Whipping up tasty meals from cheap ingredients

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With the rising cost of such essentials as food and gasoline,households are being squeezed. And paying up to $5 for a box ofcereal seems appalling.
So how about a $1 box of cereal?
Turns out that dollar stores, well known for such things as costumejewelry and cheap cleaning supplies, offer a wide variety ofgroceries, going beyond canned beans and off-brand crackers.
The Dollar Tree, for example, carries an assortment of snacks andpackaged food, while the 99 Cents Only stores often offer a largeselection of fresh produce as well as a refrigerated dairy section.
Apparently, the bargain grocer is appealing. Jennifer Castania, arepresentative for 99 Cents Only, told NBC Nightly News in June that business was booming.
"Within the last month, we've had record-breaking food sales,"Castania said.
With time and just a few bucks, you can put together a hearty meal.
Dollar-store shelves are stocked with organic vegetables,name-brand sauces and seasonings. Shelves also hold the clichedcans of potted meat, a selection that goes beyond Spam.
Canned chicken, canned ham and an assortment of packaged fish areavailable. There is also an array of fruit, from fresh kiwi toplums, and packaged applesauce, fruit salad and pudding.
The selection can be overwhelming, so we asked Charles Wiley, chefat Cafe ZuZu at the Hotel Valley Ho, to create dinners based ondollar-store ingredients. Wiley never had been to a dollar storeand had no idea the stores offered food, let alone fresh produce.He's not a fan of processed foods, so he stuck to fresh options asmuch as he could. He also has supplemented the meals with a fewkitchen staples, including seasonings, eggs, lemon and flour.
The results may surprise those who haven't browsed the dollar-storefood aisles. Cucumber, Spinach and Red Bell Pepper Salad
(Makes 4 servings)
6 cups spinach, leaves only, washed well
2 whole cucumbers, peeled, halved and sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and sliced
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the spinach and cucumbers in a large bowl. Heat a large sautepan over medium heat and add the butter. Cook until butter beginsto brown and it takes on a nutty aroma. Add the bell peppers,vinegar and onion; toss until warmed. Pour those vegetables overthe spinach and cucumbers, season with salt and pepper and toss.
Arrange the salad on four plates and serve immediately. Rigatoni with Turkey Franks and Asparagus
(Makes 4 servings)
1/2 pound rigatoni (reserve cooking water)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 pound turkey franks, halved lengthwise then cut into 1/2-inchpieces diagonally
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and peeled; cut into2-inch pieces
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon butter
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt and cookthe pasta al dente. Drain but reserve a couple cups of the cookingwater.
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat; add the olive oil andturkey franks and saute until caramelized, about 4 minutes; removewith a slotted spoon. Add the garlic and asparagus to the pan andsaute briefly until the asparagus is tender but not completelycooked. Add the cooked pasta and the turkey franks to the pan alongwith 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water; bring to a boil. Addhalf the cheese and the butter; stir until the sauce thickensslightly.
Divide among four bowls and top with the remaining cheese. Smoked Fish on a Warm Potato Pancake with Spring Greens
(Makes 4 servings)
Recipe for potato pancakes (four 5-inch cakes) below
1 cup sour cream, whisked with a fork to loosen
1 pound smoked fish (3-4 ounces on each cake)
3 cups tender lettuce
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 lemon wedges
Place 1 pancake in the center of 4 warm plates. Drizzle some of thesour cream over the cake, top with smoked fish and drizzle a littlemore sour cream over the fish.
Combine the greens (lettuce) in a mixing bowl and toss with salt,pepper and a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil. Place a nicelittle bouquet of greens in the center of each helping of fish andserve with a wedge of lemon.
Potato Pancakes
1 pound red potatoes
Juice from half of a lemon
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel and grate the potatoes on the finest holes of a box graterinto a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over the potatoes tokeep them from discoloring. Add flour, sour cream, baking powder,egg, onion, butter, salt and pepper to taste and stir well tocombine. Transfer mixture into a sieve set over a bowl and letdrain for 10 minutes.
Preheat a large electric griddle to about 400 degrees. Scoop outabout 1/2 cup of the potato mixture with your hands and squeezegently to remove some of the liquid (it should still be very wet).Butter the griddle and form potato mixture into a flat pancakeabout 4-5 inches wide. Repeat, and cook until golden brown, 5-6minutes per side.
Reach the reporter at lisa .nicita@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8546.