Looking for more economical recipes that don't involve canned chili or hot dogs? Kevin Weeks, a food writer at Gather.com, does a twice-monthly column called Paisano, which offers luscious-yet-affordable rustic recipes from culinary traditions worldwide. Think rich, slow-cooked, peasant-y foods - sumac-spiced chicken kebabs, steak and mushroom pie, lamb with caramelized onions. Stuff from cultures that, out of necessity, invented really really tasty ways to use up that cheap cut of beef. I might try the Middle Eastern-inflected chicken kebabs, marinated with yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and spices, over green salad for a quick warm-weather dinner. Do you have any favorite peasant recipes in your repertoire?
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-25-2008 @ 2:18PM
Gordon said...
did you really mean to say "Middle Eastern-inflected"?
Hopefully a spell checker mistake.
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4-25-2008 @ 8:46PM
Red Icculus said...
Unfortunately, lamb is a delicacy in North America. Fish sticks are not.
http://trashyeats.com
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4-26-2008 @ 7:44PM
The Postindustrialist said...
as beautiful as they look, and I'm sure they taste quite delicious, I don't think I'm going to find sumac very easily, and what was once considered a "peasant" dish rarely fits into the category of "affordable" these days.
Recently though, I've been playing with lentils, barley, and other grains that still come in 1lb. bags and cost less than a dollar.
It's easy to cook up a pot of lentils, grill a few spiced up boneless pork ribs, and serve with rice and whatever vegetables I might have on hand, (though it's a bit early to start "collecting" what my gardening friends might have too much of...)
I suppose in some ways, it could be considered peasant food in its essence, because it's made with what i have on hand that's incredibly cheap, but it doesn't call for exotics like the sumac called for in the recipe you linked to, or the rack of lamb in prior article.
His column seems somewhat hit and or miss on what's really inexpensive and readily available.
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4-28-2008 @ 9:58AM
Annie said...
I have a very cheap version of the French jellied ham and parsley recipe (jambon persil1é) that I developed once when I was out of work. Five portions for under $4
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