Tag Archives: Italian

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

September 15, 2011

Chicken Marsala

By 5iveDollarFeasts

This will be my 23rd blog. Half of the recipes have been American. I’ve done a couple Hawaiian (Yeah, yeah, technically that’s also American, I know…), a German, and a British recipe. But this will be my 6th Italian recipe. (And no French recipes. I’ll have to fix that.)

Can you tell what my favorite ethnic food is to cook at home? It’s partly because I love Italian food, but I think it’s also because Italian food easily lends itself to cheap and quick without losing any flavor. (Which is exactly why you should never eat at Olive Garden ever again. I promise I can teach you to make everything on their menu at home, for a fraction of the cost and three times the flavor. Including their toasted raviolis.)

With all these Italian blogs, I have neglected to share with you my original favorite Italian dish. It is truly comfort food to me. My friend Tom always has to try the Lasagna whenever we find a new Italian restaurant. I will always order whatever sounds the most original on my first visit, but I have to eventually try their Marsala if I return.  (Unless, of course, they only make veal marsala. I’m no vegetarian, but I do draw the line at tortured baby cow.)

Chicken Marsala is stepbrother to Chicken Piccata, which I have posted about here before. The recipes are very similar. Flattened chicken breasts, browned, with a sauce made from the pan drippings. Where piccata uses white wine and lemon juice, marsala replaces those with marsala wine and mushrooms.

So, if you feel like tender chicken over pasta and you don’t have lemons or want a change from Chicken Picatta or Parmagiana, try my personal favorite.

Chicken breasts are affordable at Safeway (which includes Vons and Pavillion’s) from their Eating Right brand. Albertson’s also has affordable fresh chicken breasts with their generic brand. If you know of any other good deals on chicken in your area, please post them in your comments below.

Marsala wine comes in both sweet and dry flavors.  Sweet works best for the recipe, but don’t sweat it if you only have dry. Trader Joe’s sells a very affordable bottle of Marsala.

Chicken Marsala

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat to a ½” thickness (this step can be skipped for ease by buying “thinly sliced” chicken breasts or chicken breast “cutlets” commonly sold in stores)

salt & pepper

flour for dredging

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons butter, chilled

¾  cup sweet marsala wine

½ cup chicken broth

6 to 8 mushroom, sliced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

  1. Season the pounded chicken breasts (or cutlets) with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat the breasts well with flour.
  2. Heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter in a large pan on medium heat until the butter has melted.  Add the floured chicken breasts and cook, uncovered 3 to 6 minutes per side, until the breasts are golden brown.  When done, remove the chicken breasts from the pan and transfer to a plate.
  3. Add 1 more Tablespoon of butter to the pan. When melted, add garlic, oregeno, and mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes until the edges are browned. (The mushrooms will continue to cook.)
  4. Add Marsala wine and chicken broth to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce by half.
  5. Return the chicken breasts to the pan and spoon sauce over the breasts. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add last Tablespoon of butter (it is important that this butter is chilled to help thicken the sauce) and swirl in pan until melted. If the sauce is still not as thick as you desire, you can repeat the process with another Tablespoon of butter.
  6. Serve chicken immediately over your favorite pasta spooning the sauce over. (Chicken Marsala can also be served with roasted potatoes.)

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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!

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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 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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