One of the hottest cookbooks in the city right now isn’t a beautifully photographed, hardbound gourmet tome by a top chef, it’s a free e-book detailing how to make three meals a day for just a few bucks.
Last April, Leanne Brown, a 29-year-old consultant who recently graduated from NYU’s Food Studies program, posted a recipe collection called “Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day” online. It’s gone viral in the months since, having been downloaded more than 200,000 times by everyone from starving students to retirees to professional chefs, including the Stanton Social’s Chris Santos, who has championed the book.
“I never imagined it would get this kind of response,” says Brown. “So many people have written to thank me, to tell me they’re learning how to cook with it, [that] I’ve had to take breaks in between e-mails because I start crying.”
The e-book has been so popular that Brown started a Kickstarter campaign to publish a print version. So far, she’s raised nearly $145,000 for the project.
Not bad for something that began as a class project to help those on food stamps — $4 a day is the approximate food budget allocated New Yorkers on public assistance — cook up tasty, nutritious meals.
And while she’s continuing to develop more recipes and shopping tips to add to the forthcoming print version, due out this fall, Brown does not expect to cash in. The bulk of the printed books will be donated to nonprofits that have applied for free and discounted copies, and that suits her just fine.
“I’m already 100 percent satisfied with the project,” she says. “Everything else is gravy.”
Just how satisfying can $4 a day in food be? I tried out three of Brown’s recipes to see if eating so cheaply in New York City was really possible — and possibly delicious. Check out the menu and the grand total.
Breakfast for less than a buck
“These are delicious for breakfast,” says Brown. “Spicy, cheesy, flaky — these are best eaten straight out of the oven.”
While I typically shop at the Gowanus Whole Foods near my home in Park Slope, I knew that would break the bank, so I headed to the local Key Food for my ingredients instead. (Brown’s pricing is based on Inwood grocery stores and online research.)
The produce selection at Key Food was a bit lacking and it was hard to find a nice-looking jalapeño pepper for this recipe. But it didn’t matter once I diced the pepper up, and the scones were relatively easy to make and delightfully plump and moist — definitely a satisfying breakfast, and I only spent a few cents more per serving than Brown budgeted.
Whole Wheat Jalapeño Cheddar Scones
Makes six
½ cup butter
2½ cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 oz. sharp cheddar, diced
1 jalapeño, finely diced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
Egg wash
1 egg
salt and pepper
Place the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan if you don’t have the paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Prepare your jalapeño and cheese. Cutting the cheese into cubes rather than grating it means you’ll have pockets of gooey cheese that contrast nicely with the scone. If you want the spice of the jalapeño, leave the seeds and membrane; if you like it milder, remove them and chop up only the pepper itself.
Remove the butter from the freezer and grate it directly into the flour mixture. (Use a cheese grater — it’s the best way to break up butter without melting it.) Using your hands, gently squish the butter into the flour until everything is incorporated but not smooth. The chunks of butter will create flaky scones. Add the jalapeño, cheese, eggs and milk to the bowl, then use your hands to gently mix everything until it just comes together. It will probably be a little shaggy, but that’s just fine.
Sprinkle flour on a clean countertop and dump the dough onto it. Gently shape the dough into a disc about 1½” thick. Cut the dough into six triangles, like a pizza, and move them to the cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, gently beat the egg for the egg wash. Brush it over the scones, then sprinkle salt and pepper over each one. Bake for 25 minutes or until the scones are golden brown.
A souper lunch
“This thick, sweet, satisfying soup is a favorite of kids and adults,” says Brown. “This is wonderful to make at the beginning of autumn when corn on the cob is at its peak, but canned corn can also make it a warm reminder of summer in the depths of winter.”
Sweet, hearty and flavorful, this recipe was an unexpected favorite and left me full for hours. My only regret? Using store-bought vegetable broth instead of taking the time to boil my own corn broth, which would have added another 30 minutes to the total cooking time. The purchase more than doubled the cost of the dish. And tasting the results, I now know the extra wait would have been worth it.
Corn Soup
Makes six servings
4 cups corn, fresh, canned, or frozen
1 tbsp. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 green or red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small potato, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chili pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1 tbsp. cornmeal or flour
salt and pepper
Corn Broth
4 to 8 cobs corn, with corn removed
2 bay leaves (optional)
salt
Alternate Broth
5 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
If you’re making this soup with corn on the cob, the first step is to make corn broth. If you’re using canned or frozen corn, you’ll also need chicken or vegetable broth instead. In that case, skip the next paragraph.
To make corn broth, place the cobs and bay leaves in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and let the water boil for about 30 minutes. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper until it tastes lightly corny. Boil it down until you have about 5 cups of liquid. The broth will keep for several months if frozen, or a few weeks in the refrigerator.
To make the soup, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and potato, then stir. Cover the pot and let everything fry and steam for about 5 minutes.
Take the lid off the pot and add the garlic and chili pepper, if using. Stir the vegetables, using a splash of water or broth to free any that get stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Let the vegetables cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. They should be lightly browned and soft, although the potatoes will not be fully cooked yet.
Add the corn and cornmeal or flour to the pot and stir. Cover with about 5 cups of broth and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. The broth will thicken and become opaque.
Add salt and pepper to taste. If you made your own corn broth, you’ll probably need at least a teaspoon of salt; if you used store-bought broth, you’ll need less.
Serve with a slice of garlic bread or add a hard-boiled egg for extra protein.
A supper splurge
“This is far from an authentic Southern version of this dish, but it is absolutely delicious,” says Brown, who concedes that seafood is expensive and that this recipe’s affordability is dependent on finding a good deal on shrimp. “You can’t just go to any store and buy whatever you want,” she says.
I didn’t have time to shop around, so this recipe broke the bank — which was already strained from lunch. My budgetary defeat left a bitter taste in my mouth, but the cheesy grits topped with a bright, summery sauce were quite delicious. I would make this again if I could find that elusive deal on shrimp.
Shrimp and Grits
Serves four
Grits
1 cup grits
4½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup sharp cheddar, grated
3 scallions, finely chopped
Topping
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green chili, finely diced (optional)
1 tomato, chopped
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium-size pot, then turn the heat down to low and slowly pour in the cornmeal while stirring briskly with a wooden spoon. Stirring while pouring is crucial to keep the grits creamy and smooth — no lumps! Once the grits become smooth and a little thicker, place the lid on the pot with the spoon still in it so that steam can escape.
Let the grits cook while you prepare the rest of the meal, checking in occasionally to give them a stir. The total cooking time should be about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the shrimp and vegetables. Add the butter or oil to a large pan on medium heat and let it get hot. Add the onion, pepper and celery. Sauté until the onion is just translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, as well as the green chili if you like things spicy. Let everything cook for another minute. Add the tomato and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until the tomato releases its juice and the vegetables resemble a thick and chunky sauce. Add a dribble of water to keep everything loose and saucy, then toss in the shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink all over. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once the grits are ready, take them off the heat and add the cheese and most of the scallions, then stir. Ladle the grits into bowls and top with the shrimp, vegetables and a few more scallions.
The takeaway
The grand total: $8.92 for three meals.
My total costs for the day came to more than double $4, but eating well for less than $10 a day in New York City is still a feat, especially when I opted for a seafood dinner, rather than less expensive options like a creamy zucchini fettuccine, and shopped in brownstone Brooklyn, not Inwood. Bon appe-cheap!