Shrimp Fried Rice

Sometimes I crave fried rice but knowing how much it costs at restaurants I’m never really willing to pay as much as they want. While watching a Japanese cooking show one time a chef said that the trick to flaky fried rice was to soak day old rice in scrambled egg. That’s what I did here as well as giving it a Korean twist.

Ingredients:

• ¾ Cup day old jasmine rice
• 2~3 stalks (?) baby bok choy, chopped
• A handful of snow peas, cut in half
• ½ medium onion, sliced
• 8 small/medium sized shrimp
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• Soy Sauce
• Korean Pepper Paste (Gochujang; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gochujang)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1) Peel and devein shrimp.

2) Into scrambled egg add a couple tablespoons of soy sauce and gochujang.

3) Add day old rice to the egg mixture.

4) Into a large skillet (wok if you have one) heat oil (vegetable or peanut) and cook shrimp. As the shrimp is turning pink add vegetables.

5) Once shrimp and vegetables have cooked through add rice.

Serve.

(If very sensitive to gluten, use Tamari instead of Soy Sauce.)

Shrimp and Cheesy Grits!!

Seriously. This is just gonna turn into a Southern Style cookblog. I swear I must've been Southern in a past life.
Anywho... Onto the classic Southern dish.
Shrimp and Grits!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb shrimp (around 6~10 shrimp depending on how big your shrimp are), peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup polenta
• ½ bell pepper
• ¼ Onion
• 1/3 cob corn
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1: Cut corn off the cob. Chop bell pepper and onion.

2: In a skillet heat a small amount of oil, add corn, bell pepper, and onion. Salt and pepper.

3: Boil milk in a pot, add polenta.

4: Add corn, bell pepper, and onion to polenta.

5: Coat shrimp with salt and pepper, cook shrimp.

6: To polenta add shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7: Plate and enjoy!

Cost breakdown:

• Shrimp: $5.49/4= $1.37
• Polenta: $1.69/8= $0.21
• Bell pepper: $0.30/2= $0.15
• Onion: $0.20/4= $0.05
• Corn: $0.39/3= $0.13
• Milk: $0.30/cup x ½ cup= $0.15
• Cheddar Cheese: $3.02/3= $1.00

Total: $1.37+$0.21+$0.15+$0.05+$0.13+$0.15+$1.00=b
Side note I: I did have some left over polenta though…

Just Keep Swimmin'...

Or you'll get caught in a net (or a fishing pole?) and get eaten by a human.

Ingredients:
2 Mackerel Fillets
Salt

Filleting a Mackerel:
1) Take a paring and slit the stomach, throw out all the guts and rinse the fish.

2) Take a kitchen knife and cut into the fish behind the head/right behind the main body's fin
3) Take paring knife (again) and cut down the spine

4) Slowly move knife along the bones and through the fish.
5) Repeat on other side

6) Cut each fillet into halves
I learned from watching this youtube video. Beware though, the instructions are in Japanese. He's also a pro and probably uses a really nice knife. Lol.

To cook:

1) Generously coat each side of fillet with salt.
Side note II: Because of the natural oily-ness of mackerel, it doesn't really need much.

2) Skin side down, place fillets into a hot pan. Flip over when skin easily peels away from pan. 

I served it over some of the leftover rice porridge I had but it would go well with regular white rice and a salad as well. It's a simple dish.

Cost:
1/2 Mackerel: $2/2= $1

Total:
$1+Rice Porridge

Shrimp and Potatoes Au Gratin (Scalloped Potatoes)

Usually I make my au gratin with macaroni but since I didn't have any I figured I'd use potatoes, since I did have those.

• 1/3 lb Shrimp
• 3~4 Russet potatoes depending on size
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons Bisquick mix
• ½ onion (not pictured)
• 2~3 cups milk
• Salt and Pepper
• ¼ ~ 1/3 block of mozzarella (not pictured)
• Green onions for garnish

1) Peel potatoes and slice with ¼ inch width

2) Boil potatoes for about 10~15 minutes or until soft with a fork.

3) If shrimp is not, peel and de-vein.

4)In a skillet melt butter.

5) Chop onion and add to butter. Cook until onions start sweating.

6) Add Bisquick mix. Keep stirring until flour toasts to a nutty brown color.

7) Add shrimp, cook until shrimp gets a pretty pink color.

8) Add about a cup of milk, allow mixture to thicken.

9) Add more milk. Keep adding milk until combination gets a cream like consistency. Add salt and pepper.

10) In a baking pan layer potatoes and roux as if you are making lasagna.

11) On the final layer top with mozzarella and green onions.

12) Bake in an oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Cost breakdown:

• Shrimp: 0.33 lbs at $5.49/lb= $1.81
• Potatoes: 3 x $0.06/each= $0.18
• Butter: $0.72/8= $0.09/tablespoon 
• $0.09 x2= $0.18
• Bisquick: [2/(16/3)] x $0.15= $0.04 
• 1/3 of a cup is 5 1/3 tablespoons, or 16/3 tablespoons
• Onion: $0.20 x ½= $0.10
• Milk: $0.30 x 2.5= $0.75
• Mozzarella: $2.89/4= 0.72

Total: $1.81+ $0.18+ $0.18+ $0.04+ $0.10+ $0.75+ $0.72= $3.78

Total per serving: $3.78/4= $0.95

Cioppino

I. Love. Cioppino. So. Much.
But it’d be so damn expensive to actually make.

Here’s my simplified version.
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• ½ pound calamari
• 4 fillets anchovy (about 1/3 of a can)
• ½ can tomato sauce
• ½ can diced tomatoes
• ½ cup milk
• A handful of basil.
• Like the cilantro, I cut and froze my basil in water. I used two cubes.
• Salt and pepper

1) Clean and cut calamari into bite size chunks.

2) Heat some oil in a skillet and cook calamari until tender. About 5 minutes (don’t forget to salt and pepper).

3) In a small pot combine tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.

4) After tomatoes are heated add calamari.

5) Chop anchovy into small pieces.

6) Add salt, pepper, basil, and anchovy.

7) Add milk. Let come to a simmer.

8) Serve.

Side note I: I served it with a biscuit but a slice of French or sourdough bread would be great too.

Cost breakdown:

• Calamari: $2.49/lb x ½ lb= $1.25
• Anchovy: $1.59/3= $0.53
• Tomato Sauce: $0.99/2= $0.50
• Diced Tomatoes: $1.19/2= $0.60
• Milk: $2.39/8= $0.30 
• $0.30/2= $0.15
• Basil: $0.99/14= $0.07 
• $0.07x2= $0.14
• Biscuit: $0.10 (See http://foodieambitions.blogspot.com/2013/06/im-southern-not-really-but-i-wish-i-was.html for full breakdown)

Total: $1.25+ $0.53+ $0.50+ $0.60+ $0.15+ $0.14= $3.17
Total per serving: $3.17/2= $1.59 per serving
Per serving+ Biscuit: $1.59+$0.10= $1.69

"Pasta" with Cabbage and Anchovy

I was looking through a food magazine and I thought something like this would be delicious and simple to make.

Ingredients:

• ¼ head (small) cabbage
• 4 anchovy fillets (about 1/3 of the can)
• 18 wontons 
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Side note I: When I went to Target I couldn’t help but pick up a pack of butter. I love butter. And butter loves me. 
• Salt and Pepper

1) Take wontons and cut into ¼ inch strips. 

Side note II: Admittedly, it might be easier for most people just buy some dried pasta. Although I thought the end product tasted good, the “pasta” did stick together after I boiled it.

2) Cut cabbage into ¼ inch chunks.

3) In a large skillet heat butter and pour about a ½~1 tablespoon of olive oil from the anchovies into the pan.

Cook cabbage. While cabbage cook take anchovy fillets and cut into small pieces.

4) Add anchovy into skillet.

5) Taste. Then salt and pepper.
Side note III: It’s important to taste because there’s a bunch of salt in the anchovies. If you don’t taste you may be wayyyyy over salting your dish than need be.

6) While cabbage and anchovy cooks, quickly cook pasta. Only 3~4 minutes.

7) Drain pasta and add to skillet.

8) Serve.

Cost breakdown:

• Cabbage: $0.78/4= $0.20
• Wontons: $0.02 x 18= $0.36
• Anchovy: $1.59/3= $0.53
• Butter: $2.88/4 sticks= $0.72
•  $0.72/8= $0.09

Total: $0.20+$0.36+$0.53+$0.08= $1.17

Calamari Risotto

I’ve always wanted to make risotto and my friend was coming over for dinner so I thought this was the perfect chance. I think that seafood is a little bit of a luxury, so I tagged it as $plurge. Lol.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Squid Calamari
• ¾ Onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 4-5 cups stock/broth (not pictured)
• Olive Oil
• Green Onion for Garnish (Optional)

1) If calamari isn’t clean, clean calamari. Set aside legs for another day. Cut into ½ inch bites.

2) Chop up garlic. Set half aside.

3) In a pan pour enough olive oil to coat. Heat. Then add garlic and calamari. Cook until calamari is tender to the bite. Shouldn’t be longer than 4~5 minutes.

4) Set calamari aside.

5) Mince onion.

6) Heat broth/stock until boiling.
Side note I: I used the chicken broth I made a few days ago. It was frozen so I had to melt it down. I also added some more water since it was such a concentrated solution.

7) In same pan heat more oil, add garlic and onion.

8) When onion has turned translucent, add rice.

9) Once rice is toasted add about 1 cup of broth at a time. Stir constantly.

10) After broth is absorbed, add another cup of broth. Repeat process until rice is cooked to al dente.

11) Fold calamari back in.

12) Plate and add chopped green onion for garnish.

Cost Breakdown:

• Calamari: 1lb @ $2.49
• Arborio Rice: 1 cup (about ½ lb) $1.27
• Garlic: $0.48/18= $0.06 
• $0.06 x4= $0.24
• Onion: $0.20 x ¾ =$0.15
• Broth: $2.08 x ¾ = $1.56 (See this post for full break down)

Total: $2.49+ $1.27+ $0.24+ $0.15+ $1.56= $5.71
Total per Serving (2~3) = $5.71/2= $2.86/serving OR $5.71/3= $1.90/serving

Side note II: This was a little much for two people. I think it could’ve realistically fed three people.