copyright Poor Girl Gourmet

I went to the book signing of Amy McCoy, the author of “Poor Girl Gourmet” cookbook yesterday at the Water Street bookstore in Exeter.  I was curious to see how she cuts corners and as she says, “eat in style on a barebones budget.”  I was pleased to learn that Amy loves to eat local and even has her own chickens.  She also encourages readers to start their own garden even if it is just some potted herbs (herbs are expensive). She shops at Whole Foods and local specialty shops and farmers’ markets, but  still makes most of her meals on the cheap (most dishes were around $10.00 for 4-6 people). She said she never used to shop for sale items, or use generic brands (like the Whole Foods brand of products) but now to keep on budget these are some of her staple items. Bottom line is, she is cooking for less, but she is not settling for Ramen Noodles. She is making healthy meals, with simple ingredients.  I look forward to trying some of her recipes. She couldn’t have been nicer and answered many questions which had nothing to do with food.  You can check out her blog at http://poorgirlgourmet.blogspot.com and her book is available on Amazon. It is a soft cover book listed at $16.99 but Amazon has it on sale for $11.99.

Some of her recipes include “untraditional Bolognese sauce, chicken in cider gravy, sweet Italian sausage with apple and fennel seed and easy sidedishes like roasted cauliflower, pan-sauteed cabbage with roasted garlic and some straightforward desserts without a lot of ingredients.  She even has a section on “value wines” with a list of red, white and sparkling wines for the budget shopper.

For each recipe she breaks down the estimated cost of the dish. She said I could share a recipe so, although I haven’t made anything yet, I’ve picked something with some something you can buy from local farmers - zucchinis which are already showing up at the farmers’ markets (early this year). Thanks Amy!

Zucchini with Pecorino Romano (Serves 4 for $5 or less)

2 pounds zuchini (approximately 2 large or 4 medium), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenheit.
2. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini rounds iwth the olive oil to coat them. Season with salt and pepper and arrange the zucchini in a single layer on a 10 by 15-inch rimmed baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle the grated Pecorino Romano over the top of the rounds and bake until the zucchini is soft and the cheese is golden brown, 30-35 minutes.

(Author’s note: Estimated cost for four: $2.99. In season, zucchini costs $1.25 per pound. We’re using 2 pounds here, so that’s $2.50. The olive oil costs 24 cents, and the grated Pecorino Romano costs 24 cents.)