The Bitter End

Here are some dishes to make when the string is really out. They may not become family favorites, but who can say? I know a guy who’s still daft about grits with sorghum, the mainstay of his dirt-farmer childhood. Some of these dishes are cheap because they’re unfamiliar, therefore unpopular, in this country; others are just superb ways to wring the most food value out of a dollar or less (at this writing). Short of stealing saltines and catchup from cafeterias, these recipes are about as economical as you can get.