BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Chicken Fingers

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 0:10
  • Estimated Cost $7.50
  • 20 Comments

When we were kids, my little brother easily went through 2 pounds of these a week. Self-righteous vegetarian that I was at the time, I turned my nose up at them. Now that I am an omnivorous (and still self-righteous) adult, I see the error of my ways.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten $1.50 for 6
  • 1 cup flour Pantry
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips $4.50
  • 1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs $1.50 for 12 oz.
  • olive oil for frying Pantry

Directions

  1. Beat egg with 1/8 cup water until foamy. Set aside.
  2. Mix generous pinches of salt and pepper into the flour. Set aside.
  3. Dredge the chicken strips, one at a time, in the flour mixture, ensuring they are completely covered. Dip each strip in the egg mixture and then immediately into the bread crumbs, shaking off the excess. Transfer to a clean plate.
  4. To cook, heat about 1" of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook strips, working in batches if necessary, until golden brown on one side. Flip and cook on the other side.
  5. As soon as you remove the strips from the pan, sprinkle them with salt.
  6. Serve with marinara sauce or creamy dressing.

Category: Meals

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Lavender French Toast with Raspberry-Ginger Sauce

  • Prep Time 0:25
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $15.00
  • 27 Comments

I’ve never been particularly gifted with subtlety, but lately I’ve been considering the potential benefits of a less-obvious existence. Being a food blogger and all, I figured it might be beneficial to start with practicing subtlety in the kitchen. Rather than the punchy, bold flavors to which I am so prone, this morning I experimented with the sweet, subtle notes of honey and lavender in this sophisticated, classy rendition of french toast.

Of course, I had to go and whip up a loud, perky raspberry-ginger sauce to pour all over it, so perhaps my go at understatedness was for naught.

As I mentioned, subtlety is not my thing.

Ingredients

  • 1 pint milk (any % will work) $1.50
  • 2 tbsp "culinary lavender buds":http://www.theolivepress.com/shop/pantry/culinary-lavender/culinary-lavender-the-herb.html $6 for a small jar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten $1.50 for 6
  • 4 tbsp honey, divided Pantry
  • 6 thick slices good sourdough bread $1.50 for a loaf
  • 1/2 cup fresh raspberries $3 for 1/2 pint
  • 1 small piece ginger, peeled and minced $0.50
  • 2 tbsp butter, for frying $1 for a stick

Recipe Serves 2-3

Directions

  1. Heat milk in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat until steamy (but not boiling). Turn off heat, add lavender buds and cover. Allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain liquid. Discard lavender buds and return liquid to pot.
  2. Pour about 1/4 cup warm lavender liquid into eggs and whisk together to temper eggs. Slowly whisk egg-milk mixture into remaining warm lavender milk. Add 2 tbsp honey. Turn heat back on, to medium and cook, gently whisking, until a smooth and fragrant custard begins to form. Shut off heat once custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  3. Pour custard into a pie dish or shallow bowl. Dip slices of bread into the custard, soaking both sides completely. Let soak for 5 minutes.
  4. While bread soaks, combine raspberries, ginger and remaining honey in a small pot over medium heat. Cook until raspberries break down (stirring frequently) about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  5. Heat butter over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Cook soaked bread slices, working in batches if necessary, until golden-brown with lightly crisp edges.
  6. Serve warm, topped with raspberry-ginger sauce.

Category: Meals

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Deconstructed Panzanella With Burrata

Burrata is my current culinary obsession. A mozzarella exterior filled with decadent cream, it’s hard to justify buying regular old mozzarella while it’s much more attractive sister beckons to me.

This simple salad showcases this indulgent (and affordable!) cheese. I’ll put out forks when I serve it, but strongly encourage dining companions to dive in with their fingers, scooping cheese, tomatoes and basil onto the crusty cubes of of bread.

Note: this salad is only as good as its ingredients. Be sure to use fresh burrata, ripe tomatoes and basil and quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients

  • 2 4-oz rounds of fresh burrata mozzarella cheese, cut into quarters $4
  • 3 cups halved cherry tomatoes $3
  • 1 large handful fresh basil leaves, gently torn $1 for a bunch
  • 6 thick slices good sourdough or ciabatta bread, cut into 2" cubes $1.50 for a loaf
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Pantry
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 2-4

Directions

  1. Arrange the burrata in the center of a platter or individual salad plates. Surround with a layer of halved cherry tomatoes. Surround tomatoes with fresh basil. Surround basil with cubes of bread.
  2. Drizzle ingredients with olive oil and balsamic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Category: Meals

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Crispy Peach-Ricotta Spring Rolls with Balsamic Reduction

  • Prep Time 0:30
  • Cook Time 0:10
  • Estimated Cost $7.00
  • 27 Comments

These sweet spring rolls would be even more perfect with a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream but they definitely don’t need it.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar Pantry
  • 4 peaches, cored and diced $2
  • 3 tbsp ricotta cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar Pantry
  • pinch each salt and pepper Pantry
  • 8 large spring roll wrappers $1.50 for 30
  • vegetable oil for frying Pantry

Recipe Serves 3-4

Directions

  1. Heat balsamic vinegar in a small pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vinegar has reduced into a thick, syrupy substance. Remove from heat.
  2. Combine diced peaches, ricotta, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.
  3. To assemble the spring rolls, place 1/8 of the mixture into a the center of a spring roll wrapper. Tuck in ends, as if making a burrito and roll up tightly to form a spring roll. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
  4. Pour about 2" of vegetable oil into a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Use tongs to carefully place spring rolls into the hot oil, seam-side down, and cook until golden-brown, rotating as necessary, using tongs.
  5. Drain cooked spring rolls on paper towels.
  6. To serve, cut spring rolls on the bias and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Category: Meals

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Pesto Pizza with Buffalo Mozzarella and Arugula

  • Prep Time 1:00
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $15.00
  • 23 Comments

Whenever I have something weighing on my mind, I find it very helpful to do one of two things: knead (and beat and punch and smack and roll) dough and talk it out with a good friend. On Monday night I got to do both at the same time. I felt better and I got a delicious pizza out of the process. Win.

Ingredients

  • flour for dusting and rolling Pantry
  • 1/2 recipe Pizza Dough $1.50 for the whole recipe
  • 1/2 recipe Fresh Pesto $8.50 for the whole recipe
  • 8 oz. fresh (buffalo) mozzarella, cut into medallions $3.50
  • 4 cups fresh arugula $1.50
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Pantry
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 3-4

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet or pizza pan.
  2. Roll pizza dough on a floured surface into a 12" circle (or oblong shape or rectangle--whatever you like). Transfer to floured baking sheet/pizza pan.
  3. Spread pesto over dough, leaving a 1" border. Top pesto with mozzarella medallions, evenly spaced apart.
  4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until crust is golden-brown and cheese bubbles.
  5. While pizza bakes, dress the arugula with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Cut the cooked pizza into wedges, but leave in the shape of a pizza. Top with the dressed arugula. Serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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