Student Food

[Raz316]

fry a couple of potato waffles, just as they start going brown, break an egg on top of them making sure egg goes in all the gaps. Now fry some bacon and make a bacon, egged waffle sandwich!

Go to asda and spend £8 on 8p noodles. (The chicken one goes really well with tuna and sweet corn).

Always check out the reduced items area, you'll find some right bargains there

Stir fry mix, meat and soy sauce always worked a treat too.

what uni are ya going to?

[Stewart]

Get 2 bits of bread and put some tomato sauce on it. What students do isnt it?

fter a few years when you get bored - toast the bread first.

[Raz316]

I've mixed marmite in with pasta before and it was suprisingly nice!

[tiggerai]

Get 2 bits of bread and put some tomato sauce on it. What students do isnt it?

fter a few years when you get bored - toast the bread first.

Oh you missed out on soooo much.

[TheAnimus]

bread + Green Pesto + ham + cheese.

When you've got really really nasty cheap watery ham, some green pesto can help bring some flavour to it.

works really well toasted

[Spud1]

Remember that being a student doesn't mean you have to resort to buying the 'basics' or 'value' ranges of food, and you don't have to buy Asda own brand

The best tip I can give you is what steve said - go to supermarkets at the end of the day and buy reduced stuff - Tesco is the best place to go for this, especially if you have an extra near you. This way you can really eat like a king - fillet steak, tesco finest food, fresh fruit and veg...all at bargin prices if you go at the right time (was around 7-8pm in the stafford extra).

The ready meals are quite good if you oven cook them - just don't let them any where near a microwave and you'll be fine with them, and don't eat them every day or else you *will* get sick of them

Fray Bentos pies are also a bargin - its a branded item so safe to buy from Adsa, who usually have them on offer for £1 each or 3 for £3 (same really)..in fact Asda is probably the place to go for most branded stuff..just avoid any of their own brand stuff like the plague, its not worth saving the 10p or so for the reduced quality.

If your living with other students (and I expect you are) then eating together can really save you loads - I lived with 2 other students and we had a roast dinner every sunday - A joint of beef (reduced) and a Large Chicken, combined with paxo stuffing, roast potatoes (made fresh), couple of carrots, plenty of bisto and some aunt bessie yorkshires (again reduced) worked out at about £3 each and filled you up for the entire day. You can do similar things with lasagnas,toad-in-the-hole, meat/potato pies and such..really easy to make in large quantites and works out very cheap between a few of you

[Funkstar]

Lidls is a good place to shop.

Yes it's cheap and they have brands you've never heard of, but a lot of their lines are really really good. They have things you just can't get in other supermarkets, and a lot of things are significantly cheaper too.

[Brucelles]

For cheap meal bits try a few of these.

Pasta tomato sauce
Ingredients:
1 can of tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, a handful of fresh (or dried, if necessary) Basil
Method:
Brown the peeled, chopped onion in a pan with a little oil, add the murdered garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt if necessary. Heat gently for a little while, while smashing up the tomatoes, then add the shredded basil stir a little more and serve over pasta. Parmesan is optional, but good.

Restaurant quality stuff and dead cheap.

Stuffing

Paxo stuffing is OK, but is it worth it? If you have herbs in your garden (and if not, why not?) you can make vastly better stuffing so easily.

Ingredients:
Bread, about 2 inches off the end of the loaf (stale bread is best), herbs (I love fresh sage. Use a slack handful), one onion.
Method:
peel the onion. Blend everything. If it's not sticky enough add either an egg or some stock or water or flat beer (if it ain't flat drink it). Stick it in the oven for about 15-20mins, depending how you like it. If you are doing a chicken I like top just stick it in the chicken pan so it aborbs chicken juice, but you can do whatever you would do with Paxo.

[Zak33]

really wouldnt recommend going for the tesco value chicken or any other value chicken. Theres a reason why its so cheap. My flat m8 buys it and u can see the hairs on it still, and the wounds where they been dragged out. Just get chicken when its on offer, which is 90% of the time. 2 for £5 etc

he's right...though I feel they may be feathers rather than hairs

[Brucelles]

Spaghetti Bolognese
This is a pretty generic recipe. You can omit anything that isn’t in bold and it will still taste great. If you want to mix and match do so. You can use fresh tomatoes, ignore the mushrooms, etc. but you need the herbs one way or another.
Ingredients
Feeds 5 – modify amounts for more or less. I have bolded the essential bits; anything else can be left out.

Minced beef or lamb – 500gm
Onion - 1 big or 2 small or 2 big; whatever
Celery – one stick (Optional)
Carrot – 1 (optional)
Mushrooms - a punnet or a two cupped hands-full (optional)
A normal sized tin of peeled tomatoes.
A tube of tomato puree, (actually, you’ll only need a squeeze).
Stock cube. (beef OXO or something else, or even ignore it or use beer or wine)
Garlic - 3 to 5 cloves
Olive oil.
Other oil.

HERBS (Can be replaced with a couple of Tablespoons of dried mixed herbs)
- Oregano (dried)
- Basil (dried)
- Rosemary (dried)
- Bay leaves (dried)

Pepper.
Tabasco
Dry red wine – a splash (optional)
Boiling water.
Pasta
Salt.
Parmesan, but cheddar works as well.

Utensils
I tend to use a large non-stick frying pan for the sauce, but you may find it easier to use a big saucepan and a frying pan. I’ll write this for two pans, but if you use one you won’t see much difference. You need another pan for the pasta, of course.

Process
1. Skin and chop the onion and garlic. Murder to death the garlic.
2. Stick the onion in a microwave for 3 minutes on full while you splash a bit of oil into the cooking pan and start to warm it up, then throw in the softened onions and the garlic.
3. Heat gently on a low heat and occasionally stir with your wooden spoon. If you are using one pan throw in the meat now, otherwise take this pan off the heat while you cook the meat.
4. Put a little slop of sunflower oil into the frying pan and heat it over a highish/medium heat. Keep chopping and stirring the meat until it is brownish and in little bits. Now take it off the heat and set it aside in a sensible place where it won’t get lost.
5. Peal and grate the carrot, if you are using one, and bung the bits in the pan with the onions and garlic.
6. Let the carrot fry gently for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to stop sticking.
7. Add the tin of tomatoes to the frying onion & carrot. With your wooden spoon or spatula, smash up the tomatoes.
8. Add a squirt of tomato puree (about a tablespoon).
9. If you chose to use mushrooms slice them up and add them to the saucepan with the tomato/onion/carrot/etc.
10. Open the bottle of wine and pour a glassful into the saucepan with the tomato/etc. You know what to do with the rest of the bottle. Beer works pretty well for this too, or you can ignore it.
11. Add the herbs to the pan with the tomato/onion/carrot/mushrooms/etc., these should be:
Either: 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary, 2 bay leaves
Or: About a tablespoon of mixed dried herbs
12. Then add a few drops of tabasco, a big pinch of pepper (doesn’t matter what sort of pepper) and a crumbled stock cube (doesn’t matter what flavour).
13. Add the browned mince, if it has been lying around somewhere in the frying pan.
14. Now add about 500ml of boiling water and stir. If it’s not pretty sloppy ad a bit more, it’s going to boil off anyway.
15. Turn up the heat until the mixture is boiling. Then turn down the heat until the mixture is just lightly bubbling. Put a lid on the pan and get the heat setting really really low and just keep the pan gently bubbling. Don’t forget to give the mixture a stir every 10 minutes, otherwise the stuff at the bottom of the pan will overheat and start to burn.
16. As the mixture cooks, water will evaporate from the pan and the sauce will become thicker - as thick as a proper Bolognese sauce. But, you do not want this thick consistency until the very end of the cooking process, otherwise the sauce will almost certainly start burning on the bottom of the pan. To avoid ruining your sauce during the cooking process, you need to occasionally add boiling water from your kettle. i.e. Keep your sauce liquidy.
17. Eventually, all the separate ingredients in the pan will have disintegrated into a proper sauce. When it has been cooking for about 30 minutes, it will be ready, but it doesn’t hurt to cook longer if you stir and keep it liquidy; just don’t do it for more than an hour. During the final stage of the cooking process, you can stop adding boiling water and let the sauce thicken, but keep stirring every 5-10 minutes.
18. Boil the pasta in salted water, according to the instructions on the packet. Put the pasta in about 10 minutes before you want to eat. So make sure the water is ready boiling when you see the time reach 10 to dinner time. Make too much; pasta is cheap.
Serve with a salad if you want, or not.

A note about left-overs.
Bolognese sauce freezes well and then tastes better than ever when you defrost it.

Garlic bread
I tend to use a lot of butter in this, but it’s pricey and unhealthy and another method is what I’m going to describe.

Ingredients
For a standard large baguette you need:

• About an inch and a half of butter cut off the end of the slab
• 6 or so garlic cloves
• A sprinkle of salt
• Some olive oil
• Some mixed herbs (optional)

Process
1. Peel and macerate the garlic.
2. Put the garlic into a smallish bowl with a pinch of salt and the butter.
3. Mash the garlic and butter together with a fork. If you are using mixed herbs add about 2 teaspoons before mashing.
4. Slice the baguette part way through in 1.5 inch sections so they stick together at the bottom still.
5. Spread the garlic butter on one side of each slice. Make sure you share it evenly among the loaf.
6. Put the loaf onto a long strip of alu foil and then drizzle olive oil over it in a sort of wiggling motion so that you don’t get big dry patches. You need to make the whole loaf look shiny, but without creating pools of oil. It doesn’t matter too much, though, as it will all be absorbed.
7. Wrap it tightly in the foil and stick it in the oven at around 220C for 15 minutes.

Italian Meatballs

Ingredients Makes enough for 5 or 6

Balls
• 300gm minced beef or lamb
• 300gm minced pork
• 100ml fine dry bread crumbs (make two slices of pale toast then use a hand blender to blend them up once they are dry, or you can painstakingly chop them up with a knife – do the toasting first so that the pieces dry well out)
• 1 egg
• 50gm grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• Hefty pinch pepper
• vegetable oil

Sauce
• 2 cans tomatoes
• tomato paste or puree. If puree a small can, paste use 2-3 tablespoons
• small chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• (2 tablespoons chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley, plus 1 teaspoon oregano) or 2 teaspoons of mixed herbs
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation
• Combine the meat with the bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan, water, herbs and pepper.
• Shape into about 1-inch meatballs. Leave them on a plate until they are all ready.
• Gently brown the meatballs over low heat in a frying pan with a small amount of oil.
• Drain off excess fat.
• Put your balls aside for a few minutes while you brown the onion in the pan. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and salt. Stire a bit then put the meatballs back in.
• Simmer, uncovered, over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Serve with hot cooked spaghetti or linguini.

Anything uneaten can be frozen and microwaved to thaw when you need it.

Red Pepper Pasta

Ingredients
• 3 red bell peppers (Capsicums)
• 8oz cream (Whipping or double) pasteurised seems best value
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Cheese (Parmesan probably, but possibly cheddar)

Process
• Core and slice the peppers. I usually cut them along the creases, into three parts. Cut out the white pithy stuff and wash off the seeds.
• You need a flat grill pan. I cover mine with foil to save washing up later. Arrange the peppers on it skin-side up. Grill them as near the grill as you can until they bubble and then turn black, about 15 minutes. Rotate the pan as necessary for even roasting.
• After the peppers are done, you can go two ways:
1. stack the peppers and fold the aluminium foil over to seal the peppers in and steam them. Steam the peppers for five to ten minutes before peeling the skins off. This makes for a smoother sauce.
2. put the peppers under a cold tap until they have cooled. This helps the skin to come off more easily.
• Put the peppers into the blender (you may have to do two lots) and whiz them until they are pureed.
• Put the pepper puree, a fat pinch of salt (taste it) and some parmesan or cheddar (about two tablespoons of grated cheese) into a saucepan and warm it gently while you do the pasta. When the pasta is ready drain it and meanwhile add the cream to the sauce while still heating. If you can get the sauce to just bubbling before you serve it that would be perfect. Don't let it boil for ages though.
• Serve the sauce over the pasta with black pepper and parmesan.

This is a damned good sauce and will seal your reputation as a cook of some note.

Klaus’ Winter Soup

For later on in the year you might want to make Klaus’ Winter Soup. I got this recipe from my best mate who is a giant German Uber-chef in Abu Dhabi (He was Executive Chef at the AD Sheraton, and is now Executive Chef at the prestigious $2Bn Officer's Club)

Ingredients
Lentils 500g
Onions 2 , sliced (you should use two leeks instead, but I know students probably won't have 2 leeks lying around)
Carrots 4 or 5 or more, who cares?
Garlic 4 or 5 cloves
Celery 1 stick (optional)
Spicy dried sausages I recommend buying two or three different types of salami or chorizo style sausages. This is where the spicy taste comes from.
Thick smoked bacon Optional. 100 – 200 grams
Potatoes 500 grams
Canned tomatoes 2 large cans
Red wine about half a bottle of cheap red
Salt to taste. (I would try a level teaspoon at first and add an additional pinch every few minutes until it tastes OK.)
Oil 1 tablespoon

Process
• Chop the onions, celery and garlic. Put the onions and celery in the microwave for 4 minutes on full
• If you are going to add bacon you should now chop it into little squares about 1cm square
• Heat the oil in your biggest saucepan on a low heat. If using bacon throw it in now and stir it until it is just browning.
• When the onions are done throw the garlic into the pan and stir for about 30 seconds, then throw in the onions and the lentils.
• Stir the onion lentil mix for about a minute then add the tomatoes, salt, red wine and about 500ml of water or beer (only if there is some lying around; waste not, want not.). Drink the rest of the wine, sharing only if your assistant has been really helpful.
• While that lot comes back to the boil slice the sausage into coins. If the skin seems very papery peel it off first. Add to the pot and adjust the water if necessary.
• peel and chop the carrots and spuds. Carrots shouldn’t be in too big chunks, try half-moons, but the spuds will be best if they are about 1½ inches square.
• Leave the carrots and spuds in water until about 45 minutes before you think you’ll be eating.
• Stir occasionally; remember to add the spuds and carrot with some water after about an hour, but 45 minutes before eating time. Keep the pot topped up with water to the right consistency, which should be a thick soupy texture.

You shouldn’t need to add any flavouring, but if you taste it before adding the spuds and it seems bland, add some dried cumin, chilli (judiciously), coriander, etc. at that point.

Serve with buttered baguette, red wine and a spoon.

Klaus used to make these quantities and it would basically last for a few days, but there were lots of us sharing. If you want, just halve the quantities and you'll have enough for about 5 good meals. This does improve with age though, if you leave it covered on the stove, just throw it away if a greenish hairy appearance develops on the top.

[alsenior]

there is a book called student grub which has tons of recipes in for students.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Student-Grub...0974879&sr=8-1

[Brucelles]

Yeah, but I just moved my daughter into her first shared house and I had to teach her how to do things over the summer. Of course, when she moved in I found out that one of the guys is Hindu, so I had to switch all of my beef recipes to lamb.

Each week I am supposed to send my daughter a new recipe. So I figure I'll just post them here, too.

(Next Week: How to convert week-old bolognese sauce into Chili con carne.)

[chicken]

Lots of beans listed there Merlin, you got all the ingredients but missed the classic combination of Beans & Sausages with Cheese. Add spices and stuff to taste, but Vegetable Boullion oddly enough seems to make a huge difference.

On the pasta front, Asda/Tescos/Sainsburys usually have 2 packs of Stuffed Pasta for £2.50. Depending on how much you eat you can make these do 2 meals a pack, bulking it out with plain pasta if you want more.

Also, from the Spaghetti Bolognese recipe, if you take out the extra veg, swap herbs for spices and add kidney beans you've got yourself a Chilli. You can also use the bolognese recipe for Lasagne, tbh I'd just buy the white sauce unless you're really keen to have it all home-made.

Toad-in-the-hole was another good studenty meal, although probably not all that healthy. Yorkshire Pudding mix + Sausages + Gravy (preferably with onions).

Oh and make use of potatoes, they're cheap and provide good sustinance. Mash can go with lots of dishes, jacket potatoes don't require much effort and spiced wedges make a good side or are good on their own as munchies.

Mash - Boil potatoes, probably more than you'd expect you'll need. Test softness with a sharp knife. When they're soft enough, drain the water and mash them, adding butter and milk a little at a time as you go. The more butter you add the nicer they will be, but obviously less healthy at the same time! Marge is a poor substitute because it has very little flavour. Feel free to chuck in fried onion bits or cheese at this point.

Jackets - Oven bake for about 40mins to an hour depending on potato size, again test with a pointy knife or skewer.

Faster Jackets - Cover in cling-film and microwave for 10 mins first. Unwrap them and put them on an oven tray. Skewer them with a metal skewer and put them in the oven. The skewer draws heat into the middle and speeds up the cooking process.


Wow, I am procrastinating today! Don't worry, I'll be working like crazy later when the work arrives in an hour...

[Brucelles]

Good point chicken. I forgot that my daughter didn't even know how to boil potatoes until I showed her.

Another great, really simple, potato dish / side dish is Rosti. It is like posh hash brown potatoes, but easier to make, goes with anything chips would go with. You can frig it by simply coarsely grating a big potato (not new potato) into a frying pan, adding a pinch of salt and about 2 tablespoons of oil then push it flat and spread it out and fry it on quite high heat. Once it's brown underneath flip it and brown the other side (it might need more oil). It will come out a big, stiff, pancakey sort of thing.

To serve drain the fat off and then add a whole can of baked beans (microwaved for 4 minutes - out of the can), 2 fried eggs and some sausages. Or have it with something else. Or just put Worcester sauce and ketchup on it and eat it in the bath; who can stop you?

[Gumby]

Fry ups and toasted sandwiches are easy to make! Not very healthy mind...

We always tended to make pasta dishes or cottage pie. Simple things that you can have for a few days!

[chicken]

Oh yeah, cottage pie is another good one. Lamb mince makes it really nice too, but then it all decends into a row over what constitutes Cottage Pie and what's a Shepherd's pie...

Toasted sandwiches can be quite healthy, but the tasty ones generally aren't!

Another tip for studenthood is to use Turkey instead of Chicken in currys and strong-flavoured stuff. It's not quite as good but it's healthier and cheaper. My dad's method of cooking curry is to lightly fry the meat, put everything together then let it cook properly in a pot in the oven. Makes it really nice and tender, which would probably help make the turkey seem more chicken-like.


(p.s. I think this is the only thread 99Flake hasn't followed me into today! *lies low*)