Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Stems and All

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I think I was inspired by gansie’s recent attempt at eating down the fridge to exercise a bit of frugality of my own the other night.  Or maybe it was just an empty stomach and a lack of hot sausage that made me reconsider something that usually is bound for the garbage.

Monday night was pasta night in the TVFF household and the dish this week was orecchiette and broccoli rabe with olive oil and toasted garlic.  Typically, that dish gets some crumbled Italian sausage to make it more substantive, but I found myself without.  And so I turned to the lonely broccoli rabe stems, which I usually lop off and toss in the trash.

It took a bit of time and some tedious peeling, but what was left was the size and consistency of tender asparagus.  I gave them an extra minute’s blanche and then threw them in with the florets and leaves, providing a slight crunch and a fuller meal.  The net result was a very tasty dish and a guilty conscience about usually discarding a perfectly edible item.

So…any great, thrifty hints that can save you a buck and make better use of the ingredients in your kitchen?  Share your frugal secrets in the comments.

Nothing ever goes to waste in the smörgåsbord!

–  After the past week, I have newfound culinary respect for the President–despite my previous reservations.  I had my first Five Guys experience (great burgers, even though they don’t serve medium or rare) and now the prez is grillin’ and chillin’ with Bobby Flay.

– Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali talk Italian food in Aspen.  The YumSugar folks list some of the advice that they provided, although we suggest you avoid adopting Mario’s unconventional hair-care technique.

After the jump: free investment advice (which is worth every penny you paid for it), your last chance at fame and fortune (yeah, good luck with that) and Gordo runs afoul of of the bobby while pushing his pram and driving his lorry (insert additional British slang here).

– Financial analyst issues a Jim Cramer-esque BUY! BUY! BUY! on Scripps thanks to great performance from the Food Network. Your addiction to collapsing cakes and garbage bowls are going to make someone very rich.

– Dust off that digital video camera and start rehearsing you schtick:  We’re just a few weeks into the current round and Food Network is already putting out feelers for next season’s Next Food Network Star.

– Gordon Ramsay got himself a ticket for driving while talking on his cell phone.  See, he’s just like you and me!  Except that he’s killed a sous chef and two busboys.

(Photo: *0ne*)

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2 comments

  • Summer June 24, 2009  

    I’ve got lots of thrifty ways in the kitchen… one thing I do is to keep a paper lunch bag in the fridge in which I deposit odds and ends of bread. It mostly fills up with the skinny heel pieces from loaves of store-bought wheat bread, because they’re not the best substance for making toast or sandwiches. I keep the bag open, so the bread can dry out well, and whenever I need breadcrumbs I just pull out a few dessicated slices and grind them up in my multi-chopper thing.

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