Cooking with Public Accountants (eBook)

Chapter 7: Pasta and Grains

Cacio e Pepe

1 lb. bucatini pasta - $1.00

4 oz. grated parmesan cheese - $1.68

1 tbsp. ground black pepper - $0.15

$2.83 / 4 servings = $0.71 / serving

Cook pasta per package instructions. In another large bowl, combine the black pepper and grated cheese. Put aside.

After two minutes of cooking, ladle ¾ to one cup of the pasta water to the cheese and pepper mixture, a little at a time. Using the back of a wooden spoon, smash the cheese and pepper mixture until it turns into a thick but pliable paste. Working fast, when the pasta is al dente, add the pasta to the bowl and stir thoroughly to coat the pasta and serve.

Linguine and White Clams Sauce

3 tbsp. olive oil - $0.36

6 cloves garlic minced - $0.48

⅛ Tsp red pepper flakes - $0.01

½ tsp. dry rosemary - $0.05

1 ⅔ cups white wine - $2.10

2 cans chopped clams - $4.38

1 bottle clam juice - $2.65

1 lb. linguine - $1.00

$11.03 / 6 servings = $1.84 / serving

In a large sauce pan, over medium high heat, add olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and rosemary. Cook until garlic is slightly browned around the edges. Add the white wine, raise the heat to high and reduce the sauce by half. Add the clam juice and the juice from the canned clams but not the actual clams yet. Cook pasta per package instructions. When the pasta is 90% done, add the pasta to the sauce to finish the cooking process in the sauce. Stir and cook for another three minutes. Stir in the actual clams and serve.

Seafood Fideo

12 oz. bacon, chopped - $3.99

1 small onion, chopped - $0.12

5 cloves garlic, minced - $0.40

1 fennel bulb, chopped - $1.49

18 littleneck clams - $9.00

12 30/40 shrimp peeled, deveined, and chopped into pieces - $3.62

1 lb. fideo pasta - $1.99

1 ⅓ cup of white wine - $1.68

1 tsp. paprika - $0.10

6 cups chicken stock - $3.42

$25.81 / 6 servings = $4.30 / serving

Over medium high heat in a stainless steel pot, brown the bacon until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pieces and add the garlic, fennel, and onion. Sauté until tender. Add the fideo pasta and toast until the pasta smells a little nutty. Add the paprika and cook for three minutes. Add the white wine, raise the heat to high, and reduce the sauce so that barely any liquid remains in the pot. Add three cups of the chicken stock and cook until the pasta absorbs that liquid. Add the remaining stock and the clams and cook until the pasta is creamy and all the clams have opened. When all the clams have opened, add the shrimp and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the bacon pieces. Serve in bowls.

Fettuccine Bolognese

2 tbsp. olive oil - $0.24

1.5 lbs. ground chuck - $3.00

1.5 lbs. ground pork - $3.75

3 carrots, diced - $0.21

3 celery stalks, chopped - $0.30

1 large red onion, chopped - $0.40

8 cloves garlic, minced - $0.64

2 cups red wine - $2.52

1, 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes - $1.50

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes - $0.03

½ tsp. oregano - $0.05

2 tsp. fresh basil chopped - $0.20

2 lbs. fettuccine - $2.00

$14.84 / 10 servings = $1.48 / serving

Over medium high heat, add oil to a pot until it starts to shimmer. Add veggies to the pot and allow to cook until tender and brown, roughly 5-8 minutes. Add ground beef and ground pork and brown until cooked through. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and make sure to scrap the bottom of the pot to get the brown bits off. Raise the heat to high and reduce the sauce by at least half. Add remaining ingredients except the pasta and stir. Bring to a boil, drop to a simmer and allow to cook uncovered for at least 1.5 hours. With 20 minutes left in the simmering process, boil pasta per package instructions. Serve over fettuccine cooked to al dente.

Mac N’Cheese Bites - KID FRIENDLY

2 cups panko breadcrumbs - $1.50

10 tbsp. shredded parmesan - $2.10

½ large onion, chopped - $0.20

4 cloves garlic, chopped - $0.32

½ stick butter - $0.52

¼ cup canola oil - $0.12

⅛ cup grated parmesan - $0.42

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese - $0.22

4 tbsp. flour - $0.05

3 slices American cheese - $0.30

Pinch of salt - $0.00

2.5 cups milk - $0.33

1 lb. cooked elbow macaroni - $1.00

$7.08 / roughly 100 bites = 8 servings = $0.89 / serving

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until browned around the edges, around 5 minutes. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk constantly until a gravy-like consistency appears. Add the cheese in the following order: grated parmesan, cheddar, and then the slices of cheese. Once one cheese is melted, whisk in the next cheese, and then the final cheese. Add a pinch of salt, bring to a simmer, add the macaroni, turn off the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the shredded parmesan, ⅛ cup of oil, and panko into a bowl. Set aside. Using a mini muffin tin, take the other ⅛ cup of oil, using a paper towel, grease up the mini muffin trays as much as possible so the bites do not stick. Take ¼ teaspoon of the panko mixture and place in the bottom of each muffin tin. Using the round end of a tablespoon, make sure the mixture is thoroughly in the base of the tin. Bake until the panko is golden brown, roughly 2-5 minutes. Remove the pans and lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Fill each muffin tin with two teaspoons of mac and cheese and pack as tightly as possible. Bake until the pasta is browned, roughly around 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and using the remaining panko mixture, dust the tops of the bites and place back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and serve. Repeat until no more mac and cheese is left.

Spaghetti and Meatballs - KID FRIENDLY

1 lb. ground beef - $3.00

1 lb. ground pork - $2.50

½ cup bread crumbs - $0.53

½ Romano Cheese - $1.68

1 large onion chopped - $0.40

6 cloves garlic chopped - $0.48

1 Mason jar of Bonus Marinara Sauce Found in Appendix - $2.67

¼ cup milk - $0.03

1 tsp. parsley - $0.10

1 tsp. oregano - $0.10

1 tbsp. olive oil - $0.12

1 lb. spaghetti - $1.00

$12.61 / 4 servings = $3.15 / serving

In a small pan, add the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic until they are slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In another large bowl, combine every ingredient, including the cooled onion and garlic mixture, except the marinara sauce and pasta. Combine thoroughly. Take out a trusty ice cream scoop and roll out 3-4 ounce sized meatballs and set aside. Should yield roughly 8 meatballs. Over medium heat in a saucier, add the mason jar of sauce and bring to a small boil. Drop the heat to low and add the meatballs, raw, directly into the sauce. Cover and allow to cook for a minimum of 45 minutes on low. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. After 45 minutes, serve the pasta covered with sauce and two meatballs.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

1 lb. spaghetti pasta - $1.00

6 cloves garlic sliced - $0.48

2 tbsp. fresh basil chopped - $0.60

2 tbsp. olive oil - $0.24

1, 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand - $1.50

4 tbsp. of reserve tomato juice - $0.00

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes - $0.03

$3.85 / 4 servings = $0.96 / serving

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes and basically fry until the garlic is browned around the edges, roughly five minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook until the tomatoes have cooked down to large chunks, roughly another five minutes. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Add the reserved tomato juice and stir making sure nothing burns. When the spaghetti is done, add it directly to the pot and stir thoroughly to coat the pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Risotto

1 shallot, chopped - $0.88

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