delicious shitake mushroom dumpling dish I made at Namu a few months ago, and also because my vegetable bin was starting to overflow with nearly-old-enough-to-be-thrown-out produce. The easiest and least wasteful way to deal with this situation that I know of is to make broth. The aging bell pepper, the almost-shrively corn cob, the withering spinach, the soft tomato all went in with the broth seasonings and water, infusing it with rich flavor. After serving their purpose, it was straight into the compost bin.

These dumplings are completely vegan, yet satisfying even to carnivores, thanks to the meaty eggplant. This is a great way to take advantage of absorbent eggplant’s tendency to soak up whatever you put on it, so don’t be shy with the soy sauce, ginger or garlic.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole onion, skin intact, roughly chopped $0.50
  • 10 garlic cloves (4 with skin intact, smashed, 3 minced, 2 sliced thinly) Pantry
  • 8 tbsp soy sauce, divided Pantry
  • 2 tbsp honey or sugar, divided Pantry
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry
  • 1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil Pantry
  • 6 leaves chard, chopped, tough stem/veins removed, or 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped $1.50
  • 2 shallots, diced $0.50
  • 1 medium eggplant, finely diced $1.50
  • 1 1" piece ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tsp) $0.50
  • 24 small square won ton wrappers $1.50 for 14 oz.
  • 1 cup sugar snap peas, cut into 1" pieces $0.50
  • 2 carrots, julienned or shredded $0.50
  • 3 scallions, sliced $1 for a bunch

Recipe Serves 3-5

Directions

  1. To make the broth, combine onion (with skin intact), 4 smashed garlic cloves (with skin intact), 5 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp sugar or honey in a large pot. Feel free to add any random vegetables hanging around your fridge. Just chop them roughly and throw them in. Add 8 cups water, stir well and cover. Cook, covered over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, or until very fragrant. Strain, remove solids and return liquid to pot. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
  2. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chard or spinach, shallots, eggplant, ginger, remaining sugar or honey and 3 minced garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until eggplant is cooked through and chard has softened. Transfer to a cool plate or baking sheet and allow to cool, about 5 minutes (this can be done while the broth cooks).
  3. To make the dumplings, set won ton wrappers on a clean, dry surface. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to coat the edges of the won ton wrappers lightly with water.
  4. Use a spoon to place about 1 1/2 tbsp of filling in the center of each wrapper.
  5. Gently pinch the corners together to form a point and tightly seal the edges to lock in the filling. Make sure to press the air out of the middle of the dumplings as excess air will cause them to fall apart during cooking.
  6. Add the sliced garlic, sugar snap peas and carrots to the broth and bring to a light boil over high heat.
  7. Cook the dumplings in the boiling broth until they float and appear nearly translucent, 5-6 minutes.
  8. Serve hot in bowls, garnished with the sliced scallions.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Lemon

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $2.50
  • 10 Comments

I’m beginning to notice a trend in the dates I’ve been going on lately:

Shortly after drinks have arrived and an appetizer has been ordered, my companion gazes into my eyes and then confesses that his mother was a terrible cook. Maybe she overcooked food to the extent that it was unrecognizable. Maybe she boiled the color and flavor out of every vegetable to grace her kitchen counter. Perhaps her idea of seasoning was to smother everything with Lipton onion soup mix. Whatever the individual shortcomings of these hapless home cooks, there seems to be one culinary failure that they all share: the cooking of the Brussels sprout. The end result of this infraction being that my potential Mr. Right (or Right Now, as the case may be) passionately hates Brussels sprouts.

While I appreciate a man enlightened enough to trace his adult tendencies back to childhood, I won’t stand for the bashing of the innocent Brussels sprout. So often is the case that this lowly vegetable is boiled beyond oblivion and then smothered with butter (or worse, margarine), and placed before a young and impressionable palate. If you, too have been scarred by a badly-cooked Brussels sprout, clearly you are not alone, but I think it’s time to quit the complaining and start cooking these beautiful babies the way they are meant to be served.

Splitting and roasting the sprouts is the key to cutting their bitterness, while the classic combination of garlic, lemon, olive oil salt and pepper makes them so much more than a side dish. These are healthy, easy to make, quick to make and, like all of my BrokeAss creations, cheap.

Let’s break the Brussels sprouts-bashing cycle, folks.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Brussels sprouts, cleaned and sliced lengthwise $2
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon, (reserve a pinch of zest for garnish) $0.50
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine Brussels sprouts, garlic, olive oil, zest, juice, salt and pepper. Use hand to toss well.
  3. Spread mixture on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until sprouts shrink slightly and appear slightly charred on the outside. Taste for done-ness and cook slightly longer if a more-cooked sprout is desired.
  4. Garnish with reserved lemon zest.
  5. Serve hot or chilled (great as a picnic salad).

Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce

  • Prep Time 0:05
  • Cook Time 0:17
  • Estimated Cost $11.50
  • 4 Comments

There could not be a better supper or brunch to make for unexpected guests. If you already have tomato sauce on hand, it’s just a matter of cracking some eggs, crumbling some feta and chopping parsley. Feel free to switch the parsley out for cilantro, thyme, basil or even chives.

Serve this one with crusty fresh bread or English muffins for dipping.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce (or other tomato sauce) $5.50 for the whole recipe
  • 4 eggs $1.50 for 6
  • 3 oz crumbled feta cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.
  • 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Ladle 3/4 cup sauce into each of 4 oven-proof bowls or dishes.
  3. Gently crack an egg into the sauce in each dish.
  4. Top eggs and sauce with a sprinkle of the crumbled feta.
  5. Bake for 13-17 minutes (more time will yield a firmer egg yolk).
  6. Top with parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 0:30
  • Estimated Cost $5.50
  • 2 Comments

As I mentioned yesterday, I got a sweet deal at the Mission Community Market (at Tomatero Farm) on heirloom tomatoes. They were just $5 for 5 lbs of slightly soft organic heirlooms—perfect for cooking with.

Hint: this easy, versatile sauce looks very pretty in mason jars, making it a great, inexpensive gift.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 1 onion, diced $0.50
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 3 lbs fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped $3
  • 1 large handful fresh basil leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • 1 large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Add chopped tomatoes, basil and parsley. Stir and cover. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until tomatoes have broken down.
  3. Puree, leaving the sauce slightly chunky, using a food processor, blender and return to pot. Or, use an immersion blender and puree directly in the pot.
  4. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until sauce reduces to about 1/2 of it's original content.
  5. Remove from heat and toss with pasta, spread on pizza or serve with fresh bread for dipping.

Makes about 5 1/2 cups sauce