BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Summer Capellini with Red Pepper Sauce

  • Prep Time 0:25
  • Cook Time 0:20
  • Estimated Cost $7.00
  • 6 Comments

Some people like to put fake sugar, butter substitutes and other weird stuff in their food to keep it light. I prefer to simply use a little creativity.

Red bell peppers become incredibly creamy and decadent after being roasted and pureed with garlic, onions and just a smidgen of half-and-half. I added shredded carrots, fresh corn and tomatoes because that’s what I had in my vegetable bin, but feel free to use spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, eggplant—whatever you have on hand. I like to leave the veggies raw, letting the heat of the pasta and sauce gently “cook” them. If you prefer softer veggies, feel free to blanch them before adding them to the pasta.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb capellini (angel hair) pasta, preferably whole wheat or Dreamfields $2.50 for 1 lb
  • 1 red bell pepper $1
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 1/2 onion, diced $0.50
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
  • 1/8 cup half-and-half $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 2 carrots, shredded $0.50
  • 1 ripe tomato, diced $0.50
  • 1 large handful fresh basil leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. Cook capellini in boiling water according to directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. While capellini cooks, roast the red pepper, either over a flame on a gas burner or under a broiler in the oven. Hold pepper (using tongs, or a baking pan if using a broiler), directly over (or under) the flame, rotating periodically, until its skin is completely blackened. Rinse pepper under cool water and peel away the blackened skin, revealing a very soft, silky pepper. Remove stem and seeds. Chop pepper into small pieces.
  3. Heat olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook just until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add red pepper, half-and-half, and 3 tbsp water. Cook until liquid begins to bubble, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Puree pepper mixture, using a blender, food processor or immersion blender until smooth.
  5. Toss pasta with red pepper sauce, vegetables, and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Serve hot.

Category: Meals

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Squash Blossom Quesadillas with Fresh Corn Pico de Gallo

  • Prep Time 0:25
  • Cook Time 0:14
  • Estimated Cost $10.75
  • 20 Comments

Today, Kristina and I headed to the Mission Community Market (hands-down my new favorite farmers market), to see what might catch our eyes. We found lots of delicious things and trekked home with bags full of fresh tomatoes, corn, onions and a new-to-me ingredient— squash blossoms. The man selling these beautiful, bright orange flowers told me to make quesadillas with them, so I took his advice and added my own fresh corn salsa. These would also be tasty with black beans or sauteed mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1 cob fresh corn, shucked and cleaned $0.50
  • 1 large or 2 small tomatoes, diced $1
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced $0.25
  • 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • 1 clove garlic, minced Pantry
  • 1 onion, half sliced, half diced $0.50
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry
  • olive oil Pantry
  • 10 squash blossoms, stems removed $3 for 1/2 lb.
  • 4 medium-size flour tortillas $1.50 for 12
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese $3 for 12 oz.

Recipe Serves 2

Directions

  1. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut the corn kernels from the cob. Transfer to a bowl. Add diced tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, and diced onion. Season with salt and pepper, toss together and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until very fragrant--about 1 minute. Add squash and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, until squash shrink down significantly. Remove from heat.
  3. To assemble the quesadillas, sprinkle 1 tortilla with 1/2 the cheese. Top cheese with 1/2 the squash blossom mixture and a second tortilla. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook quesadillas, one and a time, until tortillas are golden-brown and crispy and cheese has melted.
  5. Cut into wedges and serve with the pico de gallo.

Category: Meals

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Banana Cake with Cinnamon Swirl

  • Prep Time 0:25
  • Cook Time 0:30
  • Estimated Cost $6.00
  • 8 Comments

Anyone who thinks that banana bread qualifies as actual bread is kidding themselves. Banana bread is, without a doubt, a form of cake. This noble recipe is groundbreakingly, unabashedly honest about what it is and so is baked in a cake pan, further accentuating its true identity.

Also, I don’t own a loaf pan, so there’s that too.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar Pantry
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for pan $1 for a stick
  • 1 egg $1.50 for 6
  • 1/8 cup milk $1.50 for a pint
  • 2 ripe bananas, smashed with the back of a fork $0.50
  • ground cinnamon $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 1 cup flour Pantry
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder Pantry
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda Pantry
  • 1/2 tsp salt Pantry
  • 2 tbsp honey Pantry

Recipe Serves 6-8

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter an 8" round or square cake pan. Set aside.
  2. Whisk together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Whisk in egg, milk, bananas, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Continue stirring until batter has been fully incorporated.
  3. Scoop out about 1/3 cup batter and transfer to a small bowl. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the remaining batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Whisk reserved 1/3 cup batter with honey and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. It should be dark brown in color.
  5. Use a spoon to drizzle the dark batter in a spiral over the regular batter. Drag the blade of a butter knife over the batter to create a swirly, marbled look.
  6. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Category: Meals

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Cilantro Chicken Drumsticks over Mango Quinoa

  • Prep Time 0:40
  • Cook Time 0:40
  • Estimated Cost $9.50
  • 23 Comments

I could hardly believe my eyes when I picked up a package of free range chicken drumsticks at Trader Joe’s earlier this week and saw that 1.5 lbs cost just $2. Obviously I had to buy a package (or 2!). The sweet quinoa proved the perfect match for this simple and flavorful preparation of the meaty drumsticks.

Note: This chicken would also be delicious grilled.

Ingredients

  • extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • juice and zest of 1 lime $0.50
  • 1 small bunch cilantro (stems and leaves) $1
  • 4 cloves garlic Pantry
  • 6 chicken drumsticks $2
  • pinch each salt and pepper Pantry
  • 1/2 white onion, diced $0.50
  • 1 cup quinoa $2 for 12 oz.
  • 1 tbsp honey or sugar Pantry
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar $1.50 for 10 oz.
  • 1 mango, diced $1
  • 1 small bunch mint, chopped very finely $1

Recipe Serves 3-4

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a food processor or blender, combine 1/8 cup olive oil, lime juice and zest, cilantro and garlic. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
  3. Place chicken drumsticks in a baking dish. Rub cilantro mixture all over drumsticks. Cover dish tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (up to 2 hours).
  4. Bake chicken, covered with foil, for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. Place drumsticks briefly under broiler (2-3 minute) to achieve a brown exterior.
  5. To make the quinoa, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook just until fragrant--about 1 minute. Add 1quinoa and 2 cups water and cover. Once water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.
  6. Remove from heat and transfer quinoa mixture to a bowl. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to bring quinoa's temperature down.
  7. While quinoa refrigerates, whisk together 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, honey, rice vinegar and mint.
  8. Once quinoa has cooled slightly, toss with diced mango and olive oil-vinegar mixture.
  9. Serve chicken over mango quinoa.

Category: Meals

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The Mission Community Market

You may recall that over dinner a few weeks ago, Reuben told me about the Mission Community Market, a brand-new farmers market in the heart of the Mission, run by his friend Jeremy Shaw.

Obviously, I wasted no time insisting that Reuben introduce me to the genius who decided to fill the gaping void in the food-and-community-minded Mission, and so this morning Jeremy and I had breakfast together at Cafe Que Tal, just blocks from 22nd and Bartlett Streets, where the Market happens every Thursday from 4-8 PM.

Jeremy is the kind of visionary anyone would be thrilled to have heading their organization: thoughtful and kind, with a serious urban planning background. He told me about the incredible variety of vendors at the Market, many of whom are affiliated with SF nonprofit La Cocina, as well as the Market’s commitment to making the Market a place not only for great food, but also for community and culture. So far they’ve had live music, Capoeira, four-square (the real chalk-drawn, bouncy-ball kind), and a collaborative youth mural…with a whole lot more on the horizon.

As a Mission resident of 4 1/2 years, I can’t tell you how happy I am to have this amazing resource nearby, not only because of the fabulous produce, etc, but because of the sense of community it fosters. The Mission is a mash-up of young families, life-long residents, hipsters, English and Spanish speakers—all different kinds of people, but the need for community (not to mention food) is as universal as it gets.

The Mission Community Market (a.k.a. The Mission Mercado) is every Thursday from 4-8 PM at the corner of 22nd and Bartlett Streets.

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