Golden State Gourmet for a Budget Friendly #SundaySupper

Golden State Gourmet

The #SundaySupper Movement is tackling budget friendly dishes this week, so I thought I'd use this opportunity to test the accuracy of a TV show's assertion. Melissa d'Aranian won the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star in 2009, which resulted in her cooking show Ten Dollar Dinners. The tagline for the program is four people, ten bucks, infinite possibilities.

The Challenge

Can the dishes contained in one episode of Ms. d'Arabian's TV show be prepared with a budget of $10? Considering inflation, I chose an episode from her most recent season. In this particular case, Golden State Gourmet, which first aired in August of 2012.

The Source

The episode contains recipes for a roasted chicken, a tomatillo sauce and an Asian cole slaw.

Ingredients

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 Anaheim chile, seeded, deveined
1 white onion, quartered
1 jalapeño chile, seeded, deveined, 1/2 left whole and 1/2 chopped finely, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 3 1/2-pound roasting chicken, giblets removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
4 flatbreads or pita breads, warm, for serving
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1/2 green bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Make the sauce: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, toss the tomatillos, garlic, Anaheim chile, white onion and the half of the jalapeño left whole with the olive oil, salt and pepper and put on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast the vegetables until the tomatillos turn a dark-green color and the onions golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let the vegetables cool slightly. Peel the garlic and transfer all the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the lime juice and season with more salt and pepper, to taste. (This sauce can be made 1 day ahead, covered and chilled.)

2. Roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Combine the butter and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry inside and out. Season the inside of the chicken with the salt and pepper, then apply the butter mixture to the outside of the chicken with a brush, then season with additional salt and pepper. Truss the chicken, then place it in a roasting pan fitted with a rack and roast the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken thigh (without touching bone) reads 165° Fahrenheit, about 1 hour. (If the chicken is browning too quickly in the oven, lightly tent the chicken with aluminum foil.) Transfer the chicken to a platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil, about 20 minutes to allow for any carryover cooking.

3. While the chicken cooks, prepare the cole slaw: Whisk the vegetable oil, vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce and sugar in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the green onions, onions, cabbage, the chopped jalapeño and green pepper in a large bowl. Toss the salad with enough of the dressing to coat, and season salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve, mix in the cilantro and garnish with the peanuts. Serve with warmed flatbreads.

Successful?

The preparation of this dish is simple, but the mise en place is a little labor intensive, however it wasn't anything I couldn't control. From a flavor profile standpoint, it was a very light and refreshing dish. Mrs. Stuntman normally eats white rice with her meals, but she enjoyed the dish without.

Execution aside, how much did the meal cost? Many of the staples I already had in the pantry but I was going to the supermarket anyway so I priced out the items:

Butter: $2.49 for 32 tablespoons (or 1 package of 4 sticks); Cost: $0.31
Sesame oil: $2.19 for 8 fluid ounces (or 48 teaspoons); Cost: $0.18
Salt: $0.72 for 123 teaspoons; Cost: approximately $0.01-$0.02
Pepper: $2.19 for 2 ounces (or 27 teaspoons, according to gourmetsleuth.com); Cost: $0.08
Garlic: $0.33 for 1 head (10 cloves in this particular head); Cost: $0.03
Extra-virgin olive oil: $17.34 for 2 liters (or approximately 134 tablespoons); Cost: $0.13
Vegetable oil: $7.14 for 1 gallon (or 256 tablespoons); Cost: $0.11
Rice vinegar: $2.19 for 12 fluid ounces (or 24 tablespoons); Cost: $0.18
Soy sauce: $5.29 for 2 quarts (or 384 teaspoons); Cost: $0.01
white sugar: $2.64 for 4 pounds (or approximately 435 teaspoons); Cost: less than $0.00
Cilantro: $0.50 per bunch; Cost: approximately $0.01-$0.02

The items I had to purchase:

Whole chicken: 3.51 pounds at $1.69 per pound; Cost: $5.93
Pita breads: $2.29 for a package of 8 breads; Cost: $1.14
Tomatillo: 0.85 pounds at $1.99 per pound; Cost: $1.69
Anaheim chile: 0.19 pounds at $0.97 per pound; Cost: $0.18
Jalapeño chile: 0.15 pounds at $0.97 per pound; Cost: $0.15
Lime: $0.34 for 1 lime; Cost: $0.17
Ginger: 0.09 pounds at $2.99 per pound; Cost: $0.27
Green onions: $0.77 per bunch of 6 onions; Cost: $0.38
White onion: $0.99 per onion; Cost: $0.99
Red cabbage: 2.06 pounds at $0.99 per pound; Cost: 1.02
Green bell pepper: $0.49 per pepper; Cost: $0.49
Peanuts: $3.34 for 16 ounces (or approximately 53 tablespoons); Cost: $0.12

Grand total: $13.60

Obviously over the $10 budget by 36%, however it still works out to $3.40 per serving which is cheaper than a kids' meal at the drive thru (not to mention better, healthier food). I emailed Ms. d'Arabian's people to respond to my findings and will update if I get a reply.

Other Sunday Supper Participants

And finally, please check out this week's other Sunday Supper participants:

Starters, Soups, and Salads

• Lentil Soup {Linsensuppe} from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Gado-gado from The Urban Mrs.
• Ramping Up Instant Ramen from girlichef

Main

• Salmon Lasagna from Blueberries and Blessings
• Kadun Pika from The Foodie Army Wife
• Mushroom and Artichoke Quiche with Red Pepper Puree from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pasta Carbonara from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• San Francisco Special Breakfast Burritos from Gourmet Drizzles
• Chicken Divan from Simply Gourmet
• Chicken and Brown Rice with Veggies and Mushrooms from Daily Dish Recipes
• The Cod Puffs War {Duelo de Buñuelos de Bacalao} from My Cute Bride
• From the Pantry Peanut Noodles from Supper for a Steal
• Pasta Puttanesca from Juanita’s Cocina
• Hawaiian Grilled Cheese from Home Cooking Memories
• Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas from I Run For Wine
• Browned Butter Pasta with Collards from Momma’s Meals
• Turkey and Acini Di Pepe Skillet from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Golden State Gourmet from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas from Chocolate Moosey
• Tonkatsu {Pork Cutlet} from Damn Delicious
• Tarka Dal {Spicy Curry Lentils} from Food Lust People Love
• Kung Pao Tofu from Ninja Baking
• Roasted Honey Mustard Chicken from Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Four-Cheese Risotto with Turkey Italian Sausage from The Weekend Gourmet
• Chicken with Sauteed Asparagus and Lemons from The Lovely Pantry
• Salvage-Your-Vegetables Frittata from Daddy Knows Less

Sides

• English Baked Beans from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Southern-style Black-eyed Peas from Magnolia Days
• Classic Macaroni and Cheese from The Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
• Baked Beans from What Smells So Good?
• Hearts of Palm Mix Rice from Basic N Delicious

Drinks and Desserts

• Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Frappe from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Portuguese Rice Pudding {Arroz Doce} from Family Foodie

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