Do-It-Yourself Currywurst
Are you wishing you could travel to Europe this year, but you’re stuck with a stay-cation? Make the most of it: cook up some currywurst for your friends, put on some techno music, and work on a wacky art project together. It will almost be like a trip to Berlin. All over Europe’s hippest city, schnellimbisse (fast food stands) sell Berliner currywurst which is a German pork sausage on a roll with a spicy tomato-curry sauce. It’s slightly sweet and vinegary like a barbeque sauce, but with an eastern twist.
Some people say you can just mix ketchup and curry powder to make the sauce, but I’ve tried that and it doesn’t even come close to the real thing. Besides, the sauce is simple to make, so it’s totally worth it. Continue reading Do-It-Yourself Currywurst
By Kathryn McGowan on June 17, 2009 | 0
Real Japanese at Wajima
Good Japanese food is hard to find. While there is an overabundance of decent places to choose from, I find it oddly difficult to come across authentic Japanese cuisine in Manhattan.
Then I discovered a restaurant on the Upper East Side, at the cusp of Midtown, called Wajima. It’s an unassuming place — so low-key that I didn’t even know it has existed for three years in my own neighborhood. But what surprised me was that this restaurant isn’t a typically Upper East Side Japanese joint. In other words, Wajima is a very traditional restaurant, run by Japanese people, and full of Japanese patrons. And you know it’s a good sign when the cognoscenti are there. Continue reading Real Japanese at Wajima
By Thrifty Gourmet on June 16, 2009 | 2
A Meal for Pennies
When I was an undergraduate, I would often come home to a house full of hungry roommates waiting for me to arrive to make them food. Being college kids on budgets, our larder was often low; so, after awhile, I became adept at digging up dinner out of whatever remnants of food, cans of beans, packaged goods, and other seemingly disparate ingredients I could find.
The other night, that thrifty spirit once again seized me when I discovered that there was almost nothing to eat in my house. My initial reaction was to pick up the phone to call my favorite local Indian joint, but I decided that I wanted to save my pennies and so I reopened my cabinet and refrigerator to see what I could conjure into a supper. (Now I’m assuming that the readers of this blog not only fit the description of thrifty, but also of gourmet. As such, I am going to assume that, like me, you always have certain staples in your cabinet. If you don’t, then I recommend checking out this article by Mark Bittman from the NYTimes – do as he says, and you’ll always have something hanging around out of which to make a meal.) Continue reading A Meal for Pennies
By Erin Patinkin on June 15, 2009 | 0
Days 2 & 3: Leftovers, Linguine & Improv
So much to say! I can’t believe it’s Friday already, and so far so good. Lots to follow — price breakdowns for days 2 & 3, three new recipes, some disappointments, some triumphs. It’s like a soap opera…without the mistaken identity, steamy sex, or amnesia.
Overall it hasn’t been as hard as I thought. The advantage of pre-planning is knowing what you need when you need it, and not agonizing over what’s in your fridge and how you’ll make it into a meal, or what you need to pick up on the way home. It is definitely freeing. The bad part? Walking through the Union Square farmer’s market and trying not to buy the golden beets, green garlic, cherries, kale….well, everything. It’s possible I could buy something there and not destroy my budget, but I would have to visit every stand and make sure I was getting the best possible deal, and work it in with cheaper ingredients. Which makes me think maybe I should, ethically, be spending more on my food. I am certainly still eating ethically and well on my budget, but I’m not supporting local farmers, which I think is essential. Something to ponder when planning next weeks’ meals….
Price breakdown for Day 2:
Breakfast: Brown Bread = $.23 x 2 servings = $.46
I took a scone to work too….so another $.44
Lunch: Leftover Arroz con Pollo = $1.58 x 2 servings = $3.16
Snack: Grapefruit = $.50
Snack: Peanuts = $.45
Dinner: Black Bean Soup w/ fried egg and Cheddar Buttermilk Cornbread = $.74 + $.25 + $.38 x 2 = $2.74
Total for the day: $7.75
Cheddar-Buttermilk Cornbread
via epicurious
1 c. Cheddar Cheese = $1
1 c. corn meal = $.25
1 c. flour = $.19
1/4 c. sugar = n/a
salt, baking soda, baking powder = n/a
2 eggs = $.50
1/2 stick butter = $1 (from the stupid expensive grocery store!)
1 c. buttermilk = $.50
Total = $3.44 / 9 servings = $.38 / serving
Day 3: Here’s where explaining things gets a little confusing. I still had black bean soup and some rice left over Wednesday, so that’s what I had for lunch, along with some cornbread. How does that factor into my serving price? I have no idea…it’s like a 1/2 serving of each, but they also had more servings than I originally thought, so my other servings cost more than they should have….oh hell, who cares. No one said this was an exact science.
Also, my linguine for dinner was supposed to have shrimp in it. But when I got to Trader Joe’s, the frozen shrimp I wanted was $8.50 a bag. Even using half the bag would ruin my per serving price. I stood there, holding the bag of shrimp, putting it back, picking it back up again. Finally I put it back and hurried to the line so I wouldn’t change my mind. Suddenly though, I had to come up with something to go with the pasta, which I feared would be too plain all by itself, and the chicken breasts I had in the freezer would take too long to thaw.
Luckily I had a couple of small beets left from a farmer’s market trip last weekend before my budgeting got started, an apple I’d just bought, and celery. I decided on a little beet, apple, and celery salad with a lemon-yogurt dressing. Plain yogurt is a great staple to have around, since you can use it in place of sour cream, make dressings with it, or just eat it with fruit. Plus, it lasts forever.
In any case, here’s the price breakdown for Wednesday (Day 3):
Breakfast: Brown Bread = $.23 x 2 servings = $.46
Lunch: Leftover Arroz con Pollo & Black Bean Soup & cornbread = $1.58 + $.74 +$.76 = $3.08
Snack: Grapefruit = $.50
Snack: Peanuts = $.45
Dinner: Linguine with Lemon & Arugula and Beet, apple, and celery salad: $2.82
Total for the day: $7.31 – argh, just over!
Recipes…..
Linguine with Lemon & Arugula
1 lb. linguine = $.99
1/2 bag arugula = $1
1 lemon = $.25
1/3 c. olive oil = $.40??
handful parsley = $.17
parmeggiano cheese = n/a
salt & pepper = n/a
2 shallots = $.40
2 cloves garlic = $.05
Total = $3.26 / 4 servings = $.81 / serving
Zest 1 lemon and combine zest with the olive oil. Let it sit while you are prepping everything else. Thinly slice the shallots and mince the garlic. Heat a skillet with a bit of olive oil over medium heat, and cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Chop a handful of parsley. Cook the linguine until al dente and drain; return to pot. Add olive oil with lemon zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix in parsley, shallots and garlic, and arugula. Toss until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and top with grated parmiggiano cheese.
Beet, apple and celery salad with lemon-yogurt dressing
2 small beets: $.62
1/2 fuji apple: $.25
1 large stalk celery: $.20
1/2 lemon: $.13
2 T. plain yogurt = n/a
salt & pepper = n/a
Total = $1.20 / 2 servings = $.60 / serving Total meal cost: $1.30 / serving
Wrap the beets in foil and roast at 400 degrees until easily pierced by a knife. Let cool and the skin should easily slide off. Cut into a small dice and refrigerate. Cut the apple (with skin) and celery into the same size dice as the beet and mix the three together. In a small bowl, combine the juice of 1/2 lemon with 2 T. of plain yogurt. Mix to combine, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the beet mixture, chill, and serve.
By Rachel Crawford on June 12, 2009 | 0
Perfect Pesto
I love pesto. I love it because of the flavor, because it is the easiest thing to make, and because it is so versatile. Traditional pesto is perhaps not a particularly budget-friendly dish, if only because of its reliance on pine nuts, which are absurdly expensive. Luckily, the definition of “pesto” is quite broad, at least these days, and can include other types of herbs and greens, different nuts, and totally different ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes. I love basil, but it usually comes in enormous quantities — perfect for pesto. Round out your basil with parsley, arugula, pea shoots, or other tender greens, and you’ve got yourself an incredibly versatile sauce. Here are a few ways to use your batch of pesto.
- Salad with lemon-basil vinaigrette. Thin out your pesto with extra lemon juice and olive oil, and you have a delicious, herbaceous vinaigrette for a green salad.
- Pesto pasta salad. Pesto, pasta, and fresh, in-season veggies. Enough said.
- Pesto turkey burgers. Mix a bit of pesto with some ground turkey (which is very cheap, by the way), form into patties, and grill indoor or out. Delicious!
You could also make pesto potato salad, panini with pesto spread, a pesto torte… you can mix pesto with sour cream and make a dip! You can grill fish or chicken and top it with pesto! What are you waiting for? Go make some!! You can easily reduce this recipe — it makes a lot of pesto. But you should have plenty of ways to use it now.
Ingredients
2 c. packed basil leaves
1 c. packed arugula leaves
3/4 c. walnuts (or pine nuts if you are feeling rich)
1/2 c. grated parmeggiano cheese
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t. salt
olive oil
Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor (or a blender would work). Pulse the food processor as you add the olive oil through the feeder tube — add oil until you get the desired consistency. Taste and add salt as necessary. Enjoy on pretty much anything! It’s that easy! Store in an airtight container, topped with a thin layer of olive oil, for maximum freshness.
By Rachel Crawford on June 12, 2009 | 1
