Best Student Recipes

As many sausages as you want - lets say 2 packs: 16 - try to buy the best you can afford.
Two tins tomatoes
Two tablespoons red lentils
Two large onions
Two beef stock cubes
4 cloves garlic
Chilli of some kind (tsp powder, tbsp sauce or 4 real live ones), to taste. Don't overdo it but you want it fairly 'warm'.
2 tsp of cumin, if you have some.
Seasoning
500ml water or leftover beer - Guiness would be an excellent choice.

Brown sausages and onions then chuck them and everything else into large ovenproof pan or slow-cooker. Cook on low heat for four hours until the lentils have gone all smushy. There's enough here to feed... oh at least one person and up to 6.

You can get creative with this one. Check the fridge and cupboards for anything else you could add. Leftover baked beans, a lonely potato - throw them in; they'll be unrecognisable by the end of cooking anyway. You could serve in bowls and add some grated cheese and flash grill.

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Sam Stern's Student Cookbook :
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1 piece of toast
100g mature cheddar (or similar)
30g butter
1 tsp flour
70ml left over beer, preferably something strong and dark
Sea salt and ground black pepper
a pinch of cayenne or a splash of Worcestershire sauce

Thinly slice or grate the cheese. Put the butter and flour in a small saucepan and cook for a few minutes. Add the ale, seasoning and cheese. Cook over a low heat until the cheese has melted. Do not allow to get too hot. Pour over the toast and put under the grill for a minute. Dust with cayenne or sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and eat at once.

2 lbs beef, cubed. You can leave bits of fat on as this will cook for so long, they will disappear and add flavour)
1 large onion
Mushrooms (however many you like)
Couple tbsp of flour
1/2 (half) tsp of any dried herbs you can find (thyme would be good)
Salt and pepper.
Large lump of butter
Optional veg: a couple of carrots or some diced swede.
1 tin of Baxters condensed soup - your choice but remember it's going with beef.
cup left over red wine (just tip up all the empties - there'll be some there for sure)

Mix flour, dried herbs and seasoning.
Throw beef into flour and mix a bit until all the meat is covered with a coating of flour.
Heat butter gently in a large, deep ovenproof pan.
Add beef, onions and mushrooms.
Fry for a bit.
Add carrots/swede, soup and wine. If it seems too thick, add a cup of water.
Cover pan, put in oven at 180C and cook for lots of hours (at least 3)
Check occasionally; add more water if necessary.
Serve with baked potatoes, pasta, rice or noodles. Add some green vegetables.

Make sure it is a large, stainless steel heavy-based one, which can be used on the stovetop as well as in the oven. Never use aluminium or non-stick (non-stick coatings are poisonous - go research them if you don't believe me).

Meyer Contempri Stainless Steel Covered Saute Pan with Glass Lid, 24 cm

Chicken breasts or turkey steaks
Lump of butter
Large onion
3 cloves garlic
Selection of vegetables - peppers, spring onions, green beans, mushrooms, diced carrot - anything you can find.
1/2 (half) cup of balsamic vinegar/leftover lager
Tablespoon of chilli sauce
A little water

Dice some chicken breast or turkey steak. Melt lump of butter in pan and add chicken. Slice an onion and chuck that in. Add two or three chopped cloves of garlic. Chop up a green (or red or yellow) pepper and throw that in. Look around for any other vegetables - spring onions, mushrooms, whatever. Chop them up and throw them in. Add more butter if you need to.
Keep frying and moving it all about. The pan will start to burn but down worry about that - if you are using your heavy-based one then it will come clean easily. When the chicken is cooked through and the onions are caramelised, turn off the heat and tip the lot out onto a couple of plates.
Add half cup of balsamic vinegar, a little water (or leftover lager) and a tablespoon of chili sauce to the hot pan, allow it to bubble and scrape the browned bits off the bottom. Share this deliciousness over the plates of chicken and vegetables.

Options: Add bits of bacon, some mild chillies and soy sauce. Fry in peanut or sesame oil for a more oriental taste. Be free and easy with this one.

if you burn your pan, let it soak for an hour or two with warm water and a little washing up liquid.

Whipping cream
Packet chocolate chip cookies
Alcoholic beverage (sherry, if you can get it, but works with anything pretty much)
Chopped mixed nuts and some choc chips.

Whip cream until stiff. Really kills your wrist so get your flatmate to take turns.
Pour sherry (or whatever) into a saucer.
Quickly dip first cookie in. Turn but don't let it get soggy. Spread cookie with cream and lie on plate, cream side up (the cookie, not you). Repeat with next cookie but this time stand the first cookie up and squidge them together. Repeat with rest so that you have a long cookie and cream sandwich/caterpillar. Cover whole lot with remaining cream. Sprinke on chopped nuts and chocolate chips or grated chocolate. Put in fridge to 'cook' for at least three hours.

Lightly toast two slices of bread.
Butter them well
Place on large oven-proof plate (there will be spreading during cooking)
Cover with cold baked beans
Place slices of cheddar cheese all over beans.
Place in oven at 190 until cheese melted and beans bubbling about 20 minutes.

3-4 slices back bacon
1 plain baguette
3 tablespoon tomato pureé
Small can chopped tomatoes, drained or 4 medium tomatoes, sliced.
2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
150g cheese (cheddar cheese grated or mozzarella cheese, sliced)
Pitted black olives, halved to garnish (optional)

Grill bacon until crisp. Cool, then bash to bits.
Cut the baguette in half and slice each half horizontally.
Place the 4 pieces under the grill and toast until golden.
Spread the tomato pureé over the baguette pieces and place the tomatoes on top.
Sprinkle over the crumbled bacon and oregano.
Season to taste.
Arrange the cheese on top and ganish with the olives (optional).
Place under the grill and cook until golden and bubbling.
Serve immediately, cut into slices, with a green salad.

Picture courtesy of biggestmenu

Never put cooking fat or melted butter down the sink. Use paper kitchen towels to mop up the worst of it and put the pan to soak before washing.

Melt a knob of butter in a small cast iron skillet (not a non-stick pan). Break the egg/s into the pan. Cover with a saucepan lid and allow to fry gently until perfectly cooked. You won't need to flip them.

Covering them with a lid means that they will poach slightly in their own steam and you won't get the bright yellow 'sunny-side up' look. Be careful not to overcook.

I have had a set of three cast iron skillets that have lasted me 31 years. Look after them and they'll last a lifetime.

6.5" Cast Iron Skillet

If you are getting podgy, cut down on starchy carbs, such as bread, potatoes, pasta and sugar; not protein or fat. Your body needs protein to build and maintain muscle. You need fat in order to absorb essential vitamins and minerals. Your brain needs fat to function properly. If you are putting on weight it is because you are consuming too many carbohydrates. Carbs are used only for energy. Unless you are very physically active, you can cut right back on them. You'll soon regain your svelte shape.

Have to thank Nigella for the inspiration for this one. The easiest 'home-made' pizza ever!

Two naan breads
Tomato spreading stuff (see recipe)
Grated cheddar or mozzarella or both
Your choice of toppings - mushrooms, ham, cooked chicken, etc.
Optional olives for garnish.

Two supermarket bought naan breads. On them spread tomato puree or passata, or a tomato-ey pasta sauce or even tomato ketchup. I prefer to add the meat next but you can add it last. I like the cheese to melt all over the toppings.

Anyway, you've got the idea, you layer it just how you like it. Put them on a grill pan so that the heat can get under them but then put them in a hot oven for a few minutes until cheese all melty and edges of naan breads are crispy.

You could also use a sprinkling of dried mixed herbs in with the grated cheese to add an Italian taste to your pizza.

Nigella Express

Mmmm food pron....

An alternative to the heavy naan bread is to use pitta bread instead. Toast the pitta, then split and place the separate halves on a grlll. Spread with tomato paste (again, whatever you have to hand), sprinkle cheese and toppings - not too much as the pitta is more fragile than naan bread. In the oven or under the grill with them and you'll have a tasty snack in less time than it takes Nigella to lick her fingers.

Buy the biggest lumps of tasty mature cheddar you can afford. Grate a big load of it and keep it in the freezer in a sealed container. It's right there whenever you need a quick cheese on toast, a sandwich or want to chuck some on your chilli con carne.

Serves 2 - 3

Okay, I'm British. We don't do pot-roasts. I have no idea why not. Today I made pot roast and it was heaven. I have no idea how you Americans have managed to keep this to yourselves!

Right then, Student dear, this is what you will need for this particular recipe:

A lump of beef - frozen topside can be bought in Aldi for around £4.30. Make sure you defrost it before cooking.
Tin, jar or carton of pasta sauce
A big onion, sliced
A few sliced mushrooms
Two or three garlic gloves, smushed.
A stock cube
Pepper

A slow-cooker, or you can cook in a conventional oven on a low temperature - around 130C

Remove the elastic casing around the beef joint. It'll probably separate into two or three pieces - that's okay.

Remove the piece of fat, Break a small piece off and place in bottom of large casserole, the slow-cooker or ovenproof pan. If using a slow-cooker, it should be switched on and set to High.

Make up a mug-full of stock with the cube and boiling water.

Put the beef in the pan.

Add everything else.

Put the lid on and leave to cook on 'Auto' or 130C for 6-8 hours. Check and adjust oven temperature. There needs to be a very, very small amount of bubbling happening around the sides of the casserole after about an hour's cooking. I call it a 'very, very ever-so-slow simmer'.

Serve with anything you like but preferably something that used to grow and has been dug out of the ground. You can try to slice it but it will probably just disintegrate into mouthwatering bites of delight. Pour the sauce over the top.

Tip: Before you throw out that bit of fat you removed from the beef consider melting in a small frying pan, allow to cool for a few minutes, then pour it into a spare mug. Once totally cool you can put it in the fridge and use it for your fried eggs. It will keep for ages and is not bad for you at all, despite what 'they' have been telling you for years.

Another tip: leftover sauce can be eaten with pasta the next day. Store (once cold) in airtight container in fridge.

Serves 4 (or 2 very greedy people)

Basic recipe - feel free to adapt:

4 large baking potatoes
Mature cheddar cheese - lots of it
Butter
Some kind of protein - tuna, leftover cold chicken, beef, remains of chilli con carne, corned beef, cooked crispy bacon, ham... whatever.
Salt and pepper

Wash and stab potatoes all over with a sharp knife (never forget to do this or they might explode while cooking).
Dry and bake in oven on medium heat until they are soft when you poke them with a knife.
Remove from oven and carefully cut in half.
Scoop out potato from skins into a large bowl. Place skins on oven tray well apart.
Mix large lump of butter into potato.
Add in the meat or whatever you have. You could also add chopped onions, spring (green) onions, capsicum (peppers) or cooked broccoli at this point.
Add pinch salt and plenty of pepper.
If you want it spicy then chuck in a couple of tablespoons of chilli sauce.
Mix it all up then spoon the mixture back into the potato skins.
Cover with lots of grated cheddar.
Put back into oven, turn up the heat a little and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese topping is golden.

Serve with salad.

Be careful. the middles are very hot!