Fun With Frugality

Of all the varieties of entertaining, there is none more personal, more appreciated than a dinner party. It's at the heart of every culture, this communal breaking of bread. Is there anything more flattering than to be invited to dinner? Yet while I adore having people over for dinner, it can wreak havoc on a food budget. Since I (and just about everyone I know) has a limited or even meager amount of money to spend on food, the dinner party plans often evaporate. Does that mean you're relegated to hosting two or three dinner parties a year? Or can parties be economical and memorable?

Our mission, if the writers decided to accept it, was to create and execute a dinner party for four for $50. That's party, not meal. What's the difference? As if you didn't know, it's an attitude as much as a menu. But it's the menu too. It means multiple courses and beverages, which can be tricky. Fifty dollars seemed a reasonable amount to spend: challenging yet obtainable. Below are the results of the assignment from six members of the Chronicle food staff. All of them met the challenge, some with more difficulty than others. The menus run the gamut and globe from Tibet to Italy, and there are plenty of ideas that should provide inspiration for a multitude of parties. Get on the phone and make those invitations. Dinner is served, and it will only hurt your budget a little.

Wes Marshall

Providence is on our side in at least one way. The fresh food items that are the cheapest are generally the items in season, so in meeting the $50 dinner challenge we can lean on the newly picked produce to form the bulk of the meal. Philosophically, I am a fan of slow-cooked foods; I think your friends can taste and appreciate the effort you put into your food. Therefore, if I can't spend a lot of money, I can still spend a lot of time. I also believe that having everyone together in the kitchen, working with a knife or stirring a pot, enriches the whole experience. So I call my buddy Stephen and ask him to come up with a great summer dish that he'd like to prepare. Gazpacho, he says, right off the bat. I get his recipe and head off to the store to find food and matching wine for under $50.

Gazpacho

Serves 4

3 pounds of fresh tomatoes run through a food mill, $3.50

1 cucumber, peeled, cored, and finely chopped, 34 cents

1 green bell pepper, peeled, cored, and finely chopped, 50 cents

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped, 26 cents

1 stalk celery, finely chopped, 20 cents

3 garlic cloves, minced, 25 cents

2 tbsp. capers, finely chopped, from the pantry

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, finely chopped, 99 cents

2 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped, 50 cents

1/2 cup white wine vinegar, from the pantry

1/2 cup beef or chicken stock, 59 cents

1/4 cup olive oil, from the pantry

2 12 oz. cans of tomato juice, $1.98

1 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce, from the pantry

Zest of 1 lemon, 20 cents

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, from the pantry

Total: $9.31

Mix all ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl and chill well before serving. The longer the gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop, so chilling overnight is ideal. When serving, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro, if desired. For those who desire a spicier gazpacho, add Tabasco or Tapatío Brand Hot Sauce to desired level of heat.

Margaritas, $9.11

Gazpacho, $9.31

Pork Butt Braised in Syrah, $14.10

Cornbread, 78 cents

Cole Slaw, $1.59

Vidal Fleury Cotes du Rhone, $10.99

Watermelon Infused With Triple Sec, $3.99

Total: $49.87

Mick Vann

I decided on a starter of a spicy salad of smoked trout and shredded green mango (Trey Ang) from Cambodia. It's a rich, refreshing, and tangy blend of smoked fish, aromatic herbs, and piquant spices. Following the salad was a Thai dish (Moo Kratiem Phrik Thai) of pork cubes braised in a blend of sweet black soy, tons of garlic, and black pepper (the original source of heat in Thai cuisine before the introduction of the chile). I next brought out the definitive Tibetan appetizer: spinach- and cheese-filled dumplings (Tse tang Churo Momo). Similar to a steamed Chinese potsticker, this version is a non-meat delight, especially when dipped into the incendiary Nepalese chile sauce (Sonam Penzom Sibeh) that accompanies it. This dish was very inexpensive and loaded with intense flavor, yet provided six large delicious dumplings per guest. Topping off the dinner was the pungent Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac) served on a bed of watercress. These are tender cubes of sirloin beef seasoned with lemongrass and chile paste, resting on a layer of sautéed onions.

Smoked Trout and Green Mango Salad

Serves 4

Yoam Makah Trey Ang, Cambodia

Preserving fish by smoking is quite common throughout Southeast Asia. The area around Angkor Wat, near the northern end of Tonle Sap Lake, is widely known for its excellent smoked fish. Any smoked freshwater fish will work in this recipe (I prefer using smoked trout). Sautéeing the smoked fish is optional, but provides a crisp textural contrast.

Salad:

1/2 medium smoked trout, boned, $1.50

2 tbsp. butter for pan frying, 15 cents

1 green mango, peeled, pitted, julienned, $1

1 small carrot, peeled, julienned, 10 cents

3 tbsp. red onion, thinly sliced, 15 cents

2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, 10 cents

2 tbsp. mint leaves, 35 cents

Butter lettuce leaves for plate liners, $1.50

Minced scallion as garnish, 25 cents

Dressing: yields one quarter cup

4 to 5 small Thai chiles, minced, 5 cents

1 tsp. garlic, minced, 5 cents

1 tbsp. shallot, minced, 10 cents

1 tbsp. galangal, minced, 10 cents

1 tbsp. cilantro stems, minced, 5 cents

2 tbsp. rice vinegar, 15 cents

1 tbsp. fish sauce, 10 cents

1 tbsp. sugar, 5 cents

Total: $5.75

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Reserve at room temperature (can be made one day in advance). Heat the butter in a skillet and quickly fry the smoked trout fillets. Remove and drain on paper towels. Combine the mango, carrot, red onion, cilantro, and mint in a non-reactive bowl and toss well. Dress the salad with 5 to 6 tbsp. of the dressing. Toss to coat. To serve, line a plate with lettuce leaves, top with some of the dressed salad and drizzle the fish fillets with 2 to 3 tbsp. of dressing to coat. Slice the fillets into sections and arrange pieces of the smoked fish on the salad. Garnish with minced scallion.

Notes: Remove the skin of the smoked fish if you prefer to not sauté the smoked fish. Smoked, farm-raised catfish makes an excellent substitute for the trout, if available, or you may choose to smoke your own. Smoked mudfish may be found in Oriental markets, and this would be the most traditional option.

Smoked Trout and Green Mango Salad, $ 5.75

Pork Cubes With Sweet Black Soy, Garlic, and Pepper, $6.27

Spinach and Cheese Momo Dumplings With Chile Sauce, $5.98

Shaking Beef, $6.85

Fortune Cookies, $1

Tsing Tao Beer, 2 six packs, $15.13

Total: $40.98

MM Pack

When Barbara threw down the gauntlet, challenging the food writers to dream up a dinner party for four on 50 bucks, I accepted with a gleam in my eye. By inclination, genetic proclivity, and periodic necessity, I like nothing better than proving that, by applying some imagination and ingenuity, preparing flavorful, interesting food doesn't have to break the bank. I turned to some favorite dishes from Spain that use ingredients that are easily and inexpensively obtainable here.

The heart of this meal was paella, undoubtedly Spain's most famous culinary export. Sadly, the usual delivery of paella (bizarrely yellow glop bristling baroquely with dubious-looking shellfish pieces) does poor justice to the honorable and unpretentious dish from Valencia that is traditionally cooked by men outdoors over a fire (an Iberian equivalent to the American barbecue). Paella is above all a rice dish, and the only required components are a shallow flat pan, short-grain rice, saffron, and a flavorful broth. Additional ingredients (whose purpose is to garnish the rice) are based on desire, whim, or what looks good in the market that day.

Paella Valenciana (a version)

Serves 4

6 cups chicken broth, $3.25

1 tsp. saffron threads, $1

3 tbsp. olive oil, 10 cents

1 onion, finely chopped, 15 cents

4 cloves garlic, minced, 10 cents

1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded, and chopped, $1

1 lb. boned chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, $1.35

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, $7.35

3-4 oz. country ham, minced, $2.50

(serrano, prosciutto, pancetta, or similar)

1 pork sausage, cut into small pieces, 80 cents

3 cups Arborio rice, $3

5 tbsp. chopped parsley, 25 cents

2 bay leaves, crumbled, from the pantry

1/2 cup dry white wine, 50 cents

1 tbsp. lemon juice, 10 cents

Salt to taste, from the pantry

1 pound green beans, tipped and cut into 1-inch lengths, $1

Total: $22.45

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Crumble the saffron into the broth and bring to a simmer. In a broad, flat, ovenproof pan (a big skillet will do in lieu of a paella pan), heat the olive oil and sauté the chicken pieces until golden. Remove the chicken and set aside. Sauté the shrimp until pink, and remove. Sauté the sausage and ham until brown and remove.

Sauté the onion, garlic, and pepper, until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat it well with the oil. Sprinkle in most of the parsley and bay leaf. Stir in the hot broth, wine, and lemon juice, and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken, shrimp, ham, sausage, and green beans. Place the uncovered pan in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes without stirring, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remainder of the parsley and serve in the pan.

Gazpacho Andaluz, $6

Paella Valenciana, $22.45

Baguette, $1.19

Sangria, $17.50

Fresh Cherry Sorbet and Bunuelos de Viento, $4.50

Total: $51.64

Rebecca Chastenet de Géry

Dinner for four for $50 or under didn't seem like a huge challenge to me given that I feed my little family of 4 on about $80 to $100 a week, wine included, relying on good, quality pantry staples. The challenge involved making this dinner party seem special to me and my guests, as opposed to just feeding two additional mouths on a random weeknight. The roast chicken came to mind immediately. The lemon rounds I stuff under the roaster's skin give it a festive look, and you can't go wrong with a generous helping of herbes de Provence (a pantry staple I'm never without) crusted on top.

Couscous has become a party favorite because it takes virtually no time to prepare and can be served room temperature, in other words, made ahead. I dressed the couscous up with a curry-spiked vinaigrette, a couple of dollops of plain yogurt, diced yellow bell pepper, and a box or two of kids' snack raisins.

On the wine front, I'm normally a red wine fan, but the white sangria was a way to stretch the beverage budget. It was light and easy -- a decent summertime quaff.

White Sangria

Serves 4 (2 or more drinks each)

1 liter bottle of Santa Carolina Chardonnay/Sauvignon blanc, $6.99

Bunch of seedless white grapes, $2.72

1 blood orange, 86 cents

1 small peach or nectarine, 50 cents

1 bottle Canada Dry Club soda, $1.19

Superfine sugar (89 cents a canister)

In a large pitcher, combine white wine and 1/2 cup superfine sugar and blend until sugar dissolves. Slice blood orange into 1/8-inch thick rounds and then quarter the rounds and add to wine. Cut peach or nectarine into small wedges and add to wine. Chill for at least 2 hours prior to serving. Freeze green grapes to be added to ice-filled high ball glasses or tumblers prior to serving. Add full bottle of club soda to wine just prior to serving, and taste for sugar. Adjust as necessary. Blend well, and serve, dividing fruit evenly among glasses.

1 lb. pistachios in the shell, $2.99

Buddy's Natural Roasted Lemon Chicken With Herbes de Provence, $8.80

Curried Couscous With Raisins and Yellow Bell Pepper, $2.89

Broiled Organic Tomatoes With a Parmesan Crust, $4.92

Apricot Tart, $2 (for the apricots; butter, flour, salt, from the pantry)

White Sangria, $13.15

Total: $34.75

Barbara Chisholm

My entrée was pretty easy: Some 10 years ago or so I came across a recipe from the Ritz Hotel in Paris for rabbit over fettuccine in a sage-mustard cream. I'm not Elmer Fudd, and rabbit isn't a meat typically found in American grocery stores, so I substituted chicken for rabbit and tarragon for sage. Eureka! The result is a velvety, rich, utterly delicious dish that has become a favorite party or celebration meal. The cost of the dish is not what elevates it from weekday standard to party dish: It's the scandalous richness of a sauce lustily imbued with cream and lots of butter. It also has the advantage of requiring only last-minute finishing after prepping early in the day. So, I know that it can serve as a cornerstone of the meal, but the trouble is, this rich dish usually calls for a wine that can stand beside it shoulder to shoulder and that usually means money. Fortunately, one of my guests works at the Grape Vine Market, so I put him to the difficult task of selecting wine for the meal within the budget.

Chicken with Fettucine in Tarragon-Mustard Cream

Serves 4

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, $3.29

9-11 tbsp. unsalted butter, $1.64 (that's two sticks, remainder used for peach tart and on table for spreading)

1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil, from the pantry

1/2 cup chicken broth, 66 cents (half a can)

1/2 cup dry white wine, (from the pantry or steal from dinner wine)

1 pound fettuccine, $1.99

3/4 cup whipping cream, 95 cents

2 tsp. dried tarragon, from the pantry

2 tbsp. dijon mustard, from the pantry

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt one tbsp. butter with one tbsp. oil over medium-high to high heat and brown chicken until golden, adding more fat if needed. Transfer to baking dish and bake until just cooked through, 7-9 minutes. Cut chicken into crosswise strips, cover with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, pour fat from skillet and add chicken broth and wine and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, scraping up browned bits, about 7 minutes. (Recipe can be prepared ahead to this point several hours in advance.)

Boil fettuccine to al dente, drain and toss with a tbsp. or so butter.

Heat skillet with broth/wine reduction over medium-high heat adding any juices that may have accumulated under the resting chicken. Whisk in whipping cream, tarragon, and mustard and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly, about two minutes. Whisk in remaining 7 to 8 tbsp. butter, one tbsp. at a time. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange fettuccine on platter, place sliced chicken over noodles and spoon sauce over and serve.

Crostini with roasted garlic and roasted tomatoes, $2.66

Chicken and fettuccine with tarragon-mustard cream, $8.53

Salad of romaine, avocado, egg, parsley with white wine vinaigrette made from staples, $1.82

Puff pastry peach tart, $5.08

Domaine Alary Daniel Et Denis Cotes du Rhone, $9.99

Grove Hill Sanctuary New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, $14.79

Tax: $2.04

Total: $44.91

Virginia B. Wood

I've had Italian-American cooking on the brain the past couple of months, so I opted for one of my all-time favorite dinner dishes, spaghetti and meatballs. The first time I remember eating spaghetti and meatballs was in the home of our mid-50s next-door neighbors, Fred and Anna DiGuilio. They were second- or third-generation Italian-Americans from somewhere on the East Coast, transferred to Midland by a major oil company. I remember they had a passel of gangly boys and sometimes invited us over to share spaghetti and meatballs with big slices of toasted bread dripping in garlic butter. Before I had the chance to learn any culinary secrets in the DiGuilio home, Fred put in his obligatory three years in Midland and was transferred up the oil company ladder to a more glamorous posting. I always prepare spaghetti and meatballs in their honor, if not from their recipe.

Today, my favorite recipe for this hearty peasant dish comes from a more famous Italian-American family, the Rao's of Rao's Restaurant in East Harlem, New York City. Rao's is a 100-year-old Italian restaurant made famous in the Seventies by a Mimi Sheraton review in The New York Times. The current proprietor, restaurateur/singer/sometimes Sopranos cast member Frank Pelligrino, wrote The Rao's Cookbook (Random House, $40) in 1998 to share his treasured family recipes and memorabilia. The Sunday Gravy (p.65) and Anna & Frankie's Meatballs (p.106) makes the most voluptuous meat sauce and toothsome meatballs that ever graced a bowl of noodles.

A good chunk of my $50 budget went to the various meats and cans of imported Italian plum tomatoes for the Sunday Gravy and the meatballs but, believe me, the finished product is well worth the expense. No one in our party was drinking that night but for a little more money, this menu could easily be paired with the product of another great Italian-American family. A bottle of Francis Ford Coppola's Niebaum-Coppola Rosso (red table wine) would have added $10.49 to the tab.

Hill Country Peach Granitas

Serves 4

4 cups peach puree, $6 worth of peaches from a roadside stand

Sugar to taste, 35 cents

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 cents

1 tbsp. Frangelico liqueur, optional, 50 cents

Add sugar, lemon juice, and Frangelico liqueur to puréed fruit in blender and puree again until sugar dissolves. Pour fruit mixture into ice cube trays and freeze an hour or more. Chill four dessert bowls. Divide frozen fruit cubes into chilled bowls and mash a fork to the consistency of ice crystals. Serve immediately.

Warm Spring Vegetable Salad, $9.79

Spaghetti With Sunday Gravy and Meatballs, $26.54

Garlic Toasts, $2.25

Hill Country Peach Granitas, $7

Iced Tea With Mint, $0

Total: $45.58