Lifelong customer publishes ‘unofficial’ cookbook of recipes inspired by Aldi
Jeanette Hurt made seven appetizers for her cousin’s wedding reception using ingredients from Aldi. She was prepared to share recipes with guests at the intimate gathering because she knew they’d be asking for them. And they did.
Confidence in the tastiness of her Aldi culinary creations came from a lifetime of cooking with products bought at a grocery store chain more famed for its frugality than flavor.
Now Hurt has released “The Unofficial Aldi Cookbook: Delicious Recipes Made with Fan Favorites from the Award-Winning Grocery Store” that includes 58 recipes.
About the cookbook
Hurt has published 15 books on food and drink, but “The Unofficial Aldi Cookbook” ($17.95, Ulysses Press) is the book that’s been simmering in a lifetime of experience.
When Hurt was growing up during the 1980s, her mother shopped at local co-op stores and Aldi. Early in her writing career, Hurt worked part-time covering the police beat for a newspaper and made ends meet with a part-time job at an Aldi store.
Now as a food and drink writer, book author and recipe developer she’s still an expert on the thrifty grocery store. She even knows which Aldi in the Milwaukee area is most likely to have the coveted wine Advent calendar longer than most locations. (Try the Brown Deer location come December.)
She knows the ins and outs of Aldi because it’s the primary supplier of Hurt household ingredients. Regular stops at farmers markets and occasional trips to Trader Joe’s round out family shopping trips.
Lower prices are a big factor. About 75% of the recipes are fromscratch, including a marinara sauce, yet most don’t need more than 30 minutes of cook time.
The book, by design, is packed with work-night friendly recipes.
“Occasionally I like to do a fancy French dinner when time allows,” Hurt said. “Most of the dinners I make take less than 30 minutes of active cooking.”
Between weeknights that include running her son to diving and gymnastic practices, tournament weekends, building a writing career and other demands of domestic life and homeownership, Hurt’s free time can be in short supply. Making one stop for all the ingredients is critical, she said, and Aldi’s small store footprint keeps those trips short.
“I don’t have time to run to three different stores to look for an ingredient,” Hurt said. “I can get in and get out without wandering half a football field.”
Hurt spent last summer working on the book in her tiny kitchen.
Plenty of longtime Hurt family favorites made the cookbook, like the baked salmon with Dijon Parmesan sauce, Alfredo sauce, and cheese fondue. Some recipes like roasted asparagus needed to be made with exact measurements because, “I usually eyeball those amounts.”
Beyond the familiar, Hurt developed recipes and entries that go beyond expected. There’s a recipe for brownies baked inside hollowed-out orange peels. Four pages are dedicated to building cheese and charcuterie plates.
A brief history, guide for Aldi newbies and Hurt’s favorites precede the recipes.
“Everything in the book is approachable,” Hurt said. “If you’re looking for some inspiration, there are also showstoppers.”
All recipe ingredients are available at Aldi, although a few items are seasonal or occasional specials. They also can be found at most other grocery stores.
The book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online book retailers.
It has more than 30 recipes with a prep time in the 5- to 10-minute range.
Economical on price and time — those are two qualities worthy of a No Budget Cooking Series recipe review.
Baked salmon insights
This recipe’s Parmesan flavor is muted compared to the boldness of tangy mustard and creamy mayo. Paprika adds nice visual punch, but it’s mostly absent on the palate. Overall, the blend complements strong salmon flavor.
While I enjoy the dish, I have a flavor bias for mustard, mayonnaise and Parmesan flavors. If these aren’t among your favorite ingredients, I don’t think this will convince you otherwise.
The salmon was good cold the next day and worked well mixed into scrambled eggs with leftover roasted asparagus, another recipe in Hurt’s book. .
I slightly adapted the roasted asparagus recipe from the book and added that to the baking sheet to make this a complete meal. Hurt said the recipes work as printed but encourages home cooks to adapt them to taste.
Next time — and there will be a next time for me — I would cut the salmon into individual servings before coating with the sauce and baking. It will make serving easier and, if someone would rather have a light coating of sauce, you can accommodate the request.
I forgot to slice the green onions for topping and still found the salmon tasty, so consider that optional.
ASK ME CULINARY QUESTIONS OR TEACH ME YOUR RECIPES: Please send your questions, feedback and recipes you’d like reviewed. I’m always happy to consider a favorite family recipe for the No Budget Cooking Series.
ABOUT THIS SERIES: I test recipes found on food packages in my very average kitchen with my moderately above average cooking talent. Contact me at dphiggin@gannett.com. Follow @HigginsEats on Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook.