Cheapskate Gourmet: Five Killer Food Deals and an Easy, Delicious Dinner

Take a walk on the wild—and cheap—side at Concord's International Foods.

Let’s say you’ve just hit Costco on Monument. There’s a little space in your trunk next to your 12-pack of sports bras, so you whip into International Foods, a Middle Eastern market at 1106 Meadow Lane, which is just down the road.

I know, I know. It’s not fancy. You want fancy, you’ll pay three times as much—at least on certain items. Here, you’ll find big sacks of basmati rice—which smells so good, you’ll want to cook it just for aromatherapy—for about a buck a pound. (After cooking, dab a little behind each ear and drive the man of the house wild. Ah, just kidding.)

Once you’ve hauled a 40-pound bag of basmati up to the counter (they do have smaller ones, too, you big wimp), you might say, gee, I really need a gi-normous jar of local honey. Luckily, this little market sells a 3-pound jar of Pleasant Hill beekeeper Ron Elandt’s “Nature’s Gold” for just $14.99 (it’s $6 a pound at Pleasant Hill Produce). As you’ll read in the May issue of Diablo, local honey is all the rage, and some say it helps tame seasonal allergies.

Now, you’re going to need some tea for that honey, and luckily International Foods seems to be having a surprise sale—you never know what you’ll find in a Middle Eastern market—on a really nice British black tea: PG Tips (40 bags for $3.99, www.pgmoment.com). It’s usually more like $6, and tea snobs the world over love this stuff.

Once you’ve got teatime covered, you can start working on dinner at International Foods by picking up some Armenian pizza, or lahmejune from the cooler running along the back of the store (six thin, 9-inch pizzas for $6.99, enough for about three people). Lahmejune is basically a thin pita-dough crust with lamb (or beef, and sometimes even chicken or veggies) and spices. The beauty of this stuff is that you can throw it in a 375-degree oven for just five or so minutes, squeeze on a little lemon, and you’ve got a great start on dinner. You might even consider using the lahmejune as wraps, with fresh greens, herbs, and vegetables inside. Maybe even add a little yogurt sauce with super finely chopped mint and basil in it.

Which gets me to my next question. Have you tried Persian cucumbers? They’re small and unwaxed, with thin skins, and they’re crisp. International Foods has beautiful ones for $1.99, which is cheaper than you’ll find in most produce stores. Trader Joe’s sometimes has them, too, but you have to examine them carefully to make sure they’re at peak freshness. No wrinkling on the ends—they do not get better with aging. So anyhow, don’t forget to put chopped Persian cukes in your Lahmejune wraps.

And eat a lot of them. You’re going to need a lot of stamina to ever wear out all those sports bras.

Posted at 04:04 PM in Cheapskate Gourmet | Permalink