$5 Dinner: Broiled Cod with Parsley Sauce

I'm too late for this to be an official entry, but the latest 20sb Cooking Challenge was to create a meal with a price per serving of $5 or less.
Being so busy trying to get J ready for his cousin's wedding last weekend I didn't have the time to sit and figure out my grocery costs per meal, which is harder than it might seem since I have so much stocked up in my freezer and pantry from my trips to the wholesale store. Any given week I might only have to pick up one or two ingredients per meal plus produce so I imagine the casual grocery store observer thinks we're on some wacky diet. I'm a huuuuge judging-you-by-your-groceries person so I assume everyone else is too.
I don't stress too much over food costs since I count cooking as a hobby as well as a necessity. I don't mind spending a little extra every so often if it means I get to try a new recipe or buy a specialty item for an old favorite. J sure ain't complaining!

For the sake of this recipe being $5 per person, I'm assuming you have black pepper, butter/margarine, and flour. My prices come from PeaPod by Stop and Shop, but my actual cost for this meal was probably a tad lower since I get pasta at the wholesale store for less than $99/box and had a few store coupons that I used for produce this week.

Sorry that the pictures aren't the clearest; it was the time of night where I get a little med-shaky.

Broiled Cod with Parsley Sauce served with pasta and green beans

This pic was taken while J was out buying the cod.. Just imagine that it's there.

 

 

 (My measurements are for 2 servings)



~1b cod, on sale for $4.99/lb : 4.99
1 1/3 cup milk, $1.59/qt: 0.49
1 bunch parsley: 0.99
1 shallot: 0.59
1 lemon: 0.50
1/2 bay leaf, $4.99/jar: 0.25
1/2 lb green beans, $2.99/lb: 1.49
1/3 box of pasta $0.99: 0.33
2T+ butter or margarine (I used butter for the sauce and margarine for everything else, but for the sake of continuity I just say "butter" in the recipe)
black pepper
2T flour
Total grocery cost for ingredients used in meal: $9.63, $4.81/serving

1. Place half of the bunch of parsley in a saucepan with the milk, the halved shallot, half of a bay leaf, and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat and let steep for 10-20 minutes, then strain out and discard the solids.

 2. While the milk is steeping, trim and rinse the green beans. Place in a pan with some butter and black pepper. Cook over low heat, tossing occasionally.
3. Get the pasta going. When it's done to your liking, toss with a little butter to keep it from sticking while the rest of the meal cooks.
4. Pat the cod dry, then place on greased baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, then smoosh on some butter. Sprinkle with the lemon zest, then broil 10-20 minutes until white and flaky.

 5. Melt 2T butter in a pan. Whisk in 2T flour and cook until lightly golden. Whisk in the infused milk and cook, whisking frequently, until thickened.

Some serious cookin' going on here!

 6. When the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove from heat. Chop up the leaves from the remaining parsley stems and stir in, along with the juice from half of the lemon, salt and pepper.
7. After plating the pasta, beans, and fish, give everything a nice squeeze from the other half of the lemon before dumping the sauce on and chowing down.

 Overall, I'd say this recipe was a success! It was a bit heavy for summertime, so if I attempt it again anytime soon I'd replace the milk with chicken broth or wine. If not under the $5 limit, I'd probably add some minced garlic in with the butter while cooking the sauce and do a little something more with the beans, but as is nothing felt like it was missing.