Feasting on a budget: Summer Salad and Pork Chops

I have to say, this is the perfect time of year for eating in season, because all the best fruits and vegetables are ripe for the plucking (and shredding and sauteeing and souping and...)

We hit the farmer's market for our weekly feast, and came out with a salad that surprised us on how delicious it was. Throw in some BOGO pork chops and we come away with a meal that was cheap, healthy, and delicious.

Shopping list (from the farmer's market unless otherwise noted):
siberian kale* ($2.50)
2 fresh large tomatoes ($2.50)
blackberries & raspberries ($7 total for a pint of each)
basil ($2 for a bunch)
pickled cucumbers ($1.50-homemade pickles courtesy of one of the group)
onion ($1)
1 loaf fresh bread ($4)
BOGO pork chops, 2 lbs (estimated $7.50 from Harris Teeter)
cheap white wine ($4 from Harris Teeter)
Total: $32 for 3 people (could feed 4; we had to wait a good hour after salad before we could eat the pork!)

"Pantry" ingredients (stuff in the pantry):
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
cracked black pepper
sea salt
butter

Recipe:

Berries:
Toss blackberries and raspberries into a big bowl. Rinse and eat.

Summer Salad:
Rinse everything before preparing. Remove stems from kale and chop or rip the leaves into a large bowl. Roughly chop the basil and add to salad. Chop tomatoes into chunks and add to bowl. Chop about 1/4 onion and add to salad. Toss in pickled cucumbers (Note from pickler: pickling juice can be kept for reuse.) Add cracked black pepper, a little sea salt, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil; serve with fresh bread. Bread can then be dipped in "dressing" for extra flavor.

Pork chops with gravy:
Heat pan to medium-high. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil. When pan is hot, salt pork chops and place in pan salt-down. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Salt other side and flip. When edges begin to come up off bottom of pan (about another 3-5 minutes; minimum safety temp 140F), take them out, place on plate, and cover with tin foil to keep warm. Pour about 1 1/2 cups white wine into pan to deglaze. Scrape sides to make sure all the tasty goodness is soaking in, chop remaining onion and add, and reduce. When liquid has reduced by at least half, add a couple pats of butter, mix, and pour over pork chops as gravy.

*There is some debate as to whether the siberian kale was actually kale or if I accidentally picked up collard greens instead. I maintain that it was siberian kale (it's not as curly as the kind we usually see in our market). Use whichever more appeals to you.

I'll admit being the one to suggest using the kale for a salad (I may have munched the leaves on the way home from the market and declared them delicious, been called odd, and then forced the others to try a bite, thus winning my case), but everyone else agreed that they made a truly terrific - and rather unique - base to the salad, combining extremely well with the basil that acted as our second type of greens. The cucumbers could also be added raw and would be delicious that way, too.

What interesting salads have you had? If you try this recipe, what do you think? 

Feasting on a Budget: Lamb and Kale

It's another feasting on a budget recipe! How about a delicious herb-rubbed lamb dinner, with a side of kale and a loaf of fresh bread? We had 3 people and tons of leftovers* (oops!)

Lamb, kale, and good bread: another delicious 4-person feast for under $40!

Shopping list:

Lamb (2 lbs on sale for about $13)
Kale (Farmer's market: 1 lb for $2.50)
Fresh bread (Farmer's market: 1 loaf for $5)
fresh mint, thyme, & rosemary ($2.50 each)
Bacon ($4)
Chicken broth ($1)
2 shallots ($1)
Approximate total: $29


Ingredients:

Lamb (2 lbs, or 4 1/2 chops)
Kale (Farmer's market: 1 lb)
Fresh bread (Farmer's market: 1 loaf)
fresh mint, thyme, & rosemary (about 1/4 cup each)
sliced shallots (2 should be plenty)
3/4 cup Chicken broth
(5 tablespoons) Olive oil

Black pepper (to taste)
Sea salt (to taste)
2 slices Bacon
1/3-1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar/red wine vinegar
1/4 stick Butter (2 tablespoons)

Appetizer:
Slice your fresh bread. Fill a small plate with herbs, sea salt, and pepper, then add a little balsamic vinegar/red wine vinegar and olive oil. Dip your bread in.

Kale:
Heat a large frying pan to medium-high. Add 2 slices of bacon that has been cut into chunks, and let cook. When bacon is mostly cooked, add the kale. Cook until it's wilted. Serve with a little sea salt and black pepper.

Lamb:
Mince fresh thyme, mint, and rosemary. Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and rub into lamb chops. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to soak in.
When lamb is ready, heat frying pan to medium-high. Drop lamb chops on and cook for about 3.5 minutes on each side. Set onto serving platter to keep warm.

Lamb gravy:
Add shallots (sliced) to skillet. Cook until just browning.
Pour in red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 cup. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth. Continue to cook on medium until gravy has reduced by at least half. Remove from heat, add butter, and serve with kale and lamb.
(Note: Fresh bread is excellent for soaking up the delicious gravy!)

Enjoy!

*Guilty admission: One of our ladies also treated us to an extra appetizer: Sliced mozzarella, tomatoes, and prosciutto with olive oil and sea salt. Given that the meal could have easily served 6, I took off 2 servings for the extra appetizer.
Fresh mozzarella-$8, 2 roma tomatoes-$2, l small package chopped prosciutto-$4. (Brings the total to $43, although sometimes you can find cheese-case mozzarella on sale for less than $8, or you can skip the prosciutto entirely and still have a delicious appetizer!)
Slice mozzarella and tomatoes and layer in a 9x9 pan; drizzle olive oil over. Add prosciutto and a little sea salt and pepper to taste, plus some leftover herbs. Broil until mozzarella is mostly melted.
Served over the fresh bread instead of dipping it in olive oil! Delicious. 

Feasting on a Budget: London broil

You may remember I've mentioned my weekly Dr. Who Girls' Night, where I invite a few friends over to make dinner and watch Dr. Who. Dinner is usually a delicious feast that feeds anywhere from four to eight people (usually five or so). You may also remember that I've learned to live on a budget.

How does a woman feed four people without breaking the bank?

She shops sales and buys the right foods. Our menus are usually planned around whatever's on sale this past week.

So here begins a semi-regular feature: What We Had For Dinner, or Feasting on a Budget. These are meals that can feed more than four people for under $40 (we always make extra just in case).

First menu:
London Broil, French Onion Potatoes, and Lemon Garlic Spinach
Cost: $30 not including on-hand ingredients
(We already had garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar on hand - last month's unfinished, now undrinkable red wine works just fine for cooking purposes)
Feeds: about 5
Big sale item: London Broil BOGO
(and thanks to Mary, our chef, for typing up the directions!)

Shopping list:
6 cloves garlic
Worcester sauce
1-2 cups red wine vinegar
1 package bacon
London broil, 2 lb
Spinach
1 lemon
6-8 medium-sized Russet Potatoes (buy them by the bag for best deal & have potatoes later in the week)
1 package Lipton's onion soup mix
1/4-1/3 cups olive oil (or butter if you prefer)

Directions:

London Broil
Chop two large cloves of garlic
Marinate in Worcester sauce (shake out to cover side or roast; flip roast and cover other side)
Pour about one glass of red wine vinegar over roast, being sure to coat both sides
Sprinkle with half the garlic; flip and sprinkle other side
Let sit for about an hour and a half, turning occasionally
Preheat oven on broil (for us this was after we cooked the potatoes, so it was a quick heat)
Lay strips of bacon on the London broil – we used 4 strips per side for a good sized just over 2 pound roast, but it’s going to depend on the size of your roast
Cook 8 minutes per side; it can be as low as 6 or as high as 10 depending on your oven. Generally they cook in about 15 – 20 minutes total

Spinach with lemon and garlic
Wash spinach well and remove stems
Zest and juice one lemon
Chop 4 cloves of garlic  
Place frying pan on stove to begin to heat – the bacon seems to cook faster if the pan is heated already
Take two strips of bacon and cut into small pieces using scissors (tip; do them at the same time, as the thickness makes them stiff enough to hang straight and are therefore easier to chop. You can run the scissors through the dishwasher later) directly into the frying pan you intend to use
Add garlic and saute until translucent
Add spinach and lemon juice and zest; saute until to desired wilt on spinach

Oven-roasted potatoes
Preheat oven to 450°F
Coarsely dice about 6-8 medium russet potatoes and put into an oven-safe pan large enough to contain them (I prefer glass for stirring and cleaning purposes)
In a separate bowl mix one package of Lipton Onion Soup mix and about ¼ to 1/3 cup olive oil
Pour olive oil and soup mixture over potatoes – stir well to evenly distribute mixture
Bake in oven for 35 minutes – it’s hard to really overcook these, and I usually leave them in for 45 minutes because I like that texture better. When in doubt, read the package – the directions are on the box.


Hungry yet? If you try the recipe (or any part thereof), drop back by and leave some feedback!