WALLET FRIENDLY VALENTINE’S DAY ENTREES

Fixing a Valentine’s Day dinner is supposed to be special, as is true with any holiday or event, but don’t confuse ‘special’ with more expensive than a normal meal, especially  if the two main participants share a budget. There are always options which can bring the cost within your range, beginning with the choice of entrée. Crab stuffed Chicken Alaska is obviously more costly than Lemon, Garlic, Cheese Stuffed Chicken, but both are ‘occasion meals’ and equally delicious.

The options to reduce the cost of any recipe starts with the very basic ingredients. Both these recipes can be made with the always more expensive split chicken breasts but thighs are less, in fact often on sale for under $1.00 per lb. A further saving would be to buy either chicken parts frozen in bulk (Walmart). 

The cost of the lesser ingredients, counts too. Neither crab nor cream cheese have any lower cost options—despite Louis Kemp claims-but the mix-ins do. Be sure to evaluate them before committing to a recipe. For example, for the crab, white wine varies, but cream, jarred pimento and/or capers and fresh bell peppers are standard. The cheese recipe offers more choices. Sour cream, is a brand thing, canned lemon juice, garlic powder (which I prefer for this) and dried parsley are all less expensive than fresh. Options matter in every item.

Finally, remember that presentation is everything. The world’s most expensive entree, clumsily dumped on a plate, isn’t as enticing a weekday dinner, neatly placed, perhaps in a dollop of its own gravy, with a bit  of  garnish. Appearance counts far more than price to the appetite.

These recipes are all for two, but the ingredient amounts are easily multiplied. For economy, I have replaced fresh herbs and seasonings with dried or canned so taste test often. The lemon pepper s very salty; be sure to monitor that before adding salt.  Most of the other ingredients can be found in a Dollar Store to further cut back on price, and any liquor requirements can be purchased in mini bottles.however they are all elegant dishes, fit for an occasion.

RECIPES

Chicken

Lemony Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Parsley

2 chicken -split chicken breasts or thighs
1) 4oz pkg cream cheese

4 oz. sour cream

2 Tbs. dried parsley

2 ½  Tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. lemon pepper
2 Tbs.white wine

¼ cup milk

Salt to taste-if needed

Clean the chicken and brine it in salt with water to cover for 10 mins. Rinse well. Cream  the cheese,  sour cream, parsley and garlic powder together. Gently separate the chicken skin from the meat to create a pocket. Using a blunt utensil such as a butter knife, stuff each pocket with ¼ of the cheese mixture, lightly patting it down to spread it evenly. Place the chicken breasts, bone side down, in a roasting pan that fits them comfortably, and cook in a preheated 375 degree oven 45 min. or until nicely browned and sizzling.
When the chicken is almost done, in a sauce pan, over low heat, mix the rest of the cheese mixture and the milk to form a sauce. Plate the chicken, deglaze the roasting pan with the wine, and add to the sauce, adding more wine if the consistency is too thick. Serve at once, passing the sauce separately.

Chicken in Sherry Cream Sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 Tbs. flour – plus ¼ cup for dredging

2 Tbs. butter+ more if needed

½  small onion – diced

4oz. fresh button mushrooms – very small or sliced

(1/2 ) 10 oz. can Condensed Chicken Broth

¼  cup Cream Sherry

¼  cup light cream or whole milk

Pound and dredge the chicken. Melt 2 Tbs. butter in the skillet over medium heat and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove the meat, add and sauté the onions and mushrooms in the pan drippings, un, adding a little more butter if needed, until onions are soft and mushrooms yield their juice.

Return meat to pan, add broth and sherry, reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is done, about 10 min. Meanwhile dissolve the 2 Tbs. flour in the cream. Remove chicken from pan, add the cream, or milk and stir until sauce thickens. Return chicken to pan and warm thorough about 1 min. Serve.

Pepper Chicken Pinwheels with Olives

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8 boneless, skinless thighs or a mixture

2 bottled roasted red peppers 

(1/2 ) 4oz jar of mixed olive Tapenade OR next 5 Ingredients combined

8 pitted ripe olives chopped

6 pitted green olives chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped or 1 1/2 tsp bottled

½  small canned jalapeno chopped (optional)

Olive oil to moisten the above

1 tsp dried basil

2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. oil

1 envelope chicken bouillon granules

¾ cup white wine

2 Tbs. flour

Toothpicks

If using the Tapenade, then add the garlic, pepper and basil to it. If making it, chop the olives, garlic and pepper together and add the basil and olive oil.

Prepare chicken by pounding very thin. Butterfly the red peppers by slitting each on one side, and lay one over each breast or each thigh.  Spread an equal portion of the olive mixture down the center of the pepper, leaving a 1 inch margin all around. Roll the chicken, starting with the narrower short side and secure with toothpicks. Dredge the chicken by rolling it gently in the flour. Don’t press or the stuffing will leak out.

Heat 1 Tbs. of butter and 1 Tbs. oil in the skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken, first seam side down, then the top, adding more butter if needed. Be careful not to let meat stick. Turn the top side up; add the last of the butter, the wine and the bouillon, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 10 min. until the chicken is cooked, and the sauce thickens. If the sauce seems too thin, continue to simmer for a few minutes with the lid off.

Pork

Pork Chops Basil

(4)  ½ inch thick center pork chops well-trimmed

¼  cup flour

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbs. dried basil

¼  a small can frozen orange juice concentrate

Water to dilute juice
2 Tbs. scotch or dry  sherry

Sprinkle half the garlic powder and half the basil in the bottom of an oven proof dish or pan that will hold the chops closely but not overlapping. Dredge the chops in the flour, by shaking in a plastic bag, one at a time, making sure they’re well coated. Place in pan, and sprinkle the rest of the garlic and basil over them. Cover and seal the pan with foil. Bake, preferably at 250 degrees for 2 hours, but acceptable at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven, turn on broiler, and lift foil. Dilute orange juice with the sherry and just enough water to come almost to the top level of the chops in the pan, and add to pan.Broil until chops brown and the sauce thickens. Serve hot.

Pork Chops Madrilène

(4) ½ inch slices of pork loin or center chops

2 Tbs. butter + more as needed

(1/2 ) 10 oz. can Madrilène

3 oz. Madera – mixed with the Madrilène and ¼ cup reserved

2 Tbs. cup sugar

2 Tbs. cup white vinegar

1 Tbs. cornstarch – dissolved in the ¼ cup reserved liquid

Starting with 2 Tbs. and adding more as needed, melt butter in skillet over medium heat, sauté the pork until brown on both sides @ 5-10 min. Remove chops. Reduce heat to low and dissolve sugar in vinegar in the same skillet. Add Madrilène mix, stir to incorporate. Return pork to pan and simmer covered 15 min or until fully cooked, then add cornstarch dissolved in the ¼ cup reserved liquid. Stir until sauce bubbles and thickens. Serve at once.

Mushroom Stuffed Pork Roast with Wine Sauce-Recipe also works with beef—see below

1 ½  lb. boneless pork tenderloin roast –leftovers freeze well

(1) 8 oz. bag frozen chopped spinach – thawed and well drained

4 oz. canned mushrooms sliced or stems and pieces – drained

Ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1 large onion in small dice

½  cup + beef broth

2 Tbs . oil

1 ½  cups red wine

Butterfly the roast by slicing it lengthwise down the center almost through. Open it like a book and make similar slices down the length of each side in the center. Cover the meat with plastic wrap and pound to an even thinness. Spread the spinach evenly over the surface, leaving a 1 inch margin on the long sides. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg, and top with the mushrooms. Roll up the meat, starting with  a long  side  and tie with string every inch or so, securing the roll. Rub the outside lightly with salt and pepper, place in a roasting pan and cook in a preheated oven (350 deg. for pork) according to directions for cut.* When the roast reaches desired doneness, plate and let rest a few minutes . Serve in thin slices.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion in oil in a saucepan until soft. Add wine and allow  to cook down, adding in beef broth to maintain level of liquid-at about 1 cup total. When it reaches desired strength, add salt and pepper to taste. Can be made ahead and reheated. Serve warm with roast.

*Pork takes about 2 hours to reach 150 deg. at 350 deg.

*Beef tenderloin should be cooked at 500 deg. for 30 min. or until temperature reaches 145 deg. for medium rare.

*Beef round should be cooked as tenderloin if wanted rare, but as pork if desired well done. Remember, the longer beef cooks the tougher it gets, unless being stewed or steamed to tenderness.

SEAFOOD

Salmon in Lemon Caper Sauce

(2)  5 oz. salmon fillets – -preferably without skin

1 Tbs. butter 

2 cloves garlic chopped

½  large onion, one half diced the other sliced in 1/8 inch slices

 2 Tbs. oil 

3 Tbs. white wine

½ cup sour cream

1 Tbs. capers 

1/8  tsp. lemon pepper or to taste

Melt 1 Tbs. butter and pour over fish on a lightly greased foil covered baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for @ 8 min per inch of thickness of the fish, on an average 20 min. see chart.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, sauté diced onion in 1 Tbs. oil until soft, add balance of oil, capers, wine and lemon pepper, allow to simmer gently on warm while salmon cooks. Check if more lemon pepper is needed, sauce should be very lemony but not bitter. Just before plating fish, whisk in sour cream, blend and warm through. Serve sauce over fish.

Shrimp Kebobs
1 lb. extra  large (26-30 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on

1 Tbs. olive oil

½  tsp. Tabasco

½  tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or equal amount dried

2 cloves minced garlic

½  tsp dried oregano

1/8  tsp allspice powder

2 lemons – one juiced one in quarters

Kosher salt to taste

Barbeque Sauce

Skewers

Mix all the ingredients but the salt and quartered lemon in a bowl large enough to hold the shrimp. Add the shrimp and marinate, covered at room temperature at least 1 hr. or several hours in the refrigerator. Thread shrimp head to tail on as many skewers as necessary – long metal ones require about 4. Preheat broiler or grill, and cook shrimp until pink and beginning to brown, basting frequently with the marinade. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with lemon quarters and for barbeque sauce for dipping.

Fusain Tilapia

2 large Tilapia fillets 

2 bunches scallions – also called green onions- trimmed of roots and course green stems

½  Tbs. garlic powder

½  Tbs. powdered ginger

1 ½  Tbs. butter – divided 

1 Tbs. oil

1 Tbs. Soy Sauce

¼  cup Cream Sherry

(1) 15 oz. can sweet potatoes

1 Tbs. brown sugar

Salt and pepper.

Drain the sweet potatoes. Using 1 Tbs. butter and the brown sugar, and if needed a bit of their own syrup, candy them, either in a skillet on the stove, or in a cooking oil sprayed pan in the oven, as per directions on the can. (I have done this in the microwave, by melting the butter, dissolving the sugar in it, coating the potatoes well, covering and cooking on high for @ 3 min .in one minute intervals.)          Cut white and light green parts of scallions on and angle in 1 ¼ inch pieces. Set aside.                            Melt 1 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. oil over medium heat, and gently sauté Tilapia, until it becomes white, adding more butter as needed. You may need to do this in batches. Remove to a plate. Add the remainder of the butter and oil then the garlic and ginger to the pan and stir quickly to avoid clumping. Add the Soy Sauce, Sherry and scallion pieces. Stir for 30 sec. Reduce the heat to medium low. Return the fish to the pan and simmer until heated through, about 2 min. Apportion the potatoes on the plates, in the center of each. Serve the fish decoratively leaning slightly against the potatoes. Spoon the scallions and sauce over the fish.

OTHER

Turkey with Walnuts (Tetrazzini)
2 turkey cutlets or chicken thighs-skinned, boned, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

½  green bell pepper

1 medium onion in 8ths

2 celery ribs

1 tsp Soy Sauce

(1/2 ) 10oz can chicken broth – divided 2 Tbs reserved (This is the Condensed style)

2 Tbs. butter

¼  cup cream sherry

1 Tbs. cornstarch

¼ cup walnut pieces – toasting optional

Salt and Pepper

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Brown meat; add vegetables and sauté until soft. Add 2 Tbs.chicken broth and Soy Sauce, cover and simmer 8 min. Add sherry and cook 1 min more, add cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbs. broth and cook 3 min., stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Serve over orzo garnished with walnuts.

To toast walnuts– place on foil in 350 degree oven for 5 min.

Salad Nicoise

1 lb. fresh whole or cut green beans – frozen is fine

6 small new potatoes – halved if larger – keep size uniform-canned will do – 2

(1) 6 oz. cans solid white tuna in water – drained-or 2 tuna steaks, broiled or grilled*

(1/2) 5 ¾ oz. can pitted black olives

2 hard-boiled eggs – quartered

2 Roma or small tomatoes – quartered- OR 1 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes

Bibb lettuce or Romaine

Optional add-ons – (1/2) 15 oz. can of pickled beets and/or 4 anchovy fillets

Cook the beans, and potatoes if raw, until crisp tender. A special flavor is added if they are marinated in wine for a few hours.

Line a large platter with the lettuce leaves. Gently fork-separate the tuna chunks and mound them at 6 O’clock on the plate. Mound the potatoes at 12 and decoratively distribute the other ingredients separately in mounds evenly around the plate, except the anchovies. If using, they should be laid across the tuna. The mounds can be pie shaped wedges, pointing to the center, or the center can be filled with fresh herbs or chopped lettuce pieces. If using the beets, the black olives can be piled in the center. The point is to arrange the plate as decoratively as possible but have it appear as a miniature buffet, with each of the ingredients presented individually for ease of self-serving.

Serve with the dressing created for this salad, below.

*NOTE: Packets of frozen individually wrapped tuna steaks can now be found in supermarkets.

Nicoise Dressing:

2Tbs. minced shallots – or mild onions

1 Tbs. dry mustard – 4 of Dijon can be used

2 drops of hot sauce

2 ½ Tbs red wine vinegar

2Tbs fresh lemon juice  or 1 tsp. of concentrated will do

1 ¼  cups salad oil.

Mix the ingredients well and allow to meld for several hours. Drizzle a little over the Tuna, and serve the rest on the side