Cheap and Tasty Summer Meal
I love it when I can assemble a meal for two (plus lunch for one tomorrow) under $10, but I hardly ever expect it to look or taste this good.
I started with heirloom tomatoes, a gift from a home gardener who is now my best friend. I added some basil from my own garden. Oooh, I think this is the best photo I've taken in months.
Chop up two of the tomatoes with two large handfuls of basil and add two chopped cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil (optional), a generous pinch of salt, and plenty of fresh ground pepper. Let this summer confetti marinate at room temperature for a few hours. Any time you're ready, put a few ears of corn in cold water and bring it up to a boil. Then turn off the stove and let the corn sit in the water until you're ready for it. It won't overcook.Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta, and begin the side dishes as soon as the pasta goes in.
Marinate a few prawns in oil, garlic, pepper, and onions. Broil on each side for five minutes along with some pineapple slices. If your broiler's big enough, put the corn on a separate baking sheet and broil alongside the prawns. The corn can be dusted with salt and chili powder.Drain the pasta and pour the hot pasta into the tomato "sauce." Toss well, season to taste, and grate some Parmesan or Pecorino over the whole plate before serving. Tally for the meal:
- Free tomatoes and basil
- A quarter for the amount of garlic I used
- Negligible amounts of salt, pepper, and oil
- What, a quarter's worth of cheese?
- $4 for the prawns (just think how cheap this meal would have been without them!)
- $1 for a fraction of a pack of whole wheat pasta
- $1 for a quarter of a pineapple, most of which was eaten for dessert after the meal
- $1 for three ears' of corn at the farmers' market
posted by Pei @ 8:09 PM
7 Comments:
Beautiful colors! I finally had your Argentina white wine from the Hidden Vine last weekend, and it was delightful. Thanks so much for getting it for me.
Isn't it great? Keep an eye out for an Australian white called Holly's Blend from the Marquis Philips winery. It's around $10, and last I checked most stores were sold out but waiting for this year's vintage to come in.
Wow, you were gone for a while and really came back with a vengence. Hurray!
Btw, enjoy your guest!
Lurns hows to sperring in Engrish, hungryindc!! :)
And for a real hoot, look up the book Here Speeching English. I laughed and laughed...
too funny! I just did a raw tomato pasta sauce last week! I add balsamic vinegar, just a little, and more olive oil and garlic than you but that's about it. Oh, and must be sea salt.
Mmm, vinegar is a good idea. I would normally put more olive oil and garlic, but these tomatoes were so precious I didn't want to put too many other things in. And yes, quality salt is very important in something with so few ingredients.
Did you know you can get a decently sized bag of red Hawaiian sea salt for $2 at Trader Joe's? I don't see what ALL the fuss is about, but it's good and very pretty. And at $2, who cares?
Consider the bruschetta possibilities with the tomatoes.
Great pictures!
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