A feast for $50!

A grocery gourmet, chef John DeLucie learned you can still make a tasty pasta dish with Spam and other cheap ingredients. (TAMARA BECKWITH)

Ingredients for Rice Krispies treats saved big bucks that chef Donatella Arpaia used on her entrée. (Tamara Beckwith)

Egads! You’ve got guests coming over tonight for a holiday soiree. Sure, a perfect cook would have browsed the green market well ahead of time, but you’ve been swamped — and oops, you’re broke! So, what do you do?

We challenged three celebrity chefs to whip up a holiday meal using just what’s available at the local bodega. With a $50 budget, can they make an appetizer and an entree to feed six to eight guests? Feeling generous, we granted them the following four bonus pantry items: salt, pepper, butter and olive oil. Now, on to the Bodega Challenge!

SEE ALL THE RECIPES AND PHOTOS OF THE DISHES

Going south of the border

Eric Ripert, chef/co-owner, Le Bernardin, author, “Avec Eric” cookbook Ripert may be renowned for his exquisite French seafood, but the four-star chef is a perfectionist even when shopping at a bodega. “The challenge was to find the right market,” says Ripert. He ultimately chooses Tehuitzingo Deli & Grocery (695 10th Ave.; 212-397-5956) in Hell’s Kitchen — a tiny bodega offering Mexican specialty items, lots of fresh produce and a small taqueria in the back (Ripert is a big fan of the $2.50 pork carnitas tacos). “You should be inspired by the culture of the store,” says the down-to-earth epicure, who decides to put together a Mexican meal with some Puerto Rican influences. “My wife is Puerto Rican,” he explains, adding that celebrated Puerto Rican chef Alfredo Ayala taught him how to make rice and beans. “A lot of Latino people buy most of their food [at bodegas like this]. I think it’s as good as anything.”

* Menu: Avocado and nopales salad ($10.57); pinto beans with sofrito and pasta ($7.56); stuffed peppers with salsa verde ($25.77)

* Surprise swap: To Ripert’s dismay, Tehuitzingo is out of rice! “That is a disappointment,” he sighs. Instead, for his pinto beans and rice recipe, he substitutes three bags of La Perla small elbow pasta (60 cents each). “The tiny pasta is very French,” he observes. It also winds up being a perfectly acceptable swap.

* Favorite find: Two packages of “carne enchilada” — thinly sliced pork marinated in enchilada spices ($6.25 each). “I was surprised by the quality,” says Ripert.

* Total: At $43.90, Ripert’s ingredients ring up well under budget. “I could get a Corona!” he jokes. Instead, he buys two pieces of flan ($5.50), which he manages to elegantly carve into eight slices.

Chow bella

Donatella Arpaia, chef/owner, Donatella and Mia Dona, co-owner, Kefi

“It’s amazing what one finds in a bodega in New York,” says Arpaia as she browses the shelves at the cash-only U.N. Gourmet Plaza (361 E. 49th St.; 212-688-0910). “I’m surprised by all the products they have.” It may not be Whole Foods or Amish Market, but there’s enough oddball variety to tempt her to try a fancy feast. “To go high-end in a bodega is a little scary, but I wanted to give it a whirl,” she says. Still, when it comes to desserts, she sticks with a no-fail plan — Rice Krispies treats with a twist.

* Menu: Cannellini bean soup with fried sage ($12.78); crab risotto with caviar and fresh herbs ($22.05); espresso Rice Krispies treats ($13.97)

* Surprise Swaps: For her crab risotto with caviar, Arpaia is forced to use Carolina white rice ($2.99; “I’ve never made a risotto with Carolina rice, but I’m going to try!”); Bumblebee crabmeat ($3.99; “how random”) and Roland whole-grain lumpfish red caviar ($6.49; “This is scary — it’s, like, fluorescent!”). It’s a bold experiment that looks pretty but tastes metallic, thanks to the mushy crab. “Next time I’d do a mushroom risotto,” concedes Arpaia, “or simply add butter and Parmesan.”

* Favorite Finds: Fresh herbs such as sage ($1.99) and dill ($1.49)

* Total: $48.80

Spam Artist

John DeLucie, chef/co-owner, The Lion and Miami’s new The Royal at The Raleigh Hotel

Despite its name, the Ninth Street Farmers Market (64 W. Ninth St.; 212-505-7194) doesn’t have many fresh ingredients. “There’s a lot of junk here!” exclaims DeLucie as he does a quick pass through the aisles to get his creative juices flowing. He scans the proteins — copious Spam and tuna. Hmm. The produce is even worse — there aren’t even fresh onions and garlic! Thankfully, there are a few imported Italian products — so DeLucie decides on a simple Italian meal.

* Menu: Pappa al pomodoro (tomato-bread soup; $26.49); linguine carbonara with lemon-almond pesto ($22.87)

* Surprise Swaps: The bodega doesn’t have bacon, so DeLucie decides to “do it up with regular all-out, no-joke Spam” (two cans at $4.50 each). “I’ve never had Spam in my life!” he laughs. Though it lacks bacon’s smoky quality, it’s passable in carbonara — though so salty Spam Lite would have been better. Too bad the same can’t be said for the Cheese Unlimited pregrated Parm ($2.97). “It’s certainly not Reggiano,” he observes. Meanwhile, with no fresh garlic or Italian bread for the soup, DeLucie opts for three packages of Alessi garlic breadsticks ($2.49 each). Unfortunately, the “phony garlic flavor” is “dreadful.” “The lesson is, don’t take good ingredients for granted,” he says.

* Favorite Finds: De Cecco linguine ($2.99 each); Sclafani imported Italian tomatoes ($3.59 each)

* Total: Packaged food costs money! When his bill totals $51.54, DeLucie returns one of four cans of tomatoes and finds a smaller container of cheese, lopping off $4.28. In exchange, he picks up almonds ($1.50) and a lemon (60 cents) for a lemon-almond pesto garnish for the pasta, for a final total of $49.36.