GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - ROAST CHICKEN

ROAST CHICKEN

FOR  SIX

$ 8 -  $15 t o t a l

$1. 5 0 -  $ 2 . 7 5  / s e r v i n g

A whole  chicken  is usually less expensive  than buying single pieces like breasts or thighs—plus you  can make stock later from the bones and any  meat too difficult to get off. The leftovers can be used in sandwiches, tacos, over a salad, or tossed with sauce and mixed into pasta. This is a base recipe: add spices to the butter or sprinkle over the surface of the chicken  to change  up the flavor in any  way you  like.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lemon
• salt and pepper

RECIPE

1. Heat the oven to 400  °F. Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken.  Keep them for stock later. Rub the entire bird with butter, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
2. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of your knife and slice the lemon  in half.  Stuff the garlic and lemon  into the chicken’s body  cavity.
3.  Place the chicken  in a roasting pan  or an oven-proof skillet. Let it cook for 1 hour. If you  have a meat thermometer, check to make  sure the chicken  is at 165  °F, the temperature when chicken  is completely safe to eat. But 1 hour should be long enough to fully  cook it.
4. Let the chicken  rest for at least10 minutes before you  carve it to make  sure you  don’t lose any of the tasty juices.
5. After you’ve  carved away all the meat, make  chicken  stock from the carcass. Simmer it for several hours in a pot full of water along  with scrap vegetables like the ends of onions and carrots, plus  a generous helping  of salt.

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - ROASTED VEGETABLES

ROASTED VEGETABLES

When  the weather turns cool, I want only  to eat warm, flavorful food. Roasting is easy,  it warms up the kitchen, and it makes  the house  smell like the holidays. If you’re uncertain how to prepare a new  vegetable, you usually can’t go wrong with roasting— most things end up sweeter, with nice crunchy bits. If you  roast a bunch of vegetables at the beginning of the week, you  can eat them throughout the week in various ways: with eggs at breakfast, folded into an omelette, as a side dish, in a taco or sandwich, on toast, or with any  grain

INGREDIENTS

• vegetables
• olive oil or butter
• salt and pepper

ROOTS

potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets,  turnips, onions, parsnips, carrots, sunchokes,  kohlrabi, fennel 

NON-ROOTS

bell peppers, winter squash, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant

EXTRAS

whole garlic cloves (unpeeled), lemon slices or lemon zest, anything you would pair with roast chicken,  tough herbs like sage, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, any dry spice combination (p. 166)

RECIPE

1. Set the oven to 400  °F.
2. Clean and chop your vegetables. Generally, I prefer to leave the skin on for the following reasons: skin tastes nice and gets crispy; there’s a lot of nutrition in the skin;  peeling is slow!  Just be sure to wash the vegetables thoroughly.
3. It’s up to you  how  you  want to chop your vegetables. Many are nice roasted whole, like new  potatoes or little sunchokes or turnips—they will be crispy and salty on the outside and bursting with fluffy,  starchy goodness inside. The general rule is that the smaller you  chop things, the faster they cook, so try to keep everything about the same  size so nothing cooks faster than anything else.
4. Dump your vegetables into a roasting pan.  Drizzle everything with olive oil or melted butter—about 2 tablespoons per medium-sized roasting pan.  Season generously with salt and pepper and add any  other extras from the list at right. Use your hands to coat the vegetables thoroughly with the oil and spices.
5. Pop the pan  in the oven for 1 hour or longer, but check on the vegetables after 45 minutes. Test them by poking them with a knife. If it meets no resistance, they’re finished;  if not, let them cook longer. Don’t worry: it’s not much of a problem if you  overcook them. Unlike vegetables overcooked through  boiling  or steaming, overcooked roasted vegetables may dry out a bit, but still retain their shape  and flavor.
6. After you  pull the vegetables out of the oven,  push them around with a spatula to free them from the pan. Remove any garlic cloves and smash them into a fine paste (removing the skins  at this point), then put the garlic back in the pan  and mix together.
7. Squeeze the juice out of any  lemons and discard the woody bits of any  cooked herbs. Add a little more butter, a bit of favorite sauce,  a little soft cheese or mayonnaise, and serve.

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - ROASTED POTATOES WITH CHILIES

ROASTED POTATOES WITH CHILIES

FOR FOUR

It doesn’t get much simpler or more satisfying than this. You can use any  pepper you  like—from large, dark poblanos, to Hungarian wax  chilies, to bell peppers. It doesn’t get much simpler or more satisfying than this. You can use any  pepper you  like—from large, dark poblanos, to Hungarian wax  chilies, to bell peppers.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 4 medium chilies, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 tbsp butter, melted salt and pepper

RECIPE

1. In a large roasting pan,  tumble together the potatoes, peppers, and garlic. When you chop the peppers, be sure to get rid of the seeds and white placenta inside. 
2. Pour the butter over top and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Potatoes need quite a bit of salt! Use your hands to mix everything up. Roast for 1 hour, or until you can spear the potatoes easily with a fork and everything is a little crispy.
3. Squish  the garlic cloves, discard their skins, and spread the roasted garlic throughou In addition to being a great side dish, this makes a delicious taco filling. At left, it’s pictured on a tortilla topped with chopped  tomato and queso blanco

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - SHRIMP AND GRITS

SHRIMP AND  GRITS

FOR FOUR

The cost of shrimp has jumped sharply since I wrote this recipe, so save this one until you  can find a deal—under about $8 per pound. This is far from an authentic Southern version of this dish, but it is absolutely delicious. Southerners will demand you  use white stone-ground corn for this, and I won’t quible,  but feel free to use yellow  if it doesn’t offend you.

GRITS

• 1 cup grits
• 4½  cups vegetable or chicken stock
• ½ cup sharp cheddar, grated
• 3 scallions, finely chopped

TOPPING

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion,  chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green  chili, finely diced  (optional)
• 1 tomato, chopped

RECIPE

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a medium-sized pot, then turn the heat down to low and slowly pour in the cornmeal while stirring briskly with a wooden spoon. Stirring while  pouring is crucial to keep the grits creamy and smooth—no lumps! Once the grits become smooth and thick, place a lid on the pot with the spoon still in it so that steam can escape.
2. Let the grits cook while  you  prepare the rest of the meal,  checking  in occasionally to give them a stir. The total cooking time should be about 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the shrimp and vegetables. Add the butter or oil to a large pan  on medium heat and let it get hot. Add the onion, pepper, and celery. Sauté until the onion  is just translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, as well as the green chili if you  like things spicy.
4. Let everything cook for another minute. Add the tomato and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until the tomato releases its juice and the vegetables resemble a thick and chunky sauce.  Add a dribble of water to keep everything loose and saucy, then toss in the shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink  all over. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Once the grits are ready, take them off the heat and add the cheese and most of the scallions,  then stir. Ladle the grits into bowls  and top with the shrimp, vegetables, and a few more scallions.

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - SPICY, CRUNCHY, CREAMY POLENTA

SPICY, CRUNCHY, CREAMY POLENTA

FOR TWO

$ 3.50 total

$1.75 / serving

Polenta plus vegetable plus  egg equals satisfying and delicious.  You can also add a can of corn to the polenta for deep, rich, corny flavor. Or go a little different by adding  frozen peas, scallions,  olives, or (my  favorite) green chilies to the polenta. Or skip the Romano and add ¼ cup of grated cheddar to the polenta.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup polenta or cornmeal
• 2 cups water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups fresh spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 anchovy, finely chopped (optional)
• ½ tsp chili flakes (or fresh chili)
• 2 eggs
• Romano or Parmesan, freshly grated salt and pepper

RECIPE

1. Bring the water and salt to a boil in a medium-sized pot, then turn the heat down to low and slowly pourthe polenta while  stirring briskly with a wooden spoon.
2. Stirring while  pouring is crucial to keep the polenta creamy and smooth—no lumps! Once the cornmeal becomes  smooth and thick, place a lid on the pot with the spoon  still in it so that steam can escape.
3. Let the polenta cook while  you  prepare the rest of the meal,  checking  in occasionally to give it a stir. The total cooking  time should be about 25 to 30 minutes, but if you’re in a rush, you  can eat it after 15.
4. Meanwhile, chop the spinach, garlic, and anchovy if you’re using it. Set them aside. Add a bit of olive oil or butter to a pan  on medium heat. Let the pan  heat up until it sizzles when you  flick it with water. Add the garlic, anchovy, and chili flakes. Let them cook until you can smell them, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and toss it around with a spoon  or tongs, or just swirl the pan  to coat the spinach with the garlic mixture. Let everything cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Remove the pan  from the heat and move  its contents to a bowl  to wait for the polenta and eggs.
5. When  the polenta is about 2 minutes from done, start with the eggs. Wipe the pan  quickly with a cloth, then put it back on medium heat. Splash  a bit more olive oil in the pan  and wait for it to get hot. Crack the two eggs into the pan  and cover with a lid. This will steam them, making sunny-side-up eggs with fully  cooked whites.
6. Scoop the polenta into a pair of bowls. Add some Romano and lots of salt and pepper. Layer about half the vegetables over the polenta.
7. Once the whites of the eggs are cooked, remove them from the pan  with a spatula and lay them over
8. the polenta and vegetables. Top with the rest of the vegetables and further sprinklings of cheese.

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VEGETABLE QUICHE, HOLD THE CRUST

FOR FOUR

Much  as I love this quiche  hot, I like it even better cold out of the fridge the next day.  It makes  a great fast breakfast or lunch. The quiche  in the picture uses broccoli, but you  can make  it with pretty much any  kind of vegetable. Some of my  favorites are roasted green chilies and cheddar, winter squash with goat cheese, zucchini and tomato, or spinach and olive.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion,  sliced into half moons
• 3-4 cups chopped vegetables
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cheddar or other cheese, grated
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

RECIPE

1. Set the oven to 400  °F.
2. There are two ways to make  this quiche.  If you  have a cast-iron or other oven-proof skillet, you  can make  the quiche  right in the skillet. This cuts down on dishes. Otherwise, start with a regular skillet and later transfer everything to a pie plate to bake.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add your onion  slices and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over them. Cook the onions until they are golden  brown
4. and starting to caramelize. If your pan  is oven-proof, simply remove it from the heat and spread the onions evenly  across the bottom. Otherwise, butter a pie plate and scoop the onions into it, creating an even layer on the bottom. The onions add a crust-like texture and a bit of crunch.
5. A note on vegetables: For things like broccoli, cauliflower or winter squash, I suggest steaming or cooking  them before adding  them to the quiche  to ensure they’ll be fully cooked. For tomatoes, zucchini, spinach or any other quick-cooking vegetable, just use them fresh.
6. Spread the vegetables evenly  over top of the onions. The dish or pan  should look fairly full.
7. In a bowl,  use a fork to lightly beat the eggs with the milk,  cheese, salt, and pepper, just enough to break up the yolks  and whites. This is a savory custard mixture. Pour the custard over the vegetables and onions and enjoy  watching it fill in all the free spaces.
8. Bake the quiche  in the oven for 1 hour. Once the surface is lightly brown all the way across, it’s fully  cooked.
9. Let the quiche  cool for about 20 minutes, then slice into wedges  and serve with a side salad.

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - DECONSTRUCTED CABBAGE ROLLS

DECONSTRUCTED CABBAGE ROLLS
FOR SIX

Casseroles are a great way to stretch your cooking-without- a-recipe muscles. As one reader, Carolie, reminded me, they require little prep time, yield many meals,  and the leftovers are easy to store. Casseroles also let you  easily tailor an existing recipe to your own  tastes.

So here is my  adaptation of one of Carolie favorite casseroles, itself a play  on cabbage  rolls, a traditional Eastern European dish that is delicious but labor- intensive. This version is a good way to use up leftover rice or grains and lentils, including leftover rainbow rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 fresh sausage, casing removed
• 1 onion,  chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small or ½ large cabbage, cored  and chopped
• 3 cups cooked  rice 
• 4 cups cooked  lentils
• 3½  cups canned tomatoes, puréed, or tomato sauce
• salt and pepper

ADDITIONS

• breadcrumbs on top olives
• peas or corn cheese
• any spice combination 

VARIATIONS

• ground  beef, turkey, or pork instead of lentils and sausage
• swiss chard or collards instead of cabbage

RECIPE

1. Heat the oven to 350  °F.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan  over medium heat. Slice the casing off the sausage and crumble the raw meat into the pan.  I used fresh chorizo because it is easy to find in my  neighborhood and I love the spicy,  smoky flavor, but you  should use whatever your favorite is. A sweet Italian sausage would taste great too. Sauté the meat until it is no longer pink,  then move  it to a large bowl.
3. Saute the onion  and garlic in the same  pan,  with the sausage drippings. Once the onion  turns translucent, add the cabbage and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender enough to jab easily with a fork. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. While the cabbage  cooks,  mix the rice and lentils into the sausage bowl.  Add salt, pepper, and any  other spices you would  like. I would suggest repeating whatever spices are in the sausage: in the case of chorizo, that was  paprika, cumin, and dried chilies, but if you  were using Italian sausage, you  might add some fennel seeds. Make sure you  taste the mixture as you  season  it. If both parts of the casserole are tasty, you will  end up with a delicious meal.  If they are not seasoned  well, it will be bland.
5. Lightly oil a large casserole dish. Spread the lentil-rice-sausage mixture into an even layer. Next, spread the cabbage  mixture on top. Then,  as evenly  as possible,  pour the puréed tomatoes over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Bake until hot and bubbly, approximately 30 minutes.

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - SAVORY SUMMER COBBLER FOR FOUR

SAVORY SUMMER COBBLER
FOR FOUR

Celebrate summer's most ubiquitous vegetables, tomato and zucchini, with a crunchy Southern biscuit topping.

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 medium zucchini or summer squash, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 3-4 large tomatoes, canned or fresh, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zested
• ¼ cup fresh basil (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

TOPPING

• 1½  cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ cup sharp cheddar, grated
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup milk

RECIPE

1. Put the butter for the topping in the freezer for 30 minutes. Set the oven to 425  °F.
2. Lightly oil an 8" x 10" baking dish (or any  baking dish that will accommodate the mixture) and pile in the vegetables, garlic, scallions,  lemon  zest, and basil. Pour the olive oil, salt, and pepper over top and mix it up with your hands. Bake the vegetables for 25 minutes while  you  prepare the biscuit topping.
3. For the topping,  measure out the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and cheese into a bowl.  Mix it up!
4. Once the butter is frozen, use a box grater to flake the butter into the flour mixture. Gently massage the butter into the flour with your fingers until it's crumbly but still clumpy. Add the milk and quickly bring the dough together. Don't knead  the dough: lumpiness is fine and results in flaky topping. Put it in the fridge until the vegetables come out of the oven.
5. Once the vegetable mixture has cooked for 25 minutes, quickly top it with small  clumps of biscuit dough. The vegetables should still be visible in some areas.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are bubbly and the topping is lightly browned. Top with some more chddar and some chopped  herbs, then enjoy!
7. For a variation, swap  the zucchini for eggplant. Chop the eggplant into bite-sized pieces, salt them, and set them aside for 30 minutes before continuing with the recipe as you  would with the zucchini.

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - CAULIFLOWER CHEESE

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE FOR FOUR 

FOR FOUR

This is a classic side dish in Great Britain: creamy, cheesy sauce over cauliflower, baked in the oven until the edges get crunchy and bubbly. It's like a healthier and more flavorful version of macaroni and cheese. Alternatively, try this with broccoli or cooked winter squash—everyone will love it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups milk
• 6 oz sharp cheddar, grated
• salt and pepper

ADDITIONS

• breadcrumbs (p. 146)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp thyme

RECIPE

1. Set the oven to 400 °F. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.  Add the salt and the cauliflower, then leave it for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, butter a baking dish large enough tocomfortably accommodate all the cauliflower. I usually use a pie dish. Drain the water from the cauliflower and pour it into the baking dish.
2. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic, chili flakes, and bay leaf, then cook for about 1 minute. Add the flour and stir quickly. The flour-butter mixture is called a roux. You want the roux to get just a little brown; this will probably take another minute. Slowly add the milk to the pot, stirring all the while to incorporate the roux. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring every now and then to make sure the sauce doesn't get scorched on the bottom. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Drop in any additions at this point. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. You should have a creamy, smooth, savory sauce. 
3. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower. Place the dish in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is brown and bubbly. You can also add some breadcrumbs to the top of the dish before baking if you like extra crunch. Enjoy with a green salad. I also like mine with salsa.

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GOOD AND CHEAP DINNER RECIPES - TOFU HOT POT FOR FOUR

TOFU HOT POT 

FOR FOUR

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp ginger  root, finely grated
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 8 cups water
• ½ lb mushrooms,  chopped
• 1 tsp chili paste
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 16 oz firm tofu
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 8 oz dried  spaghetti, soba, or any Asian noodles bean sprouts (optional)

ADDITIONS

• chicken,  pork, or beef peanuts, chopped cabbage, chopped kimchi
• chili peppers fresh cilantro
• daikon radish,  sliced

RECIPE

1. If you  have time, freeze the ginger root for an hour before you start. It's much easier to grate when frozen! Store the rest of the root in the freezer until the next time you  need it.
2.  Drop the grated ginger root and garlic into a pot over medium heat. A few seconds  later, once you  can start to smell the garlic, pour in the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
3.  Add the mushrooms, chili paste, soy sauce,  and toasted sesame oil. Place a lid on the pot and let simmer for 20 minutes.
4.  Separate the white and green parts of the scallions.  You'll cook the white and save the green to sprinkle over the soup.
5.  Cut the tofu into four slices, then turn each slice into eight squares. Or just chop it up however you  like.
6.  Add the tofu, carrots, and the white parts of the scallions  to the broth. Cook about 10 minutes more, until the carrots are tender.
7.  Add the noodles  and keep boiling  until they soften, usually just a few minutes, although it depends  on the type of noodles.
8.  Taste the broth. If it isn't salty enough, splash  in more soy sauce.  Adjust the sesame  oil and chili paste to your taste as well.
9.  Ladle the soup  into bowls. For a little crunch, top with bean sprouts and the green bits of the scallions.

If you  have leftovers, you'll  find you  like this soup  even more the next day. 

Overnight, the flavors will infuse  into the tofu, as well as combining with each other. You might want to store the noodles  separately, though, because otherwise they'll get soggy.

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