Category Archives: Pasta

July 10, 2012

A Summer Twist on an Italian Classic – Grilled Shrimp Alfredo

By 5iveDollarFeasts

While delicious, Fettuccine Alfredo, is often a heavy affair. Cream, butter, and pasta may be the perfect way to warm up during a cold fall or winter season, but in the heat of summer all these rich ingredients can weigh you down. Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to go all summer long without this quick, cheap and soul satisfying meal.

The trick is grilled shrimp. The smokey char on marinated shrimp will elevate this dish to a slightly lighter, fresher taste that you can enjoy mid – July.

While I’m not going to win any health awards, with this recipe, as long as you enjoy it in moderation, it can be a great way to treat yourself or the family without spending all day cooking or breaking the bank.

Grilled Shrimp Alfredo

1/2 pound shrimp (buy whatever size is on sale. My store recently had 20 to 30 count shrimp on sale $5.00 for a pound. The ‘count’ simply refers to how many shrimp make up a pound. The higher the number the smaller the shrimp.) 

1 bottle vinaigrette (for marinating. I prefer to use a cheap bottle of Italian dressing. While I’d never use it on a salad, those cheap dressings can make great marinades for less than buying the raw ingredients.)

Pasta of your choice (Obviously fettuccine is most common with Alfredo sauce, but I prefer a pappardalle or another wider pasta) cooked according to the package.

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 cup heavy cream

1 to 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (while the powdery Parmesan is great as a garnish, it won’t work right in this recipe. You really need shredded or freshly grated parm)

1 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Alright, it’s important to note that while this recipe is quick and inexpensive, it does take a certain level of concentration and coordination. Once prepped, the pasta, shrimp, and sauce all cook in about 5 to minutes. So make sure the shrimp is marinated, the grill is preheated, and the water is almost boiling before you start to cook anything.

  1. Clean the shrimp and remove any shells. Devein if necessary. Skewer the shrimp. (To properly skewer shrimp for grilling, it is best to alternate the direction of each shrimp, allowing nor space between each shrimp.) Marinate the shrimp by placing the skewers in a shallow pan and pouring the bottle of vinaigrette over the shrimp. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the grill. (Now would also be a good time to boil the water for your pasta.)
  3. Brush the grate with olive oil. (Use an oil soaked paper towel held by grill tongs to oil the hot grate.) Place the shrimp on the grill and cook uncovered about 2 to 5 minutes per side.
  4. Meanwhile, make the Alfredo sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. After it has melted add the pressed garlic. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Do NOT overcook. (You do not want browned butter or garlic in an Alfredo sauce.)
  5. Whisk in cream. Then begin to whisk in the cheese in large handfuls until the desired consistency is almost reached. (Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken slightly.) Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Stir the cooked pasta into the saucepan with the Alfredo sauce. Mix well to coat all the noodles with sauce. Serve the pasta, topped with the grilled shrimp and extra parmesan immediately. (Also great with a little parsley garnish.)

Leave a comment | posted in Fish, Grilling, Italian, Pasta, Recipes

February 23, 2012

Asparagus Pesto on Pappardalle Pasta – Recipe and a Webseries

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Jodie (my wife and the food photographer for this blog) and I needed to take some promotional shots for our upcoming webseries, Pairings, a few weeks ago.

The concept was to get across the message, “Cooks are sexier.”

To sell the idea, we shot me looking awkward (easy to do) and alone. Then, when I had a delicious looking plate of food, I would be surrounded by women.

So I needed to make a plate of food that would pop on camera and would look delicious at room temperature. (Also, we planned on feeding our volunteer help afterwards, so I wanted to make sure it tasted great too.) 

I immediately thought of Lemon Pepper Pappardalle. I’ve used it a few times in recipes for the blog and I’m always impressed with how it looks on camera. I wanted the Pappardalle to be featured. So I wanted a fairly simple sauce that complimented the look of the pasta. I liked the idea of pesto sauce, but wanted something that looked more gourmet and complex. That is when I remembered a pesto pasta salad I made for the Renal Support Network that got rave reviews. I used asparagus as a renal friendly vegetable to create the pesto.

If the concept of our webseries sounds like something you would like to watch, please pledge to our Kickstarter fundraising page. With all the fans we get reading this page, $5 per person will help us reach our goal. We only have 2 days left.

Also, please submit to the Pairings Recipe Contest to get your recipe featured on our show. We’ll post the recipe on our site, and promote your business, blog, or site to our fans. We anticipate views in the thousands per episode. (This is based off other webseries that other members of our team have created in the past.)

Asparagus Pesto

1 bunch of asparagus (10 to 20 asparagus)

¼ cup almonds or pine nuts (almonds are cheaper)

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3 to 6 cloves of garlic, halved or quartered

salt and pepper

Your favorite pasta, prepared according to the package

Red pepper flakes (optional)

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop asparagus into the pot and let cook for 30 seconds to minute just to blanche. Drain immediately.
  2. Cut the bottom three quarters from the asparagus and set the tops aside. Combine the bottom of the asparagus with the nuts, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and puree.
  3. Slice the tops of the asparagus diagonally very thinly. Toss the pasta, pesto and asparagus tips together. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for a kick if desired.

Leave a comment | posted in Italian, Pasta, Vegetables, Vegetarian

January 5, 2012

Ma’s Meat Sauce – Spaghetti and Meatballs (or Braciole)

By 5iveDollarFeasts

When you think of food and movies, your first thought is probably of Julie & Julia or Ratatouille. Or perhaps Eat, Drink, Man, Woman if you watch more foreign films.

Well, there is another genre of movie that uses features food very regularly: Mafia movies. No, really. I mean, why else did Coppola eventually open a winery?

Seriously, though, in The Godfather, Pacino is given a lesson in making meat sauce, not to mention that Brando is shot while shopping at a fruit stand. There is even a famous quote, “leave the gun, take the cannoli.” Goodfellas features food throughout the movie, including the special deliveries they were given in jail to make feasts that remind them of home. A movie in 2000, Dinner Rush, even recognized this regular food and restaurant theme to all mafia movies and took it to the next level by setting their entire movie in one “family” owned restaurant.

While I always have loved to cook, watching these gangsters not only cook but take pride in their cooking skills really made me realize how manly cooking can be. (Not that is has to be manly.) In fact, a real man should be able to cook. Nothing will impress a women more than a delicious home-cooked meal.

Meat sauce was actually one of the first things I learned how to cook. My mother would make a huge pot of it every other month and store whatever we didn’t eat in the freezer for the rest of the two months. We never ate store bought jarred sauce. It’s a tradition I continue to this day.

Making it such large quantities is important for 3 reasons:

1)   It is very work intensive the first time, but after that you’ll have easy delicious meals easily re-warmed in the microwave.

2)   It’s cost effective. The meal isn’t expensive in the first place, and you can easily feed your family at least 8 good dinners from it. All you need to do is boil some pasta. (Although it is also good to make lasagna with.)

3)   It tastes even better after it has sat in the freezer for a while and all the flavors have time to sit together.

The first day you make the meat sauce I recommend making Braciole, which is flank steak stuffed with bread and cheese and simmered all day in red sauce. It makes the sauce taste better and you get a delicious roll of meat you can slice for everyone at the table to go with their Spaghetti.

Later, when you defrost the sauce for a dinner, make some meatballs. Meatballs are best cooked in a ladle or two of read sauce.

Ma’s Meat Sauce with Braciole

Braciole

1 flank steak, any size

½ cup breadcrumbs

¼ cup parmesan, romano, or asiago cheese, grated

Italian herbs, fresh or dried (basil, rosemary, oregano and/or thyme)

olive oil)

Meat Sauce

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4 large celery stalks, chopped

3 very large onions, chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped

12 large mushrooms, chopped

2 pounds ground beef

4 29 ounce cans tomato sauce or tomato puree (I prefer 2 cans of each)

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

½ bottle red wine

salt and pepper to taste

celery salt

2 bay leaves

fresh or dried herbs to taste (the more tomato sauce used, the less needed. The more tomato puree used, the more needed): parsley, rosemary, basil, and oregano 

  1. Season both sides of the flank steak with salt and pepper. Lay the flank steak flat and spread one side with parmesan. Layer the breadcrumbs mixed with Italian herbs on top of cheese leaving a quarter inch at each side of the meat. Top breadcrumbs with another layer of parmesan cheese.
  2. Roll the flank steak lengthwise and secure with metal meat skewers.
  3. In a large dutch oven, brown rolled flank steak on each side in olive oil. Remove and set aside.
  4. Saute onion, celery, and bell pepper with salt until softened and slightly browned.
  5. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  6. Add ground beef and brown.
  7. Add wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half or absorbed by the beef and vegetables.
  8. Add tomato paste, herbs, and bay leaves. Cook for 30 seconds.
  9. Nestle browned Braciole back into the dutch oven.
  10. Add tomato sauce and tomato puree. Mix well, taste, and add dried herbs, celery salt, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook at least 2 hours, stirring and tasting occasionally. Continue to add dried herbs to taste.
  11. Remove the braciole and slice. Serve meat sauce on top of desired cooked pasta with a slice of braciole on the side. Top with parmesan.

Freeze remaining sauce.

Meatballs

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

2 stale loaves of bread

1 egg

1 Tablespoon milk

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 teaspoon basil (or other Italian seasonings)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 cups Ma’s Meat Sauce

  1. In the bottom of a large bowl combine the bread milk and egg. Using your hands combine the ingredients to form a paste. This is the binding glue for your meatballs and should not be to wet.
  2. Add the beef, pork, garlic, and basil to the bread mixture. Mix well. Using both hands form the meat “dough” into balls 1 ½” in diameter.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium high heat.
  4. Brown the meatballs on all sides, moving them carefully so they do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
  5. After the meatballs have browned, but not cooked through add one or two ladles of meat sauce (about 2 cups) and finish cooking the meatballs through. About 10 minutes.
  6. Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta. You can pass extra sauce if needed. Top with Parmesan.

2 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Beef, Italian, Pasta

November 10, 2011

Harvest Pasta for the Fall – Butternut Squash Ravioli in a Cider Broth

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Cuisine has seasons just as the weather does. Autumn is here and it is getting cold. There is that crispness in the air that smells of the Holidays. Our palates turn to thoughts of pumpkin pie, mulled cider, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Is your mouth watering yet?

Well, what if I could tell you that you could get all of that…out of a pasta dish? It’s actually quite simple, and as always cheap!

First, run out and buy some butternut squash raviolis (I bought some particularly pretty ones on sale from Ralph’s, but you don’t need the fancy stripes for good butternut squash ravioli. I just wanted them to make our photo super nice.) These are cheap at stores like Trader Joe’s or Fresh and Easy, but your local grocery store probably has some store-brand butternut squash pasta. While five years ago, butternut squash raviolis may have been only found in trendy restaurants, now they are easy to find in the fresh pasta section.

Butternut squash (don’t be turned off by the squash name, this is not your usual squash) is popular because it has the same flavor as pumpkin (which is also a squash,) but is much cheaper.

Secondly, while we tend to think of sauces to serve our ravioli in, a light but flavorful broth can be a delicious alternative. I don’t mean to make it a soup. You just need enough broth to flavor the ravioli and keep it tender, not so much that the raviolis float in the broth. Use half chicken or vegetable stock, and half pear or apple cider, flavored with shallots, thyme, and extra ginger. The extra ginger is the secret to add enough bite to make this dish feel savory instead of cloyingly sweet, which can happen if you use too much cider. My favorite choice is Pear Cider that can be found at Trader Joe’s, but any good cider will do. It can be found affordably in the juice aisle.

Cook the pasta, pour the broth over the top, and you have all the flavors of fall in a beautiful light (and vegetarian!) dish. Top it all with shaved parmesan, and be sure to serve bread to sop up the last of the delicious broth. Enjoy with a crisp Chardonnay (not too typically “Californian” with a lot of oak and butter flavors. Australian Chards have a lot more citrus flavors and will pair well with this meal.) If you prefer beer, pair this with a Hefewiezen.

Butternut Squash Ravioli in a Cider Broth

1 package of Butternut Squash Ravioli

3 to 4 shallots, diced

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup pear or apple cider (I like Trader Joe’s Pear Cider)

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon ginger powder (or 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon olive oil

  1. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Before it begins to smoke, add shallots and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add thym, ginger, salt and pepper halfway through.
  2. Add stock and cider, bring the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the broth has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Taste as you go, and adjust the flavors until you have a savory broth with hints of cinnamon, ginger, and pear or apple.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the ravioli according to the directions on the package.
  4. Ladle steaming broth over the cooked Ravioli. Shave parmesan over the top and serve immediately with croissants or other bread.

3 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian

November 3, 2011

Garlic Shrimp 3 Ways – Sizzling, Scampi, or over Cous Cous

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Mother Nature has provided us with a few perfect pairings. Pork and apples, lemon and fish, and rosemary and lamb are all examples of foods that grow apart on Earth but are combined in the kitchen.  These flavors aren’t combined on accident. They compliment each other like the perfect old married couple (and not the bickering kind. The sitting on a porch swing holding hands, watching the sunset kind.) Chefs like to get creative and find new ways to pair flavors, but ultimately these perfect pairings (as I call them) need no help. That’s why we cook them over and over again. Because the flavors may not taste great alone (who wants to eat raw rosemary?) but together, they are perfect.

Garlic and shrimp is one of these perfect pairings. Shrimp is such a great protein. It’s great for us, and it tastes amazing. While shrimp can be made many different ways, few of those don’t include garlic. And the sweet, pungent, but still mellow flavor of garlic can be everything you need for the perfect shrimp. One note: please buy North American shrimp only. Imported shrimp, as of now (2011) is not fished sustainably and can ruin our oceans.

No matter what style of cuisine you are preparing (Mediterranean, Italian, or Asian inspired) there is a technique to get you the perfect garlic flavor infused into your shrimp. The trick is to get all three of the garlic flavors into your shrimp: The raw & pungent, the roasted & sweet, and the smooth & mellow.

First, you marinate the shrimp in chopped raw garlic. Then, you roast crushed garlic in oil to a nice dark brown, and finally, you poach (lightly cook) thinly sliced garlic into it’s nice mellow tones. Then, when you finally pop that succulent cooked shrimp in your mouth and it bursts on your tongue, it will release the full spectrum of garlic flavors all at once, leaving your palate tingling and wondering what exactly happened to it. (The flavors will be so satisfying, it will leave your tongue hoping that the shrimp will call the next day.)

This technique can be used to make a wonderful Sizzling Garlic Shrimp appetizer, a full meal when served over cous cous, or a wonderfully rich shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta (or cappellini as the Italians say. There must be some relation to capillaries here.  One is the thinnest pasta, the other the thinnest veins, but I don’t know for sure. Anyhow, I digress, as usual…)

This may all seem like a lot to do, but it takes only a half-hour, and you will leave your guests scratching their heads, wondering why it never tastes this good when they cook with garlic at home.

Regardless of which variant you make below (I like to switch it up and make ‘em all. I’ll also keep trying new ways to make this technique work as well) serve it with a good rose wine. Believe it or not, some rose wines are good, you don’t always have to turn your nose up at them. Menage a Trois make a great rose with a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Gewurztraminer (No Zin to be found) and is very affordable.

Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

16 medium garlic cloves, peeled

1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails removed

8 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

1 bay leaf

2 tsp dry sherry or sake

1 tsp rice wine or white vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (otional)

1 tsp cayenne pepper or other chile powder (optional, but recommended.  Can also use 1 dried chile, roughly broken. Also not to be mistaken for chili powder, you don’t want your garlic shrimp to taste of Texas chili. We’re looking for powdered chiles here.)

  1. Marinate shrimp in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, along with the salt and 4 minced or pressed garlic cloves for 30 minutes. This will give the shrimp a raw pungent garlicky flavor.
  2. Meanwhile, smash 4 more garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife. Heat the smashed garlic in remaining 6 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat until darkly golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from flame and allow oil to cool. Remove the browned garlic with a slotted spoon. This browned garlic will add the sweet garlic flavor.
  3. Thinly slice the remaining 8 garlic cloves. Return the pan to low heat and add sliced garlic, bay leaf, and optional cayenne or dried chili. Cook, stirring occasionally 4 to 7 minutes, or until garlic is poached, which means tender but not yet browned. (If the garlic has not begun to sizzle slightly after 3 minutes, increase heat slightly to medium-low heat.) This adds the final mellow garlic notes to the dish.
  4. Increase heat to medium-low and add shrimp, with the marinade, to the pan in a single layer. Cook shrimp, undisturbed, until oil starts to gently bubble, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip shrimp and continue to cook through about 2 minutes longer.
  5. Mix vinegar and sherry or sake together.  Increase heat to high, and add sherry or sake mixture along with parsley.  Cook 15 to 20 seconds until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Serve to guests sizzling.

Mediterranean Variant

Simply serve the garlic shrimp and it’s oils over your favorite cous cous.

Garlicky Shrimp Scampi Variant

Add 2 teaspoons of dried oregano to the oil in step three with the bay leaf in place of the cayenne, chile or chile powder. Serve over cappellini (angel hair pasta)

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Appetizers, Fish, Italian, Mediterranean, Pasta, Recipes

July 21, 2011

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

By 5iveDollarFeasts

While I created this dish for the renal diet, I find myself making it for family and friends over and over again because it is delicious and very affordable at $4.99 per person.

 If you’ve been reading my blog, you have probably figured out by now, I started my recipe designing career with a company call Renal Support Network.  It’s a non-profit for patients with kidney disease. The diet that people on dialysis have to adhere to is the most counter-intuitive diet I have encountered. Many of the things we consider good for us have to be removed from their diet and, yet, they still need to eat healthily.

Most fruits and many vegetables are either too high in phosphorous or potassium, both of which are great for most of us, but bad for those who don’t have functioning kidneys and need to get their blood cleaned through a machine regularly. Whole grains are hard for people on dialysis to process as well. Since they have no kidney to process fluids and therefore produce urine (I deserve an award for appropriately finding a way to include urine in a food blog) they can have little to no liquids, which includes watery produce like cucumbers or melons. Lastly, their diet needs to be very low in sodium, but that at least is considered a health food norm.

It’s not that it’s an impossible diet, by any means, just an ignored one.  Celebrity chefs are constantly creating recipes for people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or even wheat and gluten allergies, but I see very few good renal (that’s the doctor-iffic way to say kidney) friendly recipes out there. I have seen no innovative ones at all.

So, I have tried to create as many great innovative recipes for this ignored group as I can. You have already seen my Imperial Indian Chicken and Chicken Picatta recipes which I made for the newsletter. Now I would like to share another.

My assignment for the last newsletter was pasta.  Which is great, because pasta is a staple of the busy American’s life, and there is no one busier than a working professional who spends around 10 hours every week on dialysis.  Pasta is cheap, quick, and easy…and normally topped with tomato sauce, usually from a jar.

…And that’s the challenge. Most sauces for pasta are very renal UNfriendly (I think that is an entirely new term. If it takes, off, I wrote it here first!) Tomatoes are high in potassium, and the other options aren’t any better. Alfredo sauces are high in phosphorous and packed with sodium, and jarred pesto is made with pine nuts, which are high in both phosphorous and potassium.

When I found out the kidney patient community couldn’t eat tomato sauce I decided that that was just unacceptable. What is life without pasta slathered in a red sauce? So, my goal became to rectify the situation and create a renal friendly substitute red sauce.

My solution: roasted red peppers. With a few simple steps, jarred red peppers that can be found at most grocery stores (and very affordably at Trader Joe’s) can be turned into a red sauce. You can make it in large batches and store it in your refrigerator or freezer.

And you know what? I discovered a whole new red sauce that I love to eat now. It is every bit as tasty as tomato sauce, so I want you to try it, kidney patient or not!

Simply serve the following sauce over your favorite pasta. My recommendation is a ravioli, particularly the Trader Joe’s Lobster ravioli, but any pasta will do. Below is a version anyone can enjoy, but a very slightly altered version of this recipe that is more renal friendly can be seen here.

 Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

2 garlic cloves, cut in half (to make them easier to blend)

1 jar (about 7 to 8 ounces) roasted red bell peppers, drained

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh basil, torn

2 Tbsp (or 1/8 cup) of almonds (pine nuts or walnuts can also be used, if affordable)

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend 30 seconds until it has reached your desired consistency. Taste, and adjust flavors to your preference.
  2. Serve the sauce over hot ravioli or your other favorite pasta.

This recipe can also be made with freshly roasted bell peppers. Instructions on how to make your own roasted red peppers can be found here. (I prefer the paper bag and grill method.)

Accounting: Lobster Ravioli $2.49 + Roasted Red Peppers $2.49 + basil $1.99 + almonds (1/2 package @ $1.99) $1.00 + parmesan $.99 + 1/2 bottle Charles Shaw Shiraz (@ $1.99) $1.00= $9.97

÷ 2 people

Comes to $4.99 per person!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Italian, Pasta, Sauces, Vegetarian

July 14, 2011

Chicken Pesto Risotto

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Feed an army for just $3.18 per person! (14 people for under $50)

We’re gonna stay in Italy this week, alright kids? And, in complete contrast to what I said last week, not all the food in Italy is “rustic.”  Risotto is one of the pinnacles of chef skill.  Hell, half the people that got eliminated from Top Chef were eliminated because of their risottos.

And, ironically, along with a three-course fondue, it is one of the first things I taught myself to make. I never did believe in starting easy, I guess.

So, if I could make this dish in college without a lick of culinary training under my belt, you can too.  The trick is not to be discouraged if it doesn’t come out right the first time. You can only perfect the harder recipes by making them. We learn more from our mistakes, right? That is particularly true of risotto. And this recipe is affordable enough to practice with. Besides, it really isn’t that difficult if you just pay close attention to the risotto as it cooks. One of the only reasons so many chefs fail with this dish on cooking competitions is that risotto is ready when risotto is ready. Undercooked risotto will taste like crunchy raw rice and overcooked risotto will be mush. If you have to wait for the magic of T.V, you’re in trouble. (And, well, they are being judged by Tom Colicchio.)

You may or may not have picked up that I am involved in the web series community as you read my blog.  I cater on set for many of web series, have them listed on the right of the blog, and I’ve even acted in them.

Well, last week I had a table read for the first draft of our own web series. (More on that later.) Since our web series is a food show (like a food movie: Ratatouille or Like Water for Chocolate, for example), I wanted to cook something nice for everyone coming to help us out without breaking the bank. So, how to feed 14 hungry actors and directors for under five dollars a head? Risotto! Specifically, Chicken Pesto Risotto. Rice is cheap (even arborio rice if you know where to look), chicken is cheap, and so is pesto if you substitute almonds for pine nuts. We also served wine, a fresh salad, and croissants.

I had to triple my recipe below to feed 14 people, but as you will most likely not be feeding an army every time, I have included more reasonable ingredient amounts.

Chicken Pesto Risotto

1 ½ cups arborio rice (You do NOT have to use Arborio rice. I prefer it just a bit to regular rice for a risotto, but it is by no means necessary. Just use the shortest grain rice you have.)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into ½” cubes

½ cup dry white wine

4 cups heated chicken broth (Give or take. Risotto takes However much or little broth as it takes to stay moist until it the rice is tender.)

1 onion

12 medium mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

¼ cup butter

¼ cup cream

¼ cup parmesan, grated

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil

Pesto sauce (below)

  1. Chop the onion and mushrooms. Mince the garlic. (For good instructions on chopping techniques, go here.)
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan or pot.  Add chicken and cook through about 4 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
  3. In the same pan. melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and sauté the onion over medium heat until golden.
  4. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Add rice and cook with onions, mushrooms and garlic until translucent. (This is always the term used when making a rice dish, “translucent.” What the hell does that mean? Well, it means, that as the rice absorbs the oil and juice of the onion, it will become less white and almost seem clear in color. Then the rice is “translucent.”)
  6. Add wine and cook until absorbed.
  7. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth (It is important that the broth is heated in the microwave, especially in the beginning, to keep the cooking process going. Risotto is too tricky to have cold or room temperature broth slow cooking) and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. When the broth has been absorbed, add another cup and continue adding cups as absorbed, for 18 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender. (The rice must be tender at this point, but it won’t be the finished product. The cheese, butter, and cream will add the finishing touches. Never claimed this was a health food blog did I?)
  8. Stir in the cream, cheese (please see the comma there cream AND cheese; cream cheese would be gross,) and remaining butter. Return diced chicken to the risotto and stir in the pesto sauce to taste.
  9. Salt to taste, and serve immediately topped with any extra parmesan and nuts as garnish.

Pesto Sauce

2 cups basil leaves, stems removed

¾ cups pine nuts (For a Five Dollar Feast, you will probably have to substitute almonds or walnuts, preferably toasted if you can buy them that way. Hint: Trader Joe’s has sliced toasted almonds very cheap.)

½ cup parmesan, grated

½ cup olive oil

2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

salt and pepper to taste

  1. combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
  2. Taste, and adjust ingredients to taste.
Accounting: basil $2.29 + parmesan $2.29 + almonds $1.99 + Arborio Rice $6.98 + cream $2.99 + mushrooms $1.99 + wine (3 bottles @ $1.99) $5.97 + onion $.33 + chicken $5.79 + chicken broth (@$1.99 each) $5.97 + 2 boxes of croissants $3.98 + salad (2 packages at $1.99) $3.98 = $44.55
÷ 14 people
Comes to $3.18 per person!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Chicken & Poultry, Italian, Pasta, Potatoes & Grains

July 7, 2011

Chicken Cacciatore

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Enjoy this Italian classic for just $4.04 per person!

I love Italian food. Hell, I just love Italy. When Jodie and I backpacked across Europe, we loved every country we went to, but I think Italy was our favorite. And it had my favorite cuisine as well. (Sorry Julia Child.)

While French dining was refined and the food so perfectly prepared from years of culinary tradition and expertise, Italy’s food was, well, more rustic.  But rustic is not a dirty word when in comes to food. In fact, I think it is just the opposite. I am drawn towards rustic food. However, do not call it simple. As a matter of fact, because of the inability to always afford finer meats and ingredients, I think rustic food is some of the most interesting and creative food in the world.  My heart definitely belongs to the chef pouring all their love and heart into a dinner to feed their family every night over chefs who study day and night to make sure they can cut the perfect chiffonade. (My apologies to all studied chefs out there. There is always a place for that too. While I preferred the cuisine in Italy overall, my best meal was in Paris. Also, this statement is rather hypocritical, since I do know how to make a chiffonade, but I hope you get my intent that I value the home-chef.  Without home-chef innovations, professional chefs would have nothing to cook.)

I learned to love food because of family. Setting the family table full of heaps of wonderfully delicious of food, regardless of income, felt like a source of pride in Italy. It’s just that some of us need to learn to be a bit more creative. And, trust me, it is not all pasta. Tuscan T-Bone’s are some of the best-cooked steaks in the world, the fish in southern Italy and Venice is die for, and they have certainly perfected how to make poultry.

One of Italy’s signature dishes that I like to make at home because of it’s wonderful flavor and price is Chicken Cacciatore.  Literally meaning hunter’s chicken, it is the traditional way Italian hunters would prepare a chicken by braising it in wine with tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. It is a great way to make a change from typical Italian red tomato sauces, as this chicken is prepared with white wine, leaving a rose colored sauce for your pasta.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 chicken, cut into pieces (or packs of split breasts and legs and thighs from your store, bone in, 4 to 6 pounds)

1 to 2 cups flour for dredging

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bell pepper (I prefer red, orange, or yellow as they are sweeter. Green bell peppers are often cheaper, however.)

2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregeno

½ cup dry white wine

1 (about 3.5 oz) can of sliced black olives

1 (8 oz) package of mushrooms (white button, crimini, or baby portabellas)

Your favorite pasta, prepared according to the package (My favorite is Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper Pappardale, but you may use any pasta. I also recommend a larger tube pasta such as rigatoni.)

  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven until shimmering, and then add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides then remove chicken pieces and set aside.
  2. Sautee the onion and bell pepper until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine the flavors.
  3. Return the chicken to the pan and add the white wine, diced tomatoes and their juices, and oregano. Also, drain the olives and add them to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover and continue simmering over medium low heat for a half an hour.
  4. Cut the mushrooms into quarters and add to the pot after the half-hour has passed. (Adding the mushrooms in late will ensure that they are not overcooked and rubbery when the meal is served.) Continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.
  5. Remove the chicken, serve over pasta in a deep plate, and top with broth and vegetables from the pot.
Accounting:
Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper Pappardelle $1.99 + Charles Shaw Chardonnay $1.99 + yellow onion (from Henry’s) $.19 + Tomato Paste (generic brand) $.49 + Can of black sliced olives + 1 package of split chicken breasts (on sale @ Ralph’s, 2 breasts) $2.98 + 1 package bone-in thighs (on sale @ Ralph’s, 6 thighs) $3.34 + 1 can of diced tomatoes $.99 + 1 can olives $.99 + mushrooms $1.99 + red bell pepper $1.19 = $16.14
÷ 4 people
Comes to $4.04 per person!
I bought a good amount of bone-in chicken during a large sale at my nearest grocery store and used it for this meal. Always keep an eye out for good chicken sales and stock up. Chicken is so versatile, don’t even think about passing up a good sale. Freeze what you don’t use immediately.
Kitchen Basics Used:
Olive Oil, garlic, flour, oregano

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Chicken & Poultry, Italian, Pasta, Recipes

June 30, 2011

5 Days of BBQ Pulled Pork (Make it this 4th of July and Feast for a Week)

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Pulled Pork dinners for a week starting on July 4th! Throw a July 4th party for 10 for just $4.98 per person and have dinner the rest of the week for an average of $2.30 per person.

My catering career started largely because of BBQ Pulled Pork. I made it for my first job because: a) the web series I was catering had a very small budget and I needed to make something affordable, and b) if you’ve ever been on set, you know lunch has to be flexible, so I needed to make foods that weren’t time sensitive and pork only gets more tender and delicious with more time. I made it for those reasons, but I keep making it because it keeps getting requested.

And, the best part is, anyone can make it.  It’s easy.  It takes a lot of time in the oven, but once it’s in you can pretty much forget about it. (Don’t actually forget about it, though. I am rather fond of my readers not testing the limits of their home and fire insurance.)

The beautiful thing is how versatile BBQ Pork is.  The leftovers can be used in so many ways. So, I have taken it upon myself to plan out your 4th of July week. You ready? Here we go:

July 4th: BBQ Pulled Pork

Serve this Pork on July 4th over rice and with the Honey Apple Yogurt Slaw that follows. Also make sure you serve your favorite pale ale or rose wine. You can also make an Independence Day Jell-O Flag for a festive dessert. That recipe can be found on Renal Support Network’s site here.

Start with this recipe to serve a large crowd at your 4th of July party. It will easily serve 10 to 15 with leftovers.

13 to 15 pound Costco Boneless Pork Shoulder Roast ($22 to $27)

½ cup olive oil

7 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce (You could use my Hawaiian BBQ sauce, if you wish, but I prefer a more basic sauce for this.  I like to buy Sweet Baby Rays Sauce and just “doctor” the sauce a little by adding brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and sambal olek or other chili paste to taste)

Spice Rub


2 Tbsp kosher or sea salt

2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp ground sage

½ tsp thyme

¼ tsp cayenne (Chili powder can be substituted)

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Cut the pork into equal large pieces about the size of 2 fists. Rub the pork with the spice rub and olive oil.
  3. Roast at 300 degrees for 5 to 6 hours, covered tightly with aluminum foil. Cook  to the point where the meat is beginning to fall apart.
  4. While the pork is cooking heat your BBQ Sauce in a saucepan (or Microwave if you don’t need to add any ingredients. Either prepare you favorite BBQ sauce recipe at this point, or doctor up a bottled sauce as I often do.)
  5.  When the pork is done, take two forks and pull the meat apart, discarding any fat. Set pulled pork into a separate bowl. Pour in just enough warm BBQ sauce to have the pork lightly sauced. (This allows your guests to add more BBQ sauce to their taste.)
  6. Serve with rice and coleslaw below. Pass extra BBQ sauce.

Honey Apple Yogurt Coleslaw

I’m afraid I can’t stand normal Mayonnaise-y slaw. So this my lighter fresher alternative. Also the apple flavors are always a good counterpoint to pork.

2 packages of shredded cabbage (About 10 ounces)

1 package of shredded carrots (About 10 ounces)

4 apples (optional)

Dressing

1 large tub of plain yogurt (about 32 ounces)

½ cup honey

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. lemon Juice

salt and pepper

  1. Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and adjusting the flavors to taste. (You will likely have to add more as I have under estimated the amounts to make sure you don’t start with too sweet or vinegary coleslaw.)
  2. If you’re adding apples, julienne the apples (you can leave the skin on) and store them in extra lemon juice.
  3. Toss cabbage, carrots and optional apples in half the dressing. (Only add half at first, so you don’t add too much and get over-dressed sloppy slaw) Continue to add dressing and toss until the coleslaw is dressed to your taste.

July 5th:BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

The day after July 4th take this delicious sandwich to work for lunch that will make your co-workers jealous.

Leftover BBQ Pork

Leftover BBQ Sauce

2 Poppy Seed or Sesame Seed Rolls

2 Slices of pepperjack cheese

Leftover Coleslaw (or shredded cabbage)

  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. Reheat pork in the microwave with a little extra BBQ sauce to keep the pork moist.
  3. Heap pulled pork onto bottom of a bun. Top with cheese and broil until the cheese is just beginning to melt. (This can also be done in the microwave to save time or be done in the office.)
  4. Top the pork with extra coleslaw (or plain shredded cabbage works fine too)
  5. Serve Sandwiches with chips and pickles and pass extra BBQ sauce.

July 6th:

BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadillas

On day 3, make this delicious treat for dinner. BBQ Pulled Pork may sound strange in a quesadilla, but trust me, it’s amazing.  I can’t take credit for the idea, though, it has been a restaurant trend in San Francisco and New York for several years now. If you haven’t had one, you need to try it. As a director said on a recent set I catered, “I will never eat Pulled Pork any other way again.”

Leftover BBQ Pork

Leftover BBQ Sauce

4 Tortillas

1 package shredded Mexican blend cheese (or your other favorite grated cheese)

  1. Heat skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Add 1 tortilla to the skillet. Top with a small amount of BBQ pulled pork. (No need to reheat the pork for this recipe.) Add extra BBQ sauce and top with cheese.  Cover with a second tortilla.
  3. Flip the quesadilla and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until tortilla is toasted. Repeat this process for the second quesadilla.
  4. Cut the quesadillas in quarters, serve with sour cream, salsa (you can make my roasted tomato salsa) and guacamole if you have it.

July 7th:

BBQ Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

As you may have noticed after having the above quesadilla, BBQ Pulled Pork pairs amazingly well with cheese. So with Mac and Cheese seeing a renaissance with Truffled Mac and Cheese on posh restaurant menus and the Mac and Cheese truck doling out mac and cheese on wheels, what better way to use your leftover pork?

2 servings of your favorite macaroni and cheese (Sorry, no recipe for mac and cheese from scratch here. I just used Trader Joe’s boxed mac and cheese and added a little shredded cheese leftover from the quesadillas. You can also use frozen mac and cheese, or your own favorite recipe.)

Leftover BBQ Pulled Pork

Leftover BBQ Sauce

  1. Prepare macaroni and cheese according to your favorite recipe or directions on package. If making frozen or boxed macaroni and cheese, I recommend adding a handful of grated cheese at the end of cooking.
  2. Reheat BBQ Pork in the microwave with extra BBQ sauce to keep pork from drying out.
  3. Stir Pork into mac and cheese and serve.

July 8th:

BBQ Pulled Pork and Pineapple Pizza

1 package of your favorite pizza dough (can be found at Trader Joe’s or Fresh and Easy) or pre-made crust (such as Boboli.) You may, of course make your own dough as well.

Leftover Pulled Pork

Leftover BBQ Sauce

mozzarella cheese, shredded or grated

1 can pineapple chunks in juice

Green onions, sliced (optional)

  1. Preheat oven according to directions on pizza dough or crust. If you have one, put a pizza stone in the oven during preheating.
  2. If using a dough, roll out the dough using flour or cornmeal to keep the pin dough from sticking to the rolling pen or counter surface. Even if the recipe does not call for it, bake the dough for 5 minutes before adding toppings. If using a pre-made crust, top immediately.
  3. Top the crust with BBQ sauce and then cheese. Next add drained pineapple and BBQ pork.
  4. Bake for the remaining time according to dough or crust directions. If possible, bake on a pizza stone, otherwise bake dough on a baking pan or cookie sheet.  Pre-made crust can be put directly on the oven rack
  5. Top pizza with the optional green onions, slice, and serve.

Accounting:

July 4th: Pork Shoulder from Costco $22.89 + Rice $3.49 + Cabbage $3.38 + Carrots $1.69 + Yogurt $2.79 + Apples (@  $1.79 per pound) $2.00 + 12 pack of Firestone Pale Ale $12.99 (on sale)= $49.23

÷ 10 people

Comes to $4.92 per person!

July 5th: Leftover Pork, BBQ Sauce and Coleslaw $0.00 + Poppy Seed Rolls $.98 + Pepperjack Cheese $.50 + 2 pickles $.50 + Chips $2.99 = $4.97

$2.49 per person.

July 6th: Leftover Pork, BBQ Sauce $0.00 + 1 package tortillas $1.99 + Mexican Cheese $2.29 = 4.28

$2.14 per person.

July 7th: Leftover Pork, BBQ Sauce $0.00 + Mac and Cheese $2.49 = $2.49

$1.25 per person.

July 8th: Leftover Pork, BBQ Sauce $0.00 + Mozzerella Cheese $2.49 + Pineapple Chunks $.99 + Green Onions $.99 + Pizza Dough $2.19 = $6.66

$3.33 per person.

6 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in American, Pasta, Pork, Recipes, Vegetables

June 22, 2011

Filled Pasta (Raviloli, Tortellini, Borsetti, etc.) in a Sage Brown Butter Sauce

By 5iveDollarFeasts

A rich classic french treat for $4.79 for 2 people. Makes a great romantic dinner. Oh, and did I mention, vegetarians can it too!

If you’ve been reading my blog (and if you haven’t been, please check out my other posts. They’re pretty good. I promise) then you may have come to one realization: I like meat. I’m sorry, but it’s delicious. I do draw a small line in the sand at tortured baby cow. Which is why you will never see a veal recipe on this blog (although, another equally valid reason is that I don’t think veal could ever be affordable enough for this blog.) I know, I know. There are other bad practices out there other than what’s done to veal;  some farms treat other livestock deplorably as well. (Although I have met a few farmers and ranchers, both in California and in Australia, none of who partook in any of those methods and they did just fine.)

My point is I respect my vegetarian cousins. They’ve taken a stand for what they believe, and while I may not be strong enough to follow suit, I can at least provide the occasional vegetarian five dollar feast recipe from time to time. So, vegeterians, this one is for you. (Now if you’re vegan…well, sorry. Can’t help you this time.)

Vegetarian cooking doesn’t always have to be about tofu and meat substitutes (though, protein can be hard to come by for vegetarian otherwise.) The fact of the matter is that we all eat vegetarian regularly without even thinking about it. Many of our pasta dishes, soups, and some sandwiches are vegetarian.  There is no meat in mac and cheese or grilled cheese, two of the latest culinary trends in America today. (See such events as the Grilled Cheese Invitational)

One of my favorite sauces for mushroom or certain cheese filled pasta (I would not use meat filled pasta or butternut squash or pumpkin ravioli with this sauce; the squash is just too sweet to serve with the already semi-sweet sauce) is a brown butter sauce. It is just a few ingredients and only takes a few minutes, although I won’t go so far as to call it easy.  Making a great tasting brown butter sauce is a bit tricky. It takes just a second or two for the butter to go from bland melted butter to delicious nutty brown sauce to burnt and disgusting sauce.  I don’t mean to intimidate you from making this, I just want to urge you to pay close attention to your butter while it melts. This sauce only takes a few minutes, but you cannot walk away from it during that time. Once you perfect it you can treat your friends and family to a very refined traditional French style dish.

I found Safeway brand Brie and Roasted Garlic Borsetti (a filled pasta that looks like little bags) on sale for $2.99. I grabbed some sage and butter for the sauce (yes, that is all you need) and rounded out the feast with cheap cauliflower and a bottle of Chardonnay.  I roasted the cauliflower in the oven rather than steam it to bring out it’s natural sweetness to pair with the butter sauce.

Sage Brown Butter Sauce

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 small bunch of sage

1 package of your favorite filled pasta

  1. Cook your filled pasta according to the directions on the package. (In case your package has no instructions, boil water, add filled pasta, and cook until they rise to the top of the water and are nice and tender)
  2. Coarsely chop the sage. (You want large chunks or even smaller whole leaves as the sage will crisp up nicely for a great texture.)
  3. In a sauce pan or deep pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Swirl the butter in the pan constantly. After the butter has just melted add the sage. Continue to a swirl the butter.
  4. Now here is the trick: keep your nose open. The milk solids in the butter will begin to brown after a minute or two and release a nutty aroma.  Once you start to smell this and the butter is a light golden brown, remove the butter and pour it over the cooked pasta

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

4 cloves of garlic, chopped coarsely

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup parmesan cheese

cayenne pepper

salt to taste

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Toss the cauliflower, garlic, olive oil, cayenne pepper and salt together in a baking dish.
  3. Bake for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.  Top with parmesan cheese and continue roast for 5 more minutes.
Accounting: Safeway brand roasted garlic and brie borsetti on sale for $2.99 + 1 stick of butter + 1 stick of butter $.50 + sage $1.99 + cauliflower $2.11 (@$.99 per pound on sale) + Charles Shaw Chardonnay $1.99 = 9.58
÷ 2 people
Comes to 4.79 per person!
Kitchen Basics Used: olive oil, garlic, cayenne pepper

3 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian

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