Food Writing Sample - Homestead, Florida

There are many people out there that grocery shop with their price books, getting the best deals possible, comparing sales fliers, and with coupons in hand go to their local stores and bring back home tons of food that they found on sale.

Most people also know about the loss leaders in the grocery stores.  The products usually on the front and back sides of the sales fliers that they buy in bulk, so proud that they saved so much money for them.  But, all of these loss leaders shouldn't just sit on the shelves of the pantry.  

I have been pinching my family's grocery pennies for about 4 years now.  My husband and I are also gourmet cooks, so I want to share with you how you can be thrifty, use your leftovers and creative in the kitchen at the same time.  I don't live on boxes of macaroni and cheese that was marked down to ten cents per box, and neither should you!

We moved right before the holidays from California to Florida.  I was happy to find out that the food prices here were a bit less than in California.  I also found that there were many "new" kinds of foods here to experiment with.  One of the "not so big chain store" grocery stores that I went to had a sale on plantains.  "6 for $1.00" the sign read.  So, I picked out six nice looking plantains and brought them home.

I could have let them ripen, slice and fry them up to serve as a side dish, I suppose, but that would be boring.

I was thinking back to one of our anniversaries.  My husband had brought me to Ciudad restaurant in Los Angeles.  It was THE spot to go when we went, and the food there was incredible!  I had ordered the plantain gnocchi with a creamy cilantro sauce.  THAT'S what I wanted to make.  I had no recipe in any of my books for it, nor could I find anything on the web, so, remembering how the dish tasted, this is the delicious, and very inexpensive recipe that I came up with.

Plantain Gnocchi with Creamy Cilantro Sauce

2 very ripe (black skin) plantains

1 large egg

Flour

Peel the plantains and place them in a large mixing bowl.  With the tines of a fork, or your fingers, mash the plantains to a soft, mashed potato consistancy.  Mix in 1 large egg.  Scoop out a handful of flour at a time, and incorporate it into the plantain mixture, mixing in just enough to form a nice, soft dough.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch in diameter and 8 to 10 inches long. Cut each snake into regular pieces about 1 inch long. Continue until all the dough has been rolled and cut.

At this point, unless you are feeding an army, there will be plenty of gnocchi for dinner tonight, and plenty to pack and freeze for later.  To freeze, place gnocchi on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer.  When frozen, lift the gnocchi off of the baking sheet and place in freezer bags.  Gnocchi can be frozen for up to three months.

To cook immediately, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil and drop in the gnocchi. (Do this in two batches if it's easier.)

Boil the gnocchi until they rise to the top, then remove them with a slotted skimmer and transfer them to a heated platter or bowl.

Serve immediately with Creamy Cilantro sauce.

Creamy Cilantro Sauce

4 cups heavy whipping cream (divided)
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup shredded cilantro

Place 3 cups of heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir occasionally to avoid scorching.  Add the Seasoned Salt, salt and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.

In a separate mixing bowl add 1/4 cup of cornstarch and the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and mix thoroughly with a wire whisk.

As soon as the mixture begins to boil, add the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture and use a whisk to whip until blended well.

Remove the saucepan from heat.

Add the cup of shredded cilantro and stir until blended.

Ladel the sauce over the gnocchi and enjoy!

I figured out the price for the gnocchi; plantains=17 cents per plantain, egg=8 cents, flour=6 cents per cup.  For just about 50 cents, you have four servings of cheap and tasty gnocchi.