BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Black-Eyed Pea Stew

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:32
  • Estimated Cost $16.00
  • 6 Comments

Can a soup be sexy? We think so. This soup combines delicious southern flavors (hot sauce, black-eyed peas) with nutty parmesan cheese and spinach. It’s literally a one-pot meal with vegetables, dairy and meat, which means fewer dishes to wash and more time to reap the rewards of your hard work. This recipe was adapted from the back of a bag of Safeway Black-Eyed Peas, and it was originally written by Bay Area cookbook author Marlene Sorosky Gray, who contributed to the cool (and cheap) Cooking Jewish cookbook. You can also reduce the price of the recipe a touch by using chicken Bouillon cubes (available at TJs in liquid form as well).

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil Pantry
  • 1 chicken sausage, chopped $3
  • 1 white onion, chopped $1
  • 1 pkg frozen black eye peas $3
  • 3 cans chicken broth $3
  • 1 pkg (20 oz) frozen chopped/leaf spinach, thawed and drained $2
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated $4
  • hot sauce to taste Pantry
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 6-8

Directions

  1. In medium soup pot, heat oil over moderate heat. Saute sausage, onions stirring often until they begin to brown, about 10 mins
  2. Stir in blackeye peas and chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 30 mins or until peas are tender
  3. Stir in spinach and cook for 2 mins
  4. Add cheese, hot sauce, salt, pepper and taste

Category: Meals

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What's Coming, Down The Road...

So, we’ve been live now for about 80 hours. I’m sitting here, listening to Jackson Browne’s Running On Empty, just thinking about what a crazy week it’s been. Seriously, this launch has been amazing, and Mike Gibson and Gabi Moskowitz are truly troopers for getting things up and running so quickly.

Here’s what’s coming up in BrokeAss Gourmet, in the next three or four weeks.

1. Chef Challenge: This is where we call a supposedly bad-assed chef and give them 60 minutes, $20 and a 2-block radius from their restaurant. They are tasked with a challenge of re-inventing one of their best dishes on a BrokeAss budget.

2. Damn, That’s Kosher: Our monthly kosher column begins next week, and the recipes are awesome, easy and affordable. Why? Because they’re written by the one and only Robin Metz (a culinary program grad). One warning: don’t leave any nasty comments, though, because my mom will kick your ass. Just ask Jonathan Boxerman about the time she chewed me out in 1989 for not paying her back five cents.

3. Vegan Thursday: Every other Thursday, we’ll have a vegan post. Many of these are “hacked” restaurant recipes that we’ve made to be vegan, and some are also our own creations

4. Chefs We Hate: This is a periodic column about chefs that write totally useless, totally bullshit cookbooks. Their culinary ideas may be inspired, but their ingredients are usually unaffordable and their prep times are unmanageable. These are most certainly not individuals who will help you “close the deal.”

Thanks for reading for the last few days, and we’re looking forward to tons more of the feeback and love that you’ve given us.

Category: Meals

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Red Wine Beef Stew

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 1:20
  • Estimated Cost $14.50
  • 7 Comments

On a shivery winter day there are few things we prefer to a bowl of something warm to help keep the cold out. This gorgeous, rich stew, adapted from a recipe by Dave Lieberman , tastes expensive thanks to the red wine and the slow-cooking process turns a ho-hum cheapo cut of beef into a velvety, succulent dinner that leaves you satisfied and ready for other fun winter activities—like playing under the covers.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes $6
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Pantry
  • 2 tablespoons butter $1.50 (for the whole stick)
  • 2 medium carrots, halved and cut into 1-inch chunks (no need to peel) $1
  • 1 small onion, diced $1
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour Pantry
  • 2 cups inexpensive red wine (like 2-Buck-Chuck) $2
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary $0.50
  • 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes $1.50
  • 1 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks $1
  • 1 handful green beans, ends trimmed $2

Recipe Serves 2-4

Directions

  1. Season the beef cubes lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. As soon as the butter starts to turn brown, add half the beef and raise the heat to high. At first, the beef will give off some liquid, but once that evaporates, the beef will start to brown. Cook, turning the beef cubes on all sides until the pieces are as evenly browned as possible, about 5 or 6 minutes after the water has boiled off. If the pan starts to get too brown at any point, just turn down the heat. Scoop the beef into a bowl and brown the rest of the beef the same way using the remaining 1 tbsp of butter.
  2. Scoop out the second batch of beef, then add the carrots and onions and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until it has been worked into the veggies and you can’t see it any more. Pour in the wine, crushed tomatoes, 6 cups of water, and toss in the rosemary. Slide the beef back into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.
  3. Turn down the heat so the liquid is just breaking a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 30 minutes. Stir the stew several times while simmering so it cooks evenly and nothing sticks to the bottom. 
  4. Stir the potatoes into the stew, cover the pot completely, and cook until the potatoes and beef are tender, stirring occasionally, about another 45 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for another 5 minutes until they turn bright green and are cooked but still crisp. 

Category: Meals

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The $50 Pantry

Being a true BrokeAss Gourmand is kind of like being a Boy Scout in that you have to be prepared so you can go out into the wilderness and have a good time (insert dirty joke here). Having a well-stocked pantry means that you are better able to follow recipes and create new ones because you’ll have most of the required non-perishables and dry goods already on-hand. The following is a list of staple ingredients frequently called-for in recipes.

All of these items can be found inexpensively at Trader Joe’s or your local discount supermarket. Having a well-stocked pantry makes shopping less expensive, since these ingredients last a long time and are used in a lot of different recipes. As a bonus, there are plenty of dishes that can be constructed almost entirely from pantry ingredients, which means you’re eating well while saving money—like a true BrokeAss Gourmet boss. When I refer to a “pantry” item in a recipe, it means you should already have it on hand. The below prices are approximate, rounded up and based on Trader Joe’s prices in San Francisco, CA.

Ingredients

  • unbleached all-purpose flour (I prefer "King Arthur":http://www.kingarthurflour.com/ ) $4 for a 5 lb bag
  • extra virgin olive oil $6 for 12 oz 
  • vegetable/canola oil $4 for 16 oz
  • kosher salt $3 for 24 oz
  • pepper (ideally in a grinder) $3
  • baking soda $3 for a 6 oz can
  • baking powder $3 for a 6 oz can
  • white granulated sugar $3 for a 16 oz box/bag
  • brown sugar $3 for a 16 oz box/bag
  • honey $4 for 8 oz
  • balsamic vinegar $4 for 12 oz
  • peanut butter $4 for 12 oz
  • mayonnaise (store it in the fridge after opening!) $3 for 16 oz
  • garlic $0.50 for a head

Category: Meals

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Sea Bass with Garlic Breadcrumb Topping and Sauteed Spinach

  • Prep Time 30 minutes
  • Cook Time 15 minutes
  • Estimated Cost $12.50
  • 8 Comments

Sea Bass is a lot like you—sophisticated, tasty, and cheap. The garlicky breadcrumb topping provides a crunchy and satisfying texture to complement the firm fish and the spinach is the perfect, light side dish. The presentation of this dish is clutch, so get out the pretty plates. Recipe adapted from one by one of our favorite chefs, Dave Lieberman

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp bread crumbs $3
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter $.150 for whole stick
  • 2 (6-ounce) sea bass fillets $6
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper Pantry
  • 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced $1
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed Pantry
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped $1

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Coat a casserole dish just large enough to hold the fillets with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place the fillets in the dish and season with salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice
  3. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet with the smashed garlic. As soon as the butter starts to bubble, turn off the heat and let the garlic infuse the warm butter.
  4. Remove the garlic chunks from the butter. Add the bread crumbs and lightly toss until all the butter has been absorbed. Stir in the parsley and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  5. Spread a layer of bread crumb mixture over the top of each fillet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until bread crumbs are golden brown and fish is cooked through. Serve each fillet atop a mound of the spinach below. 


Spinach with Garlic and Lemon

  • 1 10 oz bag pre-rinsed baby spinach $3
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon $1
  • 2 tbsp olive oil Pantry
  • Salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total cost of ingredients $4

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat
  2. Cook the garlic and lemon zest until garlic is translucent, watching carefully to avoid burning.
  3. Slowly add the spinach, moving it around as it cooks. It will cook down and create room in the pan for all of it, eventually.
  4. Once all the spinach has been added and cooked, Drizzle with the lemon juice and garnish with plenty salt and pepper.

Category: Meals

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