Two People, Thirty-four bucks

[maggiethecat]

The financial situation couldn't be much more dire right now, but thanks to Valli's Market on Golf Road in Des Plaines we won't starve for awhile---if we can pay the gas bill, that is. It's proof again: If you live in the Chicago area and shop at a chain supermarket, you are a chump. For $34.79 I have:

One liter of EVOO (not looking too closely at the sex lives of these olives)

28 oz. can of (Italian) San Marzano tomatos

1 head (1 1/2 pounds) cauliflower

Ditto broccoli

2 lbs. semolina

1 pound loaf of "Italian" bread

1 head celery

1 Fuji apple (deceased)

1 1/2 pounds Sara Lee smoked turkey breast

Veal breast (about five pounds)

1 1/2 lb. ground veal

2 whole (gutted, scaled) tilapia

1 1/2 lb. Barese sausage

1 lb. Mezza Rigatoni

At a busy deli counter ask the guy for the ends...the bits too small to be sliced.

1 1/2 lb. Krakus ham

1 lb. smoked ham

1 lb. Meunster cheese

Thinking about posting the family silver on eBay, checking the pantry, and doing menu planning off the top of my head, I envisage:

-Pasta v/tomato vodka sauce

-Veal breast stuffed w/ground veal, spinach and pistachios

-(Veal stock with the bones and some sad shrooms from the bottom of the vegetable drawer.)

-Meatloaf with 1/2 pound of the ground veal and the pound of ground chuck in the freezer

-Quiche with some of the ham ends and odds and ends of cheese

-Ham loaf. Snicker not! "Cooking from Quilt Country" provides a recipe for Ham Loaf it says is astonishing, and this book is 100% reliable.

-Two meals at least from the sausage. with lunch leftovers.

-Gnocchi alla Romana, with the semolina.

-Jim Dixon/Amanda Hesser Baked Cauliflower (See eGra)

-Any suggestions appreciated for the damn broccoli. Probably there will be a soup with the stems and some of the choufleur.

We have ten pounds of Idahos, onions, garlic, etc.

The tilapia is marinating in EVOO, lemon juice, the last of the garden herbs and red pepper flakes as we speak. It will be baked at 500.

I know you guys can do better. Can you give me some sterling ideas on how to strech this thirty-four bucks worth of grub over a few weeks?

Sterling. Sigh. That Hester Bateman serving spoon should fetch a couple of hundred dollars. Surely.

[Fat Guy]

The economy seems to be turning around. Hang in there -- it has been a tough couple of years for a lot of us -- and things may get better very soon.

My favorite preparation of broccoli is raw marinated. Cut it up into bite sized pieces. For one head add about half a cup of cider vinegar and the same amount of cheap oil, a couple of teaspoons of sugar, whatever herbs and spices strike your fancy, salt, pepper. This preparation also benefits from a little MSG. A couple of hours in the fridge and it's a great acidic, crunchy accompaniment to something like that veal breast. More of a summer thing, but who cares?

For the leftover odds and ends of various meat dishes, my two staples are hash (sautee diced potatoes with plenty of salt and pepper; add finely chopped onions when the potatoes are about halfway done; add the meat items, also finely chopped, towards the end to warm through, and enhance with a little cream at the end -- maybe a little stock as well if you have it) and fried rice (which assumes leftover dried-out refrigerator-rice from something else).

Being broke can suck the spirit when it lasts too long, but for short periods of time it can be a fun challenge. Some of the best and most memorable eating I've done has been in situations where we had to get through just one more meal before the check cleared. If you're broke, it probably means you also have the most valuable thing of all: time. That and your health are really all you need. Have fun and keep us posted on every meal.

[Squeat Mungry]

Mainly just to add some sympathy and support. I was unemployed for exactly one year before I landed the soul-sucking job that is now supporting me (just barely). My thoughts are with you.

Not sure how many you are feeding, but had an idea for the broccoli: maybe roast (with a few cloves of the garlic, perhaps), then puree with some veal stock for a soup?

Very sorry to hear of your financial duress, as a recent fellow sufferer. Best wishes for an immediate improvement in circumstances!

Sincerely,

Squeat

[Dave the Cook]

You've got cut pasta, but I can see ravioli, too, stuffed with spicy ground veal, broccoli or celery puree and a bit of cheese.

Semolina Waffles, topped with mornay, broccoli and julienne of one of the smoked meats.

Celery braised in stock is satisfyingly crunchy, and matches with sausage.

Monte Cristo sandwiches, because they're deep fried, are pretty filling, even without the currant jelly. And since they're covered in batter, no one notices the bits of meat standing in for nice even slices.

Like FG, I love hash, but I find it a real challenge to get everything right.

Speaking of getting everything right, have patience, Lily. And please keep writing.

[KateW]

Most people eat Kraft mac and cheese and hot dogs when they're poor. I'm actually envious of you. I can't offer any suggestions, but good luck and I hope things get better for you.

[Fat Guy]

Like FG, I love hash, but I find it a real challenge to get everything right.

That's why you add the cream. You don't need to get anything right if you add cream. It conceals a broad range of inadequacy in technique. And if you crack a poached egg over all that, you can really afford not to be a perfectionist.

Basically, there are two main problems people have with hash. I doubt Dave has these problems, but in general what I see is:

1) A mismatch between the potato and onion levels of doneness. Too often you see either undercooked potatoes or burnt onions -- both of which result from the same thing: adding the onions too early. You really need to wait until the potatoes are at least halfway cooked. And there's very little consequence to adding the onions too late -- they're pretty versatile and will taste good at a variety of levels of doneness. But if you add them too early, you have to choose between undercooked potatoes and burnt onions.

2) Too wet, without a good crust. This mostly occurs from crowding the pan. In a standard 10.5" cast-iron skillet, you can really only make enough hash for one hungry person. You have to start with a ton of room around the potato dice, so that every piece is always in contact with the pan and you can really toss them around to sear every side of each cube. You want to cover only about 1/3 of the pan's surface with the potatoes, because then you have to add the onions. And the onions tend to have a very large volume at first -- they cook down a lot but when you first add the onions there will be more onion volume than potato volume. If you don't have plenty of room in the pan, what will happen is that everything will start to steam and get soggy.

A few other hash hints:

- If you have a good broiler, finish the hash under it. This will put your crust over the top. You can even melt some cheese on top.

- Start with baked potatoes. This will cut your cooking time dramatically, which is nice if you're doing this in the morning. You can basically add the potatoes and onions simultaneously if you start with refrigerated baked potatoes. And for some reason I like the taste and texture of baked-then-sauteed potatoes better than that of potatoes that have been sauteed from raw.

- Add salt and pepper at each stage: when you add the potatoes, when you add the onions, when you add the meat, and right at the end. This will really bring out the flavor. The exception would be if the meat you're adding has a lot of seasoning in it, in which case you should underseason a little bit earlier on.

- Don't try the trick of cooking the potatoes and onions separately. They need to be together for the flavors to meld.

- Only do hash with cooked meat. If you're using raw meat, cook it first. Otherwise it will render fat into the dish unpredictably and too late in the game.

- Start with vegetable oil for cooking the potatoes, then add butter when you add the onions. Sauteeing potatoes from their raw state is too intense an application for delicate butter. Butter will, however, survive the second half of cooking.

- Use medium heat. There is such a thing. Too many people only ever cook on high or low. If you cook hash on low heat, it will never develop a great crust and it will taste like the stuff from a can. If you cook it on high heat you'll burn it before it's done. Long, medium-heat cooking is the way to get it right.

- Don't use a non-stick skillet! It's very difficult to develop a good crust in a non-stick pan. Cast-iron is ideal for hash. Of course, you need to use enough fat. Don't be shy. This isn't spa cuisine.

[Dave the Cook]

Great Hash 101, FG.

. . . add the cream. You don't need to get anything right if you add cream. It conceals a broad range of inadequacy in technique. And if you crack a poached egg over all that, you can really afford not to be a perfectionist.

Two great tips that are universally applicable and worth the price of admission all by themselves.

. . . I doubt Dave has these problems . . .

Oh gosh, no. Not at all.

[Rachel Perlow]

Don't forget to dig through your freezer. Even your fridge freezer. However, in my chest freezer last night, I found stir fried kale that I stuck in there back when I was still part of a produce co-op -- which means it is at least a year old. However, I had vacuum sealed it so it was very good just reheated in the microwave. I also found a half a cooked turkey breast, also vacuum sealed, that will get us through at least two lunches and an attempt to recreate the turkey hash we tried at Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe in Boston. Another nice side dish last night was Annie's Bunny Mac & Cheese, a step up from Kraft Dinner, which we supplemented with extra cheddar and frozen peas.

Ideas inspired by your list:

• the ham & cheese ends can be used as omelet or quiche fillings
  Some of the veal breast could be used in a stir fry with broccoli and celery
  Left over tilapia and some mashed potato combined into fish cakes (or ham or turkey for croquettes)
  

[maggiethecat]

Great Hash 101, FG.

I beg to differ. This is a doctoral thesis on hash (you could transmogrify this and sell it five places, Steven!) I am so there about using cooked potatoes in hash; it's really the only way. Baked is best, but leftover boiled, or even spuds nuked till done will make a huge difference in the quality.

And I have crowded the pan a few times and learned the hard way. If I need a lot of hash, I'll use two pans.

I had one leftover tilapia last night, and it will be combined with a tin of canned salmon from the pantry , leftover mashed potatoes,onions, herbs, etc. Fish cakes in the freezer!

[JAZ]

Maggie, I believe you have a copy of the Zuni Cafe cookbooK, don't you? If so, look up the recipe for the pasta dish with roasted broccoli and cauliflower. I don't remember all the details, but it's spicy, with toasted breadcrumbs, garlic, red pepper flakes and capers -- it's really good. If you don't have the book, I can look up the recipe at work.

[maggiethecat]

Maggie, I believe you have a copy of the Zuni Cafe cookbooK, don't you? If so, look up the recipe for the pasta dish with roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

Bless you JAZ! That's why I love eGullet---smart people who not only come up with good ideas, but actually remember the cookbook libraries of fellow eGulls!

I will be making this dish. Thanks, Janet.

[Jason Perlow]

Great Hash 101, FG.

I beg to differ. This is a doctoral thesis on hash (you could transmogrify this and sell it five places, Steven!) I am so there about using cooked potatoes in hash; it's really the only way. Baked is best, but leftover boiled, or even spuds nuked till done will make a huge difference in the quality.

And I have crowded the pan a few times and learned the hard way. If I need a lot of hash, I'll use two pans.

I had one leftover tilapia last night, and it will be combined with a tin of canned salmon from the pantry , leftover mashed potatoes,onions, herbs, etc. Fish cakes in the freezer!

Yeah, I agree with this. Fat Guy, you should do an expanded version with pictures as an eGCI course.

[Jaymes]

More "I'm broke" tips:

I can get four night's worth of meals out of one chicken:

1st night Chicken -- with baked potato (cheap)

2nd night -- Chicken a la king over rice (cheap)

3rd & 4th nights -- Chicken soup with noodles (cheap)

Also - and this is the perfect time of year for it -- find a store that is offering turkey as a loss leader. I've seen it as low as 33c a pound. Buy at least two or three (depending on freezer size). Have the store butcher cut them into halves. Wrap separately and stick into your freezer.

You can roast them in your oven and serve with dressing (cheap & filling).

Smoke them on your BBQ in the summers.

Make soup. Make turkey a la king, curried turkey, turkey hash, turkey chili, etc.

The uses are endless, and you can't beat 33c a pound. So keep an eye out.

[Jinmyo]

Maggie, no cabbage?

Can anything be cheaper yet more generous? (I've bought them for 5c each recently.)

[snowangel]

In our house, big budget stretchers are beans, bacon ends and fried rice.

There's something about bacon ends -- a $2.00 bag of them can provide a lot of flavoring bang for the buck in a multitude of dishes, and there's something about a bean dish that has pork fat in it.

And, I can hardly think of a better way to stretch a bit of meat than fried rice or hash. Fried rice also makes good use of limpish little leftovers in the veg bin.

[maggiethecat]

Maggie, no cabbage?

Actually, Jimnyo, I have one in the fridge. But five cents a pound? No way. I'll ask my mother to mail a few from Ottawa.

[snowangel]

The cabbage reminds me that I often go to the farmer's market not long before closing time and bargain with them. They are often happy to greatly reduce price -- it's one less thing to pack up and haul away, and especially if it's perishable, they're getting something rather than trash.

[Fat Guy]

I can get four night's worth of meals out of one chicken:

1st night Chicken --  with baked potato (cheap)

2nd night -- Chicken a la king over rice (cheap)

3rd & 4th nights -- Chicken soup with noodles (cheap)

This reminds me of the Monty Python "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch.

+++

"Who'd a thought thirty years ago we'd all be sittin' here drinking Chateau de Chassilier wine?"

"Aye. In them days, we'd a' been glad to have the price of a cup o' tea."

"A cup ' COLD tea."

"Without milk or sugar."

"OR tea!"

"In a filthy, cracked cup."

"We never used to have a cup. We used to have to drink out of a rolled up newspaper."

"The best WE could manage was to suck on a piece of damp cloth."

"But you know, we were happy in those days, though we were poor."

+++

My mother's, uh, er, "friend" was quite poor growing up and had to pay his way through college in Texas by working 27 jobs, walking uphill both ways to and from classes, etc. He used to feed himself and his roommate with a single chicken for A WEEK. Needless to say there were a lot of carbohydrates involved as well, but I've never met anyone more ingenious about butchering and allocating the parts of a chicken.

[mixmaster b]

Well done on the groceries! That haul would have set me back at least 3 times that much at my local yuppy mart.

I second snow angel's beans idea. I cooked up a batch this week and have enjoyed having them on hand. I was thinking white beans with sage or rosemary could be a nice side for the veal breast. A chilli-like bean soup with some tomatoes and some of the leftover meat is very tasty if you have some good cili powder or canned chipotles on hand. Plus you can serve it with cornbread.

Lots of soup. You can really stretch the meats/leftovers that way, and quickbreads like biscuits are a nice accompaniment.

Are you a baker? Bread baking is someting I would delve into if I had more time than $, same with fresh pasta. (This is assuming you have time...)

Another thought--herbs in the store can be so expensive, but seeds are almost free. Maybe flower pots on a sunny window sill could provide some fresh herds? I've done italian parsley, basil, chives, and cilantro from seeds with good results.

Hope thing start looking up soon!

[adoxograph]

I empathize with your shopping - I'm willing to drive the 10 miles to that Valli's (and the Joe Caputo's on Oakton) in exchange for the affordable prices. (Something about produce signs that say "cents" instead of "dollars")

Broccoli with roasted garlic (lots), EVOO, a little romano and bread crumbs on pasta is one of my favorites. Also, with various leftovers, eggs, and some of those potatoes and onions, you could probably swing a few nice frittatas.

My two people budget is around $20/week, giving us a potential $10 weekly splurge budget to save or use as cravings or really good sales strike - but since we eat mostly vegetarian, and beans are cheap, we usually do all right. Hey, with some of those ham bits, you might be able to swing some bargain vegetarian meals into something edible to carnivores. :)

Can you imagine how decadent it would be to have $40 a day? Feel free to PM me if you'd like to power bargain together. :)

[Mottmott]

Maggie, no cabbage?

Actually, Jimnyo, I have one in the fridge. But five cents a pound? No way. I'll ask my mother to mail a few from Ottawa.

My preferred way of cooking cabbage is in the microwave. I cut it up, leaving it a little moist from washing, put it in a deep dish which I cover with plastic wrap and cook it. It's so sweet I often eat it without doing anything more than putting a little butter on it, but it could be incorporated into all sorts of other dishes. I think it works better in the microwave than in a steamer.

Commiserations on you situation. I know you'll come through it soon. And with your ingenuity you will continue to eat better than most people!

[Jinmyo]

Maggie, no cabbage?

Actually, Jimnyo, I have one in the fridge. But five cents a pound? No way. I'll ask my mother to mail a few from Ottawa.

These were 5c EACH. And huge. That was at Market Fresh.

[maggiethecat]

These were 5c EACH. And huge. That was at Market Fresh.

Great Balls of Fire!

As my mother visits MF about three times a week she doubtless has a fridgeful. Good God, folks: that's a huge cabbage for about 3 cents US.

[Jinmyo]

The sale could be over now. But even so, they usually have good prices.

In any case, cabbage is wonderful.

I recently grated it as for slaw and braised it in stock with shaved white onion. Drained it, mixed with some sauerkraut, Dijon, celery seed, caraway. Just delicious.

[ianeccleston]

Maggiethecat, I can certainly sympathize. I was unemployed for the first seven months of this year, and had to stretch our money however I could.

One meal that stood out as cheap & good was pizza. If you have flour and yeast, you can turn out a great meal for $2. You don't have to have mozzerella, tomato sauce, etc. - with a bit of olive oil & parmesan, you can turn out onion pizza (with anchovies if you like), potato & rosemary pizza, fennel & onion pizza for cheap eats, or spring for an avacado and make a Spago-esque chicken & avacado pizza...

Oh, and Marcella's Broccolli, Anchovy & Hot Red Pepper Pasta is a weekday standby in our household...

Good luck,

Ian