To food editor Shilpa Uskokovic, when it comes to home cooking, cheap is the greatest compliment. Each month, in What a Steal, she’s sharing a highly craveable recipe—and showing us how to save some $$$ along the way.
Have you seen the meme where the person opens the fridge door multiple times, expecting food to miraculously materialize? That’s me on a Thursday. The week’s supply of fresh food has dwindled dangerously, the paycheck isn’t hitting until tomorrow, and I can’t be bothered to shuffle to the store.
Times like that call for fritters like these. Requiring little more than a bag of frozen peas and some half-hearted herbs, these simple green fritters have come to my rescue again and again. They’re based on a recipe for broccoli pancakes from Adeena Sussman’s book, Sababa. What starts out with the usual paltry suspects—flour, eggs, seasonings—gets an upgrade with an unexpected scoop of cottage cheese. As the fritters cook, the cheese melts into little pockets, creating a delicate, lacy fritter. Plus, they’re equally good hot or cold.
Being a frugal cook is about making strategic choices. Take frozen produce, for instance. Frozen corn, cauliflower, spinach, berries, and yes, peas are consistently in my freezer because they’re delightfully affordable and just as good, if not better, than fresh. With these on hand I know there’s always something I can pull off, even if it’s just a smoothie for dinner. Anything to prevent me from getting expensive takeout quite as often. Frozen peas in particular have saved me more times than I can count—I’ve made these creamy ravioli, this grass-green soup, and even smushed and schmeared them on toast.
In these fritters, you can use frozen corn in place of peas, if that’s all you have. Or sub an equal quantity (by weight) of finely chopped raw vegetables like kale, Swiss chard, bell pepper, or broccoli like in the original.
To prove just how economical these fritters are, here’s a price breakdown based on the receipt from my local Key Foods here in NYC. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and baking powder are excluded since the quantity used is negligible.
- $1.50 worth of cottage cheese (8 oz. from a 24-oz. tub costing $4.49)
- 86 cents for 2 large eggs
- 79 cents for 1 lemon
- $2.19 for 1 clamshell fresh dill
- 7 cents worth of flour (⅓ cup from a 5 lb. bag costing $4.49)
- 83 cents worth of frozen green peas (8 oz. from a 12-oz. bag costing $1.25)
- 37 cents worth of vegetable oil (½ cup from a 32-fl.oz. bottle costing $2.99)
Cost for 4 servings: $6.61
Cost per serving: $1.65
