HELP! food + wine for 15 for $30???

[ChristyMarie]

For our wine club dinner this month the host has set the theme as cheap eats and we have to bring wine plus a dish to share for under $30. For 15 people.

Our dish can be any portion of the meal - appetizer, main, side, dessert, whatever.

I might be able to find a wine for under $30....

Any ideas? I don't know where to start.

To add to the problem I'm on a strict diet right now (medical reasons, not by choice ) so I was hoping to bring one thing I knew I could eat. But I have to avoid: wheat in any form, dairy, sugar, processed foods of any kind.

[funniegrrl]

wow that's a tough list! You have my sympathies.

What about ... a salad with a home-made vinaigrette? A rice dish of some kind? Or some "alternative" grain like quinoa?

[ChristyMarie]

Ok, just came up with an idea - savory mushroom porridge with steel cut oats. That might work. Won't be able to do a white burgundy though, which would go perfectly.

[Canice]

How much wine do you need to buy? Enough for a pairing for your course?

I think I would go with a corn dish: it is cheap and tasty right now, can easily be stretched and is very versatile. You might even be able to spring for an heirloom tomato relish to serve on top.

Is shopping at the close of the farmers' market an option? You might find something delicious and seasonal "priced to sell".

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by Canice

How much wine do you need to buy? Enough for a pairing for your course?

Normally if the full 15 are coming we all bring two bottles. I'm thinking with the spending cap we will each only bring 1 bottle which means a very small taste for all.

[cherylopal]

I pulled out my Everyday Dining with Wine by Andrea Immer to see if there was anything there to help. You have such a tight budget but I did read this...

... In the world of wine and food, salads generally get a bad rap of being tough to pair, but I don't buy it. It is true that very sweet dressings like raspberry vinaigrette, honey-Dijon, and commercially bottled "French dressing" are so sugar-tasting that they overpower the fruit in many wines, making the wines taste thin and tart. But otherwise, wine and salads match just fine, and they can match beautifully if you keep certain principles in mind. First, go for subtle dressings. Classic vinaigrette is easy to make and, according to the French, who should know, it is quite compatible with wine. Balsamic and sherry vinegars, which are mellowed by oak aging, will make a vinaigrette especially wine-friendly. ....
Finally, roasting or grilling vegetables for a salad dramatically ups their wine affinity by reducing their moisture and caramelizing their starches.


I thinking that a roasted or grilled corn salad with a bit of tomatoes and a classic french vinaigrette would be great and doable with your budget. I made a grilled corn and tomato salad last week and had no problems enjoying wine with it. She gives a Charred Corn Salad with Avocados and Orzo that serves 6 as a side dish- uses 4 ears of corn and 1/3 cup orzo pasta- just to give you ideas of amounts. I can post the recipe if you are interested. She pairs it with a California Chardonnay (a barrel fermented New World Chardonnay) or a white from Chile.

Good luck and please let us know what you end up making and what wine you served.

[cfr3b]

Oooh - what about dessert? Keeping in line with the comments about seasonal produce, you could do a fruit based dessert - either a fruit trifle (I usually do a berry trifle) or, my favorite, a fruit crisp. Last summer I did fresh peach and blueberry crisps for a dinner party. They were a huge hit for being so basic. I prepared them in individual ramekins but you could just as easily do it in a 9x13 pan if you don't, for some odd reason, have 15 ramekins lying around the house.

For the wine, what about prosecco? There are several really great proseccos in the $10-15 range that would be great with dessert. Plus, it's festive. Who doesn't love the bubbly?

[tbb113]

If you want to splurge on the food, you can always buy 2 Buck Chuck for the wine

[Canice]

Speaking of dessert (berries are expensive where I live, so no way I could make a trifle for 15 for $15) and going back to the corn thing...here's a recent SF Chronicle piece on corn desserts. Might be nice for originality!

[erin elizabeth]

If you go into your local wine store, they will certainly be able to help you. You can easily get a good wine for under $10--not the best wine, but a good wine Along the same lines as Cheryl, I just made a black bean, corn, tomato salad for a party that was well received. Features the bounty of the season and fits into your restrictions. I used this recipe
Zesty Black Bean Salad
but I am sure you can find more to suit you.

I've had good luck with the prosecco at Trader Joe's (I've tried two brands), if that is an option for you.

[sneezles]

I find it odd that you have to prepare for 15. I would assume it would be similar to potluck in that you make a recipe (maybe 8-10 servings) becasue with 15 dishes nobody would eat a full serving of every dish.

There are plenty of good wines that are under $15/bottle.

[Beth]

I like the salad ideas. My first thought was an Asian noodle dish -- maybe chicken, veggies and rice noodles (no wheat) -- or similar with Italian or Greek seasoning. I enjoy finding undiscovered or little known wines that are great buys. We bought a white wine that was interesting at World Market last weekend for $7.99 (Menage a Trois White). It was on sale, but I think it normally sells for abut $10. It is a blend of three varietals (duh), including a muscat -- which makes it light, not quite crisp, a bit fruity and a touch sweet. I think it would be a good pairing with something on the spicy side. I just don't know how you get past the soy sauce.

[jenniferdines]

Oh my god, honey! Is the economy this bad?
----------
What about a pasta carbonara?
I've made this one before; it's excellent!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/re...ipe_id=1842348

As for wine, do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? They sell a decent Charles Shaw wine that is $3/bottle.

[AZJane]

This recipe was a huge hit at my HOA meeting. I used salad greens from the bulk bin (lol..saving money, right?) in place of the watercress and you could use a cheaper cut of meat (I had filet mignon frozen from a fantastic sale at 4.87 a pound!)

Do you have a 99 cent only store? Our's has produce and a refrigerated section, also pound cakes, a wide selection of breads, etc. That might be fun. Do a 99 cents only theme and get the Walmart housebrand wine You could probably put on a pretty decent spread for that amount of money with that combo. Or, in order to show your budgeting capabilities, do you have winetags in your state? We hae winetags on lots of wines where you buy the wine and get a coupon for $$ off beef or chicken, sometimes deli, produce, etc. I'd love this challenge just for the fun of it.

eta: gee, it might be nice if I included the link to the recipe..lol.Sorry about that!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/re...ipe_id=1654715

[Laurielee]

thats a toughy with what you cant eat. ALso do yo have a world market you? They have great wines under $10 and ours has a wonderful wine manager that gives great advise and for 15 people I would get 2 bottles otherwise you get just a taste.

A slighlty sweet wine would go with both of these

YOu could make your own mango chutney if you can sub the sugar for something like splenda for this. And I was thinking of subbing the linguica with procscuitto sinc eI am not a big linguica fan

Mango and Linguica Endive Bites

Ingredients
1/2 of a 13-oz. package Silva Linguica
1 firm but ripe mango, peeled, pitted
and cut into bite-
size strips
3 tbsp. mango chutney
36 Belgian endive leaves (red and
green)
Snipped fresh chives and fresh cilantro

Directions

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: about 5 minutes

Cut linguica in half lengthwise and grill over high heat for about 5 minutes or until nicely charred, turning once. Remove from grill and let cool slightly. Cut into thin slices and place in a medium bowl with mango and chutney. Spoon into endive leaves and sprinkle with chives and cilantro.

Makes 36 appetizers.



Mango and Black Bean Crisps

Ingredients
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and
drained
1/4 cup salsa
1 tsp. Mexican seasoning
1 cup chopped fresh mango
2 tbsp. sliced green onions
2 tbsp. minced red bell pepper
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips

Directions
Prep time: 20 minutes

Lightly mash black beans in a medium bowl; stir in salsa and seasoning; set aside. Mix mango, green onions, pepper and cilantro in a medium bowl. Spread equal amounts of bean mixture on each tortila, then top with a spoonful of mango salsa.

Makes 36 appetizers.

These are both from Raleys Grocer magazine

[ChristyMarie]

Some great ideas, thank you!

Yes, the food restrictions are making this harder since any pasta is not an option.

We are also thinking maybe a chilled soup. DH found a recipe for white gazpacho that would work for my diet and their monetary restrictions.

We do have a World Market we an check for wine. As well as the old standby of Costco. Unfortunately our local wine shop with TONS of good yet inexpensive stuff recently closed.

This group is not up for the Trader Joe's wine. We tried it. Once.

[Laurielee]

This group is not up for the Trader Joe's wine. We tried it. Once.

Their cheaper wines have been more miss than hits for us, so I have stopped wasting my money there. Once you decide on a recipe, see if your World Market has a wine buyer, they should be able to offer a great pairing for your dish.


I chilled soup would be nice

Good luck

Laurie

[Laurielee]

Christie, what about a recipe paying homage to Julie Child? I got my Aug BA yesterday and half of the mag was about her and French recipies.

They had a Ratatoulie recipe that said it could be made ahead and served at room temp. That would be in an inexpensive dish.

Laurie

[Beth]

What about some fresh spring rolls? You can find the wrappers made of rice or tapioca and the veggies and a little chicken or shrimp would go a long way there. You could adapt the sauces a bit to avoid processed things like the soy sauce - instead of the traditional ones try something like a spicy mango combination (sauce or a salsa) -- then pair them with a light, crisp white wine. I have 3 mangoes sitting on my counter and have been thinking about making spring rolls -- so this option is appealing to me. I like the idea of slivers of the mango inside and them some pureed and spiced for a sauce. I think I'm trying this tomorrow. We have a dinner out tonight.