Meal for Two for Under $15
ANDREA WONG DESIGN
Watching Masterchef Australia got me thinking. Yesterday they had $10 to buy ingredients and 30 minutes to cook a meal. A lot of them were slammed for taking the easy route out by making soups and omlettes. Only one contestant made a dish with a meat protein (salmon).
I was thinking, how difficult is it to make an interesting dish for one for under $10? In the spirit of Masterchef Australia, I challenged myself this morning to come up with three meal ideas. As most people cook for more than one person, I've amended the criteria: a meal for two, for $15 or under. Basic herbs, spices and condiments can be used for free.
Below is the first of three recipes that sprung to my mind when thinking of interesting meals for under $15.
Spring lamb cutlets with cucumbered-yoghurt and mashed spuds
Ingredients
To buy
6 lamb cutlets ($6.50)
1 cucumber ($1.29)
2 medium potatoes - approx 500g ($1.24)
150g greek yoghurt ($2.85 for twinpack of 150g pottles)
mint ($2.98 for a plant)
Total $14.65
Pantry items
2 Tbs butter
100ml milk (or more, to taste)
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup boiling water
salt and pepper
Directions
- Peel and dice around 1/3 of the cucumber and mix into 150g of greek yoghurt. Finely chop 6-8 mint leaves and add to yoghurt.
- Peel and slice the potatoes and cook in a pot of salted boiling water, until soft. Strain off the water and let it sit for a few minutes to dry the potatoes out further. Add the butter and mash. Add milk until it is to the consistency that you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To make the mint sauce, finely chop a large handful of mint and put it in a bowl. Pour over the boiling water, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Season the lamb cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat on high, a large frying pan. Fry the cutlets 3 minutes on each side. Do not crowd the pan, do this in batches if necessary.
To plate up: 3 cutlets per person, drizzle over the mint sauce and add a generous dollop of yoghurt. Serve with a big spoonful of mashed spuds.
By Andrea Wong
For more recipes and discussions on food, go to www.dlish.co.nz