There are many variations on the theme for fondue – it’s a great dinner to play around with to try new things everytime accompanied by old favorites. We love fondue restaurants, but we’ve found a much more frugal way to enjoy fondue goodness any night of the week!
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast* $1.50
1/2 small pork tenderloin* $2.00
1/4 pound shrimp* $1.50 (small ones are cheaper!)
3 cups chicken broth** $0.10
1 cup white wine $1.00 (2 buck chuck)
1/4 leek^ $0.25
Garlic clove, minced $0.10
1 tablespoon olive oil $0.08
Fresh Herbs $Free (from your herb garden!)
(Rosemary, Thyme, & Sage)
TOTAL COST: $6.53
Add veggies:
Broccoli $1.00
Mushrooms $0.75
Total Cost with Veggies: $8.23
Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces that you can manage with a fondue fork. If broccoli is frozen, thaw it. Wash mushrooms and leave them whole. Chop the leeks like you would a carrot going into a salad (making little discs.) It doesn’t hurt to arrange the meat artistically on a tray.
In a fondue pot, add the broth, white wine, garlic, leeks, olive oil, and fresh herbs (chopped or un-chopped.) Bring the broth to a boil and let it simmer for a good 5 minutes.
Start dipping the meat and veggies – ENJOY!
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* Fondue is a great cooking method for marinating meats.
** We’ve found that by far the frugal-est way to go for chicken broth is with bouillon cubes. Obviously, this is not nearly as good as homemade chicken broth, and probably a lot of people would argue that a “Free Range Chicken Broth” is a lot better. We’re being frugal, so 10 cents wins out over 4 dollars.
^Feel free to replace a chopped leek with onion, chives, green onion, or more garlic. The leek just adds a pleasant and light onion-y flavor.
