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
This article appears in June 29 • 2001.
