Tuition’s up, Pell Grants are down and you spent the last of your student loan money on that Macbook Pro. In an effort to conserve funds, you’re looking to cook a romantic meal for your date instead of going out.
If you’re worried that your kitchen chops might not be up to par, fear not — Sonoran hot dogs@@http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/06/cook-the-book-sonoran-hot-dogs.html@@ and curry with rice are two easy options for tasty meals that are sure to impress your significant other while also keeping the bank account in the black.
Frankly, I’m a little blown away that nobody in Oregon has heard of Sonoran hot dogs. They’re basically the greatest thing ever. Imagine all the best things about tacos combined with all the best things about hot dogs. It’s an epic Mexican-American dream come true.
The key to making some delicious Sonoran dogs is in the preparation of the pico de gallo. That directly translates from Spanish to “rooster’s beak,” which is a saying meaning “a little bit of everything.” Pico de gallo salsa is generally characterized by its uncooked and chunky texture, made up of bits of fresh onion, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and a few other things.
Everybody’s ideal salsa is going to be different, so while I’ve included some ratios to get you started, the trick here being experimentation. If you want something a little bit more mild, chop up an extra tomato or tomatillo and go light on the serranos and jalapenos. If you love feeling the burn, throw in a habanero. Just make sure your date is also down with spicy and keep in mind, if after dining your lips should touch their lips (or their anything else, for that matter) they might get a little hot pepper kick back.
As for the dogs themselves, the pico de gallo and other toppings are really the stars of the show, so don’t go out buying some bratwurst thinking that you’re going to kick it up a notch. I find that cheap franks work well, but since moving to Eugene I have discovered that the best dogs to use are tofu dogs. A Sonoran dog’s dog should act as a mellow base for all the crazy flavors on it, and tofu dogs fit the bill perfectly, plus they’re way healthier for you than whatever animal parts they reanimated to create your Ballpark Franks.
If your roommate won’t notice a couple strips of their bacon missing, you can wrap the tofu dogs in bacon before you throw them in the pan, but this is totally optional.
Once you’ve got the pico de gallo (don’t forget to salt and squeeze a lime or two over that baby) prepped and your dogs cooked (just a couple of minutes in a pan with a little bit of oil), it’s time to get this Cinderella dressed up and ready for the ball. Put the dogs in the buns and cover them with a few spoonfuls of black or pinto beans. If you want to heat up the beans in the pan beforehand, it’s cool, but because the dogs will be hot and the salsa is cold, I don’t think it matters too much if the beans are room temp.
Next, cover the beans with a generous helping of your delicious pico de gallo. At this point your mouth should start watering. Finally, seal the deal with a few slices of a ripe avocado (ripe = not too hard, not too soft) on top of the whole thing.
The cost can vary slightly depending on if you want to go organic or not, but I purchased all of the ingredients, plus a six-pack of Negra Modelo at Red Apple Market@@http://redapplemarkets.com/@@ for under $20.
If you prefer to head east in your dining instead of south, a red or green curry is always an easy and tasty option.
For a quick and delicious curry, your key ingredient will be the red or green curry paste. This will definitely be your most expensive ingredient (expect to spend about $5-$8 on a jar), but will save you the time and necessary know-how of procuring all the necessary spices to make your own curry paste. As you will only be using a spoonful or so of this stuff per meal, one jar should last a while.
First chop up some potatoes (any variety), half an onion, some broccoli, mushrooms, half a bunch of kale and whatever other vegetables are on sale at the grocery store. Make sure to dice and prep a few cloves of garlic as well.
Next, and there are many different approaches to this, pour a can of coconut milk into a pan. Some people prefer to saute the vegetables in some olive oil before adding the coconut milk, but I find that cooking the potatoes is easier if they can sit in the simmering curry. Add all of the chopped produce to the mixture.
Put in one to two spoonfuls of either red or green curry paste. Taste the mixture as you go to make sure that you don’t make it too spicy. If you have dried or fresh basil add it in, again tasting as you go to make sure it’s to your liking. If you prefer a sweet curry, add a small amount of sugar as well.
If you want to use chicken or tempeh, add them in now (make sure you cut them into bite-sized pieces first).
Let the mixture simmer for 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat until the chicken is cooked all the way through. After about 10 minutes, squeeze a lemon over the curry.
Serve curry over rice and enjoy!
Sonoran Dogs
Pico de Gallo (dice up all the produce)
1 white or yellow onion
3 or 4 tomatoes (depending on their size and your spice needs)
3 tomatillos (they’re the little green guys that have a leafy outer layer)
1 jalapeno pepper
1-2 serrano peppers
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 handful of cilantro, diced
2 limes
Salt to taste
1 habanero pepper (optional)
1 mango (optional)
1 package of buns (nothing fancy)
1 package of tofu dogs
1 can of pinto or black beans
1 avocado
Red or Green Curry
2-3 potatoes
4 heads of broccoli
Half of a yellow or white onion
1 cup of chopped mushrooms
Half a bunch of kale
1 can of coconut milk
1-2 spoons of red or green curry paste
3 cloves of diced garlic
1 lemon
Sugar to taste
1 lb chopped chicken breasts or tempeh (optional)
Optional: bell peppers, zucchini, squash, spinach, carrots, tomatoes or any other vegetables. Experiment!
Two meals for $20 or less that will impress your date
Daily Emerald
November 7, 2011
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