The Hunger Challenge: Day 4

The veterans of this event say that the fourth day is the hardest. I would not know. I went to work early, really, really early, and Husband tended to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I came back, showered, went out again to finish my first assignment for the photography class (my memory card spaced out and I had to reformat it, loosing all the data in the process). I could not face the professor with excuses. I took pictures for one whole hour, and then started on downloading, uploading, renaming, choosing, moving pictures over to new folders…Nerve-wrecking at least. I rushed to the class, nervous, anxious, afraid of tackling the brand new shiny Mac when conquering a PC was a challenge.

A Korean woman named Tanya sits next to me in class. She guided me through each step, comforting me with her sing-song voice, assuring me that everything would get easier, adorning each sentence with a beautiful unassuming smile. Five hours later, completely relaxed and at piece, after I managed to tame Mac the Beast at least temporarily, I came home, had a bowl of beans, watched the finale of Master Chef (minus the last ten minutes during which I just could not keep my eyes open), and went to bed.

I was extremely frugal throughout the day. But how did the family fare with Husband at the helm? I left him the instructions and the recipes, but he is never to be trusted to go “by the book”. I tried not to imagine him adding some Dijon mustard or his beloved Worcestershire sauce to Mother’s true and trusted and only recipe for the bean soup. But he behaved and adhered to the rules. Sigh.

BREAKFAST:

Cereal and Milk

.55c per person

• $2.50 for 12oz (we buy cereal on sale, only), .22c per child
• milk, 2 gallons for $5.00, .15c per cup
• I had 1/ 2 of a croissant and a cup of coffee (croissant .99c,)
• Husband had coffee, .50c

LUNCH:

Tuna salad sandwich

Granola bar

Tapioca pudding

Juice/water bottle

Chips and salsa for Husband

A piece of crusty Italian bread and butter for me

.90c per person

• Tuna salad was left over from yesterday
• Sarah Lee Whole Wheat Bread, 2 for $4.00 (.10c per slice)
• Pudding, .25c a piece
• Quaker Oats granola bars, $3.49 for 10 (.35c each)
• Juice/water – .25c each
• .50, Husband, chips and salsa
• .20c, me, bread and butter

DINNER:

Serbian Bean Soup with Smoked Ribs

Bread

Roasted beets salad (for me)

milk/soda for kids

soda for Husband

vodka&tonic for me

.99c per person

• Navy beans, $1.29 per pound (.65c for 1/2 pound – I used white beans from Serbia, but navy beans would be fine)
• Onions, $49c per pound (1 medium, .12c)
• Carrots, $49c per pound (1 carrot, .5c)
• Smoked meat (I will put the price of bacon) $3.99 per pound ($2.00 per 1/2 pound)
• Bay leaves, salt, pepper, paprika, .20c
• home-made roasted beets with garlic, .20c
• Bread, $1.49 for a loaf of freshly baked Italian bread at Albertson’s (.50c for 1/3 of a loaf)
• Milk/soda, .25c each
• Vodka&tonic for me, after school, at home, .50c

The Beasties had a scoop of ice cream before bed, 2 for $5.00 at Albertson’s (.21c for 1/2 cup) and a plum each after school (.69c a pound, .12c each)

TOTAL FOR THE DAY: $2.60c per person

SERBIAN BEAN SOUP WITH SMOKED MEAT (ČORBAST PASULJ)

In Serbian, when we want to illustrate that something is quite easy to accomplish, we say “It’s as simple as cooking beans”. Keeping that in mind, I entrusted one of my favorite comfort foods to Husband, notorious for experimenting with food. This dish is at its best when prepared in huge quantities, for big gatherings, for cafeteria food, or military mess halls. It has to contain some form of smoked meat. The best choice would obviously be pork ribs preserved in Serbian style, cured, smoked, and kept exposed to cold air for weeks. The smokiness of the ribs and similarly cured pork products is much more intense than anything I encountered here in the States. Unfortunately, we cannot procure said meats in the state of California. They are transported here in many creative ways from the Midwest, where they were lovingly prepared by friends and relatives. If I absolutely have to, I would use a smoked ham bone, or a Chinese smoked ham hock, preferably with some meat on it.

Ingredients:

• 250gr (1/2 lb) white beans (cannellini, navy, or northern – I used “tetovac”, the beans grown by my relatives in Serbia
• 200gr (1/2 lb) smoked pork ribs and bacon
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper (smoked ribs can be quite salty, be careful when seasoning)

Directions:

Soak the beans over night. (If you forget, you can use the shortcut: put them in a heavy pot or a Dutch oven, cover with cold water, and heat on high temperature. As soon as the water boils, strain the beans, put them back in the pot and follow the rest of the recipe).

Pour 2 quarts of cold water over the beans and return to the stove. Add the meat, onion, carrot, and bay leaves. When the water reaches boiling temperature, turn the heat down to medium-low to low and simmer for 2-3 hours (depending on the type of beans, their size, and age). Taste and add the seasonings (sometimes it is not necessary to add salt – the smoked ribs are pretty salty on their own).

The next step is optional, and I often skip it – it adds a little more vibrancy to the color of the beans, and does not contribute to the taste, at least according to my experiences. But, many a Serbian housewife would strongly disapprove of omitting this step.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the paprika and stir for 3o seconds to dissolve. Mix into the beans to incorporate. Take the bay leaves out before serving. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread (it is preferable if it is somewhat stale, because then you have an excuse to dunk) and vinegary coleslaw or roasted beets salad with garlic and vinaigrette.

Awful photo, I know. But it was too late. As soon as I make another batch (and with the cooler weather approaching even Southern California, it will be shortly), I will take a picture.

I am linking this recipe to My Legume Love Affair event hosted by Susan at The Well Seasoned Cook