From Peg's Cantina in Gulfport, home of a great beer list, tasty Mex food, Midwest-style thin crust pizza and a distinctly Florida outdoor courtyard space right on Beach Boulevard., comes this $20 Menu Challenge entry.
Here's what Chef Tony Dodson said about his three (plus one) courses: "I try to integrate my food as much as possible and strive to create different taste sensations using the same ingredients. I priced out the ingredients at Sweet Bay and it came to $18.87 without tax. A nice benefit to this dinner is that there is enough food leftover to make breakfast burritos!"
Menu
Guacamole with Homemade Flour Tortilla Chips
Mini-Tortilla Quiches
Portabella Quesadillas
Ingredient List (with estimated prices):
1 package Pepito 10-inch tortillas (2.39)
1 package Kraft Mexicheese (2.69)
1 package sliced portabella mushrooms (2.99)
2 Haas avocados (3.00)
2 plum tomatoes (1.75)
1 dozen eggs (1.69)
1 bunch cilantro (.99)
1 small sour cream (.99)
1 small yellow onion (.65)
1 bunch green onions (.59)
1 lime (.50)
1 bulb of garlic (.39)
2 jalapeno peppers (.25)
Recipes
Guacamole
Roughly mash avocados; add 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, one finely chopped clove of garlic and the juice of 1/2 lime. Add salt, pepper, and chopped jalapeno to taste.
Mini Tortilla Quiches
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut two 4" round circles out of 4 tortillas, reserve the scraps. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and place the tortilla circles in the muffin holes.
2. In blender, puree 2 eggs, 3/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped green onions, dash of salt and 1/4 cup cream until smooth. Pour into tortillas and cook at 350 degrees until done, about 10-12 minutes. Add a dab of sour cream and guacamole to each before serving.
3. Cut the reserve tortilla scraps into chip size pieces and place on baking sheet. Bake with quiches until crispy, approx. 10 minutes. Use these with the guacamole.
Quesadillas
1. Saute sliced portabella mushrooms, 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1 clove of garlic in water until soft. Salt to taste.
2. Heat skillet over medium to medium-high. Brush tortilla with butter and put in heated skillet; on top layer 1/2 cup mexicheese, half of the portabella mixture, then another 1/2 cup of cheese. Fold in half and cook until golden brown, flipping as necessary.
3. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Breakfast Burritos
The next morning, scramble eggs with any leftover ingredients (onions, mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes). Roll into a warm flour tortilla for a great breakfast treat.
Extra Tip from Chef Tony:
"It would be great if we considered that folks already have sour cream in their fridge and could instead buy a mango to eat with dinner, same price!"
This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2008.