Cooking on the cheap shouldn't mean minute rice and buttered pasta every night. With a little creativity and a little planning, Gabriella Paiella shows us how to make the most of a tight budget -- without sacrificing flavor or variety.
Today: Recreate must-try restaurant dishes at home, for a fraction of the price.
One night, about a year after I had moved to New York, I was at a Mets Game. It wasn't terribly memorable, but I do remember that my date ordered chicken tenders; they were $11, and predictably not very good, but I immediately thought, "Damn, those are surprisingly cheap."
That was the moment that I realized that living in this city had permanently skewed my perceptions of what people should pay for food. Even though I'm incredibly frugal at the grocery store, I'm often lured into shelling out at every new restaurant that I have to try -- and there is always another one.
Fortunately, working in food media means being surrounded by people creative and motivated enough to recreate some of the most acclaimed restaurants' recipes. I've pulled together a few of my favorites -- you'll save money, won't have to wait for a table, and can eat them in the privacy of your home (no pants!). Here's how to live the dream:
Momofuku's Pork Buns 
Northern Spy's Kale Salad 
Brussels Sprouts Salad a la M. Wells 
Maialino's Olive Oil Cake
Celery Salad and Cheese on Toast (Inspired by Prune)
Carrot Avocado Salad (courtesy of ABC Kitchen) 
Le Bernadin's Crispy Skinned Fish
Union Square Café's Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Poppy Seeds and Lemon 
Roberta's Parsley Cake 
The River Café's Strawberry Sorbet 
Tell us: What are your favorite restaurant dishes that you've adapted to your home kitchen?
Written by: Gabriella Paiella
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There was a dish on the menu, which I can't accurately recall at this time, but I recreated and tweaked it and it is now my signature dish. Marinated seared duck breast atop a bed of creamy polenta and finished with a port wine reduction. I am leaving a few of the ingredients out of the description because when one has a "signature dish", sharing isn't always an option. Someday, when I write my cookbook, I'll share it fully.
http://thatumamilife.wordpress.com - a clean eating bento blog. Japanese or Asian-inspired!
I am seriously LOL-ing
these: http://food52.com/recipes/4305-achiote-chickpeas
(I leave the tortillas out)
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