Recipe & Review: Good Cheap Eats

8:36 PM

If there's one thing I hate about cooking out of a cook book it's that it almost always involves a trip to the grocery store and pricey, often superfluous ingredients that you'll never use again and are left to rot away in the depths of the pantry. I was wary this would be the case when Harvard Common Press sent over a review copy of the recently published Good Cheap Eats by Jessica Fisher. After reading the Introduction I quickly realized this was not your average cook book. Good Cheap Eats is filled with helpful advice about cooking, effective meal planning, and eliminating waste. 

Since receiving it I've made several recipes from Good Cheap Eats including MinTea, Hot Cheese Dip with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Lemony Linguini with Broccoli and Mushrooms, and Fun Fruit Kabobs. Each recipe has been simple, cost effective, and most importantly, tasty. Below you'll find photos and exact recipes for my favorite meal from Good Cheap Eats, Lemony Linguini with Broccoli and Mushrooms served with MinTea. I hope you enjoy this flavorful meal as much as I did! 

Lemony Linguini with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Serves 4 


This one-dish dinner provides a vegetable and a starch as well as the umami-rich flavors of mushrooms to take the place of meat. Toss it all together in a large pasta bowl to serve family-style at the table.

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
4 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 pound linguini
Red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Copped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms and garlic in the butter until the mushrooms release their liquid and start to brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli, broth, lemon juice, and zest. Cover and let steam until the broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the linguini according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Place the pasta in a large serving bowl.
4. Add the vegetable mixture to the pasta. Toss to combine, adding a little of the pasta water if the mixture seems dry. Season to taste with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Garnish with the Parmesan and parsley.


MinTea

Serves 4

4 black tea bags
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups ice cubes

1. Place the tea bags and mint leaves in a heatproof glass pitcher or bowl. Pour the boiling water over and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and strain out the mint leaves. Stir in the honey until dissolved.
2. Put the ice in a large thermos. Pour the hot tea over the ice. Serve chilled.



Recipes by Jessica Fisher. Reproduced with permission of Harvard Common Press. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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