BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Pea Soup with Scallions, Parmesan and Basil

  • Prep Time 0:05
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $10.00
  • 3 Comments

This velvety, fresh soup is my passive-aggressive way of clinging steadfastly to summer (yes, I realize it’s October). Fresh basil and peas are a perfect combination, simultaneously perking one another up, while nutty Parmesan gives a depth of flavor that makes you remember this soup.

This soup also inspired me to add a new category that has been requested by several of my readers: low-carb. While I’m the last person you’ll find advocating a strictly low-carb diet, I do know that limiting starchy, refined carbohydrates has its benefits. This recipe has about 8 net carbs per serving.

Ingredients

  • 1 10 oz. bag frozen green peas $1.50
  • 1 15 oz. can vegetable stock $1
  • 6 scallions, chopped, ends removed, plus more for garnish $1
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter $1.50 for a stick
  • 1 small bunch basil, chopped $1
  • 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish $4 for 12 oz.
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 2-4

Directions

  1. Combine green peas, stock, scallions, butter, basil and Parmesan in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Stir until the butter melts. Bring to a light boil and then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes or until peas are soft.
  2. Remove from heat and puree using a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. If serving chilled, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until cold. If serving hot, serve immediately, garnishing individual bowls with Parmesan and scallions.

Category: Meals

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Free JCCSF Cooking Demo and Sukkot Celebration

Hey SF BrokeAsses, if you’re around this Wednesday night October 7 from 6-8 PM, head to the San Francisco Jewish Community Center for their awesome Sukkot celebration. The event is free and will feature a HeBrew beer tasting, wine tasting, pomegranate cocktail-making, olive oil tasting, a bake sale benefiting the Great American Bake Sale and storytelling for kids. Also, yours truly will be there doing a live fig cooking demo and tasting.

The JCCSF is at 3200 California Street in San Francisco and can be reached at 415.292.1200.

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Shrimp Louie with Spicy Dressing

On a nice day, there are few things better than people-watching on the deck of Sam’s Anchor Cafe in Tiburon, CA with a cold beer and their signature Shrimp Louie salad. Still, fun though it may be, an afternoon at Sam’s can leave you with a sunburn and an empty wallet. I say kick it with your friends in the shade with my affordable version of the classic West Coast shrimp salad. Baby shrimp are surprisingly affordable and go perfectly with this spicy take on an otherwise traditional dressing.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups baby Romaine lettuce $2
  • 1/2 lb cooked baby shrimp $4.50
  • 2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and halved $1.50 for 6
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced finely $0.50
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced $1.50
  • 2 plum tomatoes, cut into small wedges $1
  • 2 lemons $0.50
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise Pantry
  • 4 tbsp cocktail sauce $2 for 10 oz.
  • 1 tsp sugar or honey Pantry
  • 1 green jalapeno, seeded and chopped $0.50
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 2

Directions

  1. Juice one of the lemons and whisk the juice together with the mayonnaise, cocktail sauce, sugar or honey and jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into small serving cups (shot glasses work in a pinch) and set aside.
  2. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges and set aside.
  3. To assemble the salads, Divide the baby Romaine between 2 plates. Heap equal amounts of the baby shrimp in the center of the lettuce. Arrange the tomatoes, avocado and egg halves around the shrimp and sprinkle the chopped red onion on top. Garnish with plenty of freshly-cracked pepper and lemon wedges. Serve the dressing on the side (as pictured).

Category: Meals

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Tuna Tartare Tower

This easy, healthy appetizer will shock you with how quickly it comes together. Make sure to use the freshest tuna available (I happened upon a great sale at my grocery store, but you may have to pay a few dollars more for the good stuff), and a ripe-but-not-too-soft avocado for the right consistency.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb sashimi grade yellow-fin tuna, chopped into small pieces $6
  • 1/2 small red onion, chopped finely $0.50
  • 1 avocado, diced $1.50
  • 1 tbsp olive oil Pantry
  • juice and zest of 1/2 lemon $0.50
  • 1 very small bunch fresh mint, minced $1
  • 1 very small piece ginger, minced $1
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry
  • 1 cucumber, sliced into 1/4"-thick slices, on the bias $1

Recipe Serves 2

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients except cucumber in a mixing bowl until well-incorporated.
  2. Spoon mixture into a short drinking glass or cylinder mold. Press down gently to pack. Place, open end down, in the center of a plate and gently slide up to remove glass or mold, leaving a tower. Arrange cucumber slices around the tower and use to scoop up the tartare.

Category: Meals

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Pear Spice Cake with Molasses-Cream Cheese Icing

  • Prep Time 0:30
  • Cook Time 0:35
  • Estimated Cost $16.00
  • 6 Comments

This cake is sophisticated enough to end a dinner party (maybe with a scoop of maple ice cream on the side), but simple enough to throw together for an afternoon snack (OK, an afternoon snack for a small crowd). The molasses cream cheese frosting is a nice deviation from the typical vanilla and complements the pears and spices perfectly.

Note: soy or almond milk would work well in this recipe in place of the regular milk.

Ingredients

  • 6 Comice or Bosc pears, peeled and chopped $3
  • 1/2 cup sugar Pantry
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar Pantry
  • 1 1/2 cups flour Pantry
  • 1 tsp baking soda Pantry
  • 1/2 tsp salt Pantry
  • 1 tsp cinnamon $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 1 egg $1.50 for 6
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil Pantry
  • 3/4 cup milk $1.50 for a pint
  • 1 tbsp molasses $3 for 10 oz.
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar $1.50 for 16 oz.
  • 1 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature $1
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature $1.50 for 8 oz.

Recipe Serves 8

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Unwrap the butter and set aside. Use the butter wrapper to grease an 8" pie or cake pan. Discard wrapper.
  3. Combine pears, regular sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir well and set aside.
  4. In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.
  5. Whisk in egg, oil and milk until batter is smooth. Stir in pears and sugars until fully incorporated.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pie or cake pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely.
  7. While cake bakes, make the icing. Combine the butter and cream cheese in a food processor or with an electric hand mixer. Slowly add powdered sugar until fluffy. Drizzle in the molasses and continue mixing until the icing is a very pale brown color. Use a spatula to scrape prepared icing into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
  8. Ice the top (and sides if you wish) of the cake and serve in wedges. Perfect with coffee or tea.

Category: Meals

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