Cinco De Mayo Feast, On A Shoestring

Chef Edwin Mateo Tries To Prepare It On Recession-Busting Budget Of Just $35

(CBS)  The traditional Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, and The Early Show Saturday Edition celebrated it in style.

We challenged Edwin Mateo, executive chef at the SolToro Tequila Grill at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino, to serve up a delicious, three-course holiday feast for four on our "Chef on a Shoestring" budget of only $35.

Sol Torro is a contemporary Mexican restaurant, and its Web site says Mateo is known for "blending a deep understanding of Mexican cuisine with a deft hand for modern interpretation."

He specializes in traditional Mexican street food, home-style specialties and fresh guacamole.

On the menu on Saturday: Corn & Avocado Salad, Beer-Battered Fish Tacos, and Fried Ice Cream with a Tequila Honey Syrup.

Mateo also joined out "How Low Can You Go" competition, in which the "shoestring" chef with the lowest ingredients cost in 2009 will be invited back to cook up our whammo end-of-year holiday meal!

FOOD FACTS:

Mahi Mahi: Also known as dolphin-fish or dorado, calitos, maverikos or lampuki. Mahi-Mahi tastes similar to flounder, tilapia, or any other whitefish.

RECIPES

Avocado Corn Salad

INGREDIENTS:
2 avocados
1 cup black beans, cooked
1/2 cup red onion
2 ears roasted corn, kernels cut from cob
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 red pepper, roasted and diced
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 habanero pepper

METHOD:

In a mixing bowl add cooked beans, chopped red onion, roasted corn kernels, chopped cilantro and roasted red pepper.

Next, make a simple vinaigrette by pureeing oil, vinegar and chopped habanero. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Finally cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, and fill them with your roasted salad mix.


Beer-Battered Mahi Mahi Tacos

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 pounds Mahi Mahi
1 pound white cabbage
2 cups chopped cilantro
3/4 cup lime juice
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 bottle Corona beer
1 red onion
1/2 gallon vegetable oil
2 plum tomatoes
1/2 white onion
1 jalapeno
4 white corn tortillas
1 lime

METHOD:

Pickled Red Onion:

Julienne the red onion, add lime and mix with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit overnight

Beer-Battered Mahi Mahi:

Cut the fish into 2-inch strips and refrigerate.

To make the beer batter, mix all of the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt and paprika. Then add in the Corona and mix until all of the ingredients are completely combined.

Mix 1/2 cup flour with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pot to 350°F. Dredge the fish in the seasoned flour, then add into the beer batter and fry in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes and set aside.

Warm the tortillas by resting each in the sauté pan and flip until warm and soft on each side.

Next make the spiked lime cabbage. Julienne the white cabbage and add 1 ¼ cup chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Mix well, check for seasoning, and set aside.

For the pico de gallo, dice the plum tomatoes, white onion and jalapenos. Add lime juice chopped cilantro and check for seasoning.

To assemble the dish, fill the warm tortillas with the spiked lime cabbage, fried mahi mahi and finish with the pico de gallo and pickled red onion. Garnish with 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

[number1GI]

I love cooking shows....... But there is one part that sends the hairs on my head straight up....... I't when the "chef" puts his/her hands into the ingredients without benefit of gloves or utensils while saying " And then add............ eeeeeeeeech

[thecrazysuburbanmom]

The CBS Saturday Morning News is annoying me. They do a Chef on a Shoestring segment with a (real) chef cooking a meal for 4 for under $35.

This is how they promote it.

"Shoestring" Budget Of $35
Meager Budget Of $35
Recession-Busting Budget Of Just $35
Mere $35 Budget
Veggie-Packed Meal On Only $35

And sometimes the budget is even higher than $35

Our $40 "Shoestring" Challenge
On Budget Of Only $40
Tries To Make Fancy Meal For 4 For $40
Special Holiday "Shoestring" Budget Of $80

When I first started watching the segment is was interesting; the way The Food Network is interesting. Fun. Fantasy. An escape.

But when CBS started calling feeding 4 people one meal costing $35, recession-busting?
And than calling the fact that someone (a trained chef) could do it, amazing? It annoyed me. It shows a total lack of understanding of how much economy-related pain people are in. Haven't they been listening to their own news?

If you extrapolate their...What did they call it? Meager budget. That's over $1000 a month for dinner alone. That doesn't take in consideration breakfast, lunch or toilet paper.

According to Feeding America

Food banks across America are reporting a 30 percent increase in requests for emergency food assistance, according to a new survey conducted by Feeding America, the nation?s largest hunger relief organization.

And that was in December, 2008. What is it now?

CBS clearly has no idea how hard it is to find $35 in your food budget. Period. Or how many of their viewers are stretching $35 over many meals. Stretching that food budget until it screams. My food budget (I call her Janice) was screaming last night.

Feed 4 people on $35? Show me a woman who feeds her family for a week on $35 and I will be impressed. But one meal? A chimp with a shopping cart and a debit card could do that.

Granted, if you send a chimp in you will probably end up with a meal of kumquats, Marshmallow Peeps, Trident gum, Meatball Hot Pockets, Kibbles & Bits and a Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants balloon on a stick... but in the end it feels the same to me as The Chef on a Shoestring Segment.

It would be a meal that doesn't fit in my life.

At all.

[erenglish]

I agree with Terri O'Hearn. You hosts are actually rude to the chef. They ask questions and then rush them off with "we have 1 minute left", then assend to eat what was prepared. Very rude! Please allow more time for this segment.

[mswolfestock]

Great recipes, and I'm thinking that the "Pickled Onions" would be a great addition to other dishes, and in sandwiches. Or maybe on a shrimp Po Boy - YUM!

Too bad they left out the Tequila Honey Sauce recipe.

Here's my recipe for the Perfect Mojito -

You'll need a lime for every drink. Squeeze some limes and keep the hulls.
Place cut-up lime hulls, one ounce of simple syrup, and some mint leaves in the bottom of the glass. Muddle (mash) the mixture with the end of a wooden spoon until it smells like spearmint gum. Add two ounces of White Rum (Bacardi) and one ounce of lime juice; stir to blend. Add ice cubes and top the glass off with club soda and stir. Enjoy.

And here's my Perfect Margarita -

Three parts good tequila (NOT that rot-gut Cuervo or Montezuma stuff)
Two parts orange liqueur - Cointreau or Grand Marnier - NOT cheap triple sec
One part fresh lime juice - do not EVER use Rose's Lime Juice - it is just gross.

[RyanGoldschlager]

This recipe makes an easy and super tasty Cinco de Mayo recipe. It tastes great with Margaritas!

http://miocibo.com/2009/05/03/cinco-de-mayo-meat-pie

;D

[sam-kiley]

coucou
la recette superbe..originalité& imagination...chef on shoestring..j'adore...dorénavant je veillerai pour regarder le direct..je serai fatiguée mais bon ..merci chef "mahi-mahi"

au revoir..a la semaine prochane inchaalah..

[nkayew]

I think these recipe's look great and I will prepare them for this Cinco De Mayo for sure.
I live in Kentucky but have been visiting in Garrison, NY for a couple of month's now. In watching your show this morning it made me really want to try these dishes.
Thanks and have a great day

[tohearn]

Hi,
We love chef on a shoestring. We love sleeping late on Sat. and relaxing while watching your show. We love to find new recipes and cook a fun dinner for our three teens and friends. I would it if you would give these chefs a lest five more minuets of show time, they are so rushed it makes me tense.

Thank you
Have a relaxed day
Terri O'Hearn

[rbolzman]

PLEASE HAVE A LINK TO PRINT JUST THE RECIPE NOT ALL THE OTHER PARTS OF THE STORY. WHEN WE HIT PRINT WE WANT JUST THE RECIPE.

[debi1kennedy]

I would agree. Please allow more time for the chef to address each recipe. I would like the margarita recipe.I guess it is not printed since it was not actually demostrated. Thanks.

[almostpar]

I agree with the first post, you can give the chefs more time.I sure you can add some more time to that slot !

[xxyyzaz]

Why can't you give your chefs a minute or two more to demonstrate the recipes, instead of wasting time on how much it costs - who cares? It's so annoying to tell the chef he has one more minute when he has two more courses to demonstrate. Also, could when the people coming over to sample the food, please refrain from chit chatting while the chef's still trying to rush though another part of the demonstration.

[LADY_ORCHID]

Yes! Looking for sauce ingredients! Wonderful recipes...thank you Chef Mateo!

[nank001]

Where's the tequila honey sauce recipe?