Cold and Hungary?

It was one of those nights when I got home from work late. By the time I arrived at my front gate, the chill and fog had found their way into my bones. It was time for an intervention: the kind that only a big bear hug or a cup of hot soup can provide. I am proud to say I was successful on at least one of those fronts.

RICH AND CREAMY* HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP
*BUT HEALTHY!

I copied this recipe from Allrecipes.com because all the commenters were just raving about it. After I made it, I realized why. However, I made some slight modifications to their recipe to reduce the monetary and caloric commitment: I replaced dried dill weed with just dill (dried dill weed costs about $8, while regular old dried dill costs $1.49) I used a bag of dried mushrooms instead of fresh (it was what I had on hand), I did not use parsley or sour cream, and I reduced the amount of butter from 4 tablespoons to 2.5 tablespoons. It made a great cheap and easy dinner, with leftovers. My only critique is that next time I'd make more!

THE GOODS

2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter  ($1.49 or less for 2 sticks)
2 cups chopped onions ($0.40)
1 bag of dried mushrooms, or 1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced ($1.99)
2 teaspoons dried dill ($1.49)
1 tablespoon paprika ($1.29)
1 tablespoon soy sauce ($1.49)
2 cups chicken broth ($1.99)
1 cup milk ($1.49)

2 teaspoons lemon juice - from 1 lemon ($0.29)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste

The Grand Total: $11.92, and it will last me for at least 2 meals
The Time Commitment: about 50 minutes--15 to prep, 35 minutes to cook

THE WAY 

First, if you're using dried mushrooms, you have to prepare them. Boil some water. In the meantime, rinse the mushrooms with warm water. Then pour the boiling water over them and let them soak for 10-15 minutes. Drain them.

Chop the onions. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. 

Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. 

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. 

In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve immediately.

Girl Meets Grill

Inspired by a really awesome dish I order at Terroni in Los Angeles, I created my own version. But first, I cozied up to George (Forman).

GRILLED SHITAKE MUSHROOMS WITH ARUGULA AND PARMESAN

THE GOODS

Shitake mushrooms ($1.50 - I bought a basket of the ugly ones for cheap at the Farmer's Market - THE UGLY ONES NEED LOVE TOO!)
Arugula ($1.00 at Farmer's Market)
Parmesan ($2.99 for a tub of freshly shaved Romano, Pecorino, Parmesan at Trader Joe's)
Balsamic Vinegar/Olive Oil (I used my friend's truffle oil that she got as a party favor at a work function... ah, the for-profit world....)
Salt/Pepper

The Grand Total: $5.49 or less (e.g. if you have parmesan)

THE WAY

Wash your mushrooms by using a damp paper towel to wipe off any dirt. You don't want to decapitate them (or else).

Spray your grill--or George Forman in my case--with Pam. Heat it up. If you don't have a grill, this would still be delicious on the fry pan.

Toss on your mushrooms. I used about 10. Season with salt and pepper and let them grill for about 10 mins. or until they look delectable.

Heap the cooked mushrooms on top of a mound of arugula. Top off with parmesan and drizzle with balsamic and oil. Shroomy.

Chinatown Cheap

PORTABELLA MUSHROOM MUSHU

The grand total:  $6.17 per person (for 2), LOTS of leftovers!

The saga begins on Stockton and Broadway in a little town called San Francisco. My roommate and I were making Shabbat dinner. So we went straight to Chinatown. How old fashioned of us.

THE GOODS

 *Bought 'em in Chinatown, unless otherwise noted

 

$0.25 Scallions (I bought a pack of 6 cuz it was just that cheap)

$1.49 Soy Sauce

$1.39 Hoisin Sauce

$1.21 Pack of 30 mushu pancakes

$1.29 Chinese five spice seasoning

$0.20 A nub o' ginger (Confession: It's sold by weight. I broke off a lil bit)

$1.31 Bean Sprouts

$.20 Garlic

$2 pack of mixed cabbage/veggies (on special at Safeway)

$2.99 6 pack portabella 'shrooms (Trader Joe's)

(If you have honey and/or sugar, use that too for a little added sweetness.)

THE RECIPE

*Worked off this Food Network recipe for ideas but made it my own.

Peel the ginger. Chop the garlic and ginger into tiny pieces. Wash and slice the mushrooms. Spray a large skillet with Pam or 2 tbsp. of oil (whatever you have on hand - peanut or sesame would be preferable but beggars can't be choosers). Place it on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Add a tsp. of Chinese Five Spice Seasoning (more to taste). 

Let the mushrooms cook for 5 mins., stirring occasionally. Add a cup of soy sauce and spoonful of honey or sugar. Add 2 cups each of the cabbage and bean sprouts to the mushrooms. Let veggies cook for another 5-10 mins., or until they look soft and brown and taste good. If they start to look dry, add more soy sauce, but beware of making it too salty!

While the veggies cook, slice the scallions into little pieces. Steam the mushu pancakes by placing as many as you're going to use (we each had 2) on a microwave safe plate. Place a wet paper towel over them, then cover with another plate and microwave for 1 min. Then spread 1-2 tbsp. hoisin sauce on each. Slosh a big scoop o' cooked veggies on each one, then add some uncooked/still crunchy cabbage and bean sprouts. Wrap them up like burritos. Chow down.

DESSERT?

The bad news: we decided our wallets weren't big enough to purchase fortune cookies.

The good news: we made our own happy endings... Chinese Crepes.

If you're interested, steam mushu pancakes in the microwave the same way you did for dinner. Slather the insides with butter, sugar or honey (I used about 2-3 tablespoons of sugar) and lemon zest. Fold the corners in to make a pocket and sprinkle lemon zest on top. Holler at your girl.

If you're as clever and sweet-craving as me, you've noticed you can also use nutella or any other fruit you have on hand to fold into these Chinese-French pockets of love.

Until next time....