Truly Scrumptious meals on the cheap

Each week, for the next two months of recession livin’, we will bring you a new option for dining out or staying in that allows you to enjoy culinary delights while adhering to 2009 budget cuts.

This week, cook up a little romance with a three-course Italian dinner for under $30.

When in Rome—A Threesome for Under $30 

Italian (or in this case ‘Italianesque’) cuisine is your wallet’s BFF—it’s most delish when it’s simple, with only a few choice ingredients, and it shouldn’t be fussy.

Portobello Parmesan Crostinis 
1 baguette
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large portobello mushrooms, sliced
½ tablespoon butter
A splash or two of balsamic vinegar
A splash or two of red wine (if you’re willing to give up some of what’s in your glass)
Rosemary (1 teaspoon dried or a sprig o’ fresh chopped up)
Salt (we like fleur de sel, but the iodized stuff will do)
Fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup thinly shaved Parmesan 


Preheat broiler to 500ºF.
Place 6 slices of baguette (½ inch thick) on a cookie sheet and brush one side with olive oil.
In a skillet, on medium heat, add butter and heat until melted, but not browning.
Add mushrooms and rosemary and sauté until beginning to soften (about 2 minutes).
Add splashes of balsamic and wine and reduce heat to simmering.
Place cookie sheet in the oven to toast bread, about 4 minutes (keep an eye on those suckers—they burn fast).
Take toasted bread out of the oven and rub each slice with garlic clove.
Sprinkle S&P on the shrooms, take off the heat and evenly distribute amongst the six slices.
Top with shavings of parmesan and serve.

Smashtastic Pesto Spaghetti 

1 package dried spaghetti (whole wheat is the tastiest)
1 jar of pesto
Assortment of olives, semi-dried tomatoes, artichokes, or whatnot from the deli bar (about 250 – 300 g) 

Chop and slice your deli selections into manageable pieces and set aside.
In a large pot of uber-salty boiling water add enough pasta for 3 people (usually the size of a quarter per person), and cook until done.
Drain pasta and add enough pesto to fully coat the noodles.
Throw in the artichokes, semi-dried tomatoes, olives or whatnot, toss and serve.

Chocolate and Raspberry Tartufo 
1 package of frozen tartufo (Gelato Fino is pretty top notch for under $5) 

Open the box and unwrap the balls.
Cut into quarters on a plate and sprinkle with icing sugar.  

Vino 
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the wine included in our $30, but any self-respecting woman will find a way to make it happen, so here are some tasty steals. 


Mezzomondo Negroamaro Salento – long cherry finish – $8.85
Colle Secco Montepuciano Dabbruzo – full ruby red – $9.05
Rocca Tollo Trebbiano Rocca Ventosa – crisp and dry white – $7.80 

A note on ingredients: We wrangled our foodstuffs together at Metro, which is not the cheapest way to roll (we were lazing after a full day of Bay Street bean counting); still we managed under $30. If you have the inclination to market, we bet—dollars to donuts—that you can cut the cost even further, and maybe even up the quality. We’ve also assumed (we know, we know, bad habit) that you have some of this stuff lying around already (vinegar, oil, butter, S&P and some dried herbies) à la pantry.