There are weeks, sometimes months, when money is so tight that we must figure out ways to be economical with our food expenses. I hate doing this typically because it means that I might have to sacrifice getting good (read: organic) produce and decent meats (read: choice cut pork, prosciutto, or other delicacies as such). This week is one of those weeks.

To remedy the situation, and to prevent us from having variations on my cheeseless macaroni and cheese for a week (or, in desperation, fast food – AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!), I decided to be proactive, set aside a little money, and carefully plan my week’s meals out. That was the intention, at least.

Considering it is time for the spring harvest, I’m trying to stick with dishes laden with bold garlic, smart lemons, and fresh onions. Of course, what this screams is: Mediterranean! This is good, because the cuisine of the Mediterranean is what I try to specialize in. I’d planned to devise a menu last night after making a Costco run to get some essentials, but after laundry got in the way, night time flew in for a landing much earlier than I’d expected. I went to bed without the necessary ammunition I wanted to pack for the week.

Today, however, I was feeling astutely creative and made a stalwart attempt at devising the dishes for tonight all the while keeping in mind what I want to make for the rest of the week, so that nothing goes to waste. Once again, I turned to my new standby, The Silver Spoon.

Roasted Potatoes and Onions with Beans Pizzaiola

Roasted Potatoes and Chickpeas PizzaiolaI desired to make something hearty but light, if that’s possible. In other words, I didn’t want to feel hungry after my meal, but I didn’t want to feel like I was being weighed down by an anvil in my gut. I thought I wanted three separate offerings to comprise my dish. My first pick was roasted asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto (I got the imported prosciutto from Costco, where it’s reasonably priced). Check…the dish is easy and would probably be tasty. I also had a bunch of asparagus left after using some in my risotto from the weekend. My second pick was geared towards potatoes because, again, I got a huge sack full of russets from Costco. I did not want to do anything I’d done before, so when I came across the recipe for the roasted potatoes with onions (which also included carrots and basil), I dove in. To finish everything off, I wanted something mildy spicy and legume-based. I came across a recipe for beans pizzaiola, a bean dish in which I used chickpeas in the tomato-based sauce the pizzaiola calls for. I was set.

Sort of.

I roasted the asparagus (which were a little on the small side) and they came out completely flaccid. They looked so, so sorry and limp. I almost felt bad for the little suckers. I let them sit for a while until I decided what I was going to do with them. Perhaps wrap a few spears at a time with the prosciutto?

I moved on to the potatoes and onions, which ended up turning out fantastic. The layers of sliced potatoes, onions, carrots, and shredded basil were bathed in olive oil and seasoned. After baking it for about 45 minuted covered, I let the potatoes roast uncovered for 20 minutes more. There was nothing more to it.

The beans were equally as easy. After sautéeing sliced garlic and onion in some olive oil, I added the chickpeas and then the crushed (by hand, of course) tomatoes in sauce. The mix was spiced with crushed red pepper and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of sage. It was at this point that I realized that I had a home for my ugly asparagus. They were quickly chopped and in they went to join the beans in the tomato bath. After the sauce reduced over about 20 minutes, the dish was done.

I plated the roasted potatoes and chickpeas with some shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano. The potatoes were garnished with ribbons of prosciutto (I had to find a home for it somewhere!) and the beans were garnished with kalamata olive slices to give it a mild puttanesca-esque hint. I finished everything off with some julienned basil.

Overall, everything tasted good. It was certainly worth the thought. There are some changes I’d make to the roasted potatoes, though. I think I’d sautée the onions prior to roasting to give the entire dish a more sweet, delicate flavor by introducing some carmelization. I think that would put it over the top. Also, the recipe actually calls for the addition of Emmenthaler cheese in the last 20 minutes, which I chose not to add (for economic reasons). I did not feel a loss of flavor without the cheese, and if I were to carmelize the onions prior to roasting, there would be absolutely no need for cheese at all. The chickpeas were beautifully creamy and the slightly spicy tomato sauce melded beautifully with them. The texture was beautiful and the sauce was not too watery but was also not too dry. The combination of the dishes (the spicy, saucy beans and the hearty potatoes and onions) played off of each other pretty well. For a dinner planned over about an hour today, I don’t think it fared badly at all!

Eat well and be well.