Beef stroganoff is one of my husband’s favorites, so I make it as a treat for him—and one of my early readers, Dave, says his mother made it for him growing up. It’s a classic winter meal from Eastern Europe that warms up a cold house and fills the air with rich aroma. You can use any cut of beef; just adjust the cooking time based on the toughness. Dave’s mom made it with red pepper instead of carrot, so feel free to do the same if you can get red peppers at a good price.
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The cost of shrimp really varies, so save this one until you can find a deal—under about $8 per pound. I ended up having to remove this from the 2nd edition of Good and Cheap because the price variation was so extreme and I didn’t want to steer anyone wrong. But it’s a classic from a time when shrimp was the food of the poorer masses and the rich people had no idea what they were missing.
I didn’t grow up with grits myself, but somehow fell in love with them anyway. I have had many disappointing versions of this dish in NYC restaurants and after a particularly frustrating experience (like 2 tiny shrimp on a bed of undercooked and under-seasoned, practically gummy grits—a travesty) I decided to make it myself. Luckily, like so many of the great dishes, it is remarkably easy to make at home!
This is far from an authentic Southern version of this dish, but it is absolutely delicious. Southerners will demand you use white stone-ground corn for this to be true grits, and I won’t quibble, but feel free to use yellow if it doesn’t offend you.
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These are a great meal to make when you have leftover roti and raita. They may seem like a lot of work at first, but if you get into the habit of cooking this way it is quick and very inexpensive. When I was a vegetarian I ate meals like this all the time. The filling comes together in minutes and the potatoes and greens could easily be substituted for anything you have in your crisper waiting to get eaten! Potatoes and greens are great because they are pretty neutral and take on the flavor of the spices well. Leftover Chana Masala is also great rolled up in a roti.
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Roasted veggies are always delicious, but there’s something magical that happens to cauliflower in the oven. It gets so crispy and nutty, and that flavor is brought out even more with the spices here. If you are on the fence about cauliflower, try it prepared this way and you’ll become a believer. I’m happy to just eat a bowl of the cauliflower for dinner, but when I feel like making a truly proper meal out of it I nestle the cauliflower into tacos. The crunchy bits, spices and the meatiness of the cauliflower texture make these really satisfying. I have made these for large crowds and always get good reviews from young and old, vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike.
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