Sunday Dinner Party for Under $30
On Sunday I got knocked out of my works’ NFL Knockout Pool so after realizing I wouldn’t be collecting the pot, I decided to have friends over for dinner and keep the budget under $30. My eyes are usually much bigger than my stomach, and I tend to get carried away in supermarkets, so for me this was a difficult task. I had to feed four people after a long day of watching football so I knew everyone, including me, was starving. Pasta was my first idea because it’s cost efficient if you keep it simple, and only a few solid ingredients go a long way. I decided to make Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Pomodoro (A.O.P). It doesn’t get much simpler than this; three ingredients…garlic, olive oil, and tomato.
As simple as it sounds, in order to make the perfect A.O.P, there are a few techniques that you must follow. First, buy whole, peeled plum tomatoes in the cans and use a food mill to grind the tomatoes into a sauce. To me, the previously pureed tomatoes don’t have the same natural sweetness that you get from the tomatoes that are still whole.
Second, slice your garlic cloves as thin as possible and toast them in the olive oil until they’re golden brown. By slicing the cloves, the garlic has more surface area and won’t burn as quickly as minced garlic; not only will you get some nice toasted garlic chips but they flavor the olive oil as well. Lastly, add the milled tomatoes to the toasted garlic oil and let it simmer pretty rapidly so it can reduce and thicken quickly.
When your al dente spaghetti is finished you want the sauce to adhere to the pasta and not be thin and watery. I made 2 pounds for about $10! I still had $20 left in my budget and I knew that a bowl of A.O.P wasn’t going to cut it for this crowd.
I grabbed a huge skirt steak and threw it in a marinade of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Skirt steak is wicked inexpensive for the quality and quantity that you get out of it. They usually come rolled up inside of the package, but when you open it, the steak looks like my girlfriend’s scarf. It was about 3 feet long and heavily marbled just to my liking (fat=flavor). I roasted some red bliss potatoes with fresh thyme, and I made some balsamic-caramelized onions to kick the flavor up a bit.
After a short stint on the grill, the steak was sliced thinly over the potatoes and topped with the sweet and tangy onions. Since I was serving two separate meals, I had to choose a wine that was versatile and delicious. The 2005 Elio Grasso Barbera d’Alba “Vigna Martina” was a perfect choice because it was light enough to compliment the pasta, but still had enough fruit and structure to stand up to the steak.
Barbera is like the baby brother to Piedmont’s kings; Barolo and Barbaresco. Some say that Barbera is what you drink while you’re waiting for your Barolo to age. The wine is light ruby colored and gives off tons of beautiful bing cherry and spice aromas. On the palate, the wine is soft and lush with loads of plum and a touch of oak. The silky smooth tannins and long finish make this wine elegant and great for parties. I ended up achieving my goal of keeping the food under $30 and my friend Tommy still went home with a pound of A.O.P that he devoured at work the next day.
