So you're off to college for the first time and you just can't wait. Total freedom and no nagging parents may sound like heaven, but one thing's for sure - after a few months of living in a dingy bedsit and eating pot noodles, you're really going to appreciate home comforts and mother's cooking. At this stage it's definitely time to turn your hand to culinary endeavours. Thanks to Sutcliffe Catering Services, who have compiled a culinary survival kit for students, you, too, can become a super cook, impress your friends and enjoy a healthy diet.
Monday
Pizza
Difficulty: Candy from a baby
Preparation time: five minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Pizza base Tin of Sardines (for example) Tomato puree 1/2 an onion Grated cheese
To prepare:
Spread tomato puree over the pizza base. Finely dice the onion and sprinkle it over the tomato puree. Drain the sardines, then split open to remover the backbones. Spread the cheese and sardines over the base and place under the grill for eight minutes.
Completely unnecessary but dead impressive serving suggestion: serve with a whole corn on the cob which has been placed in boiling water for 15/20 minutes, drained and dusted with salt and pepper
Tuesday Stir Fry With Smoked Tofu And Noodles
Difficulty: Candy from a slightly irritable toddler
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients A tbsp. vegetable oil Some spring onions A tbsp. soy sauce 85gm smoked tofu, drained 1/2 red pepper Some beansprouts, broccoli florets, sliced mushrooms - whatever's handy! 1/2 vegetable stock cube, dis- solved in two-thirds of a cup of boiling water Noodles (use spaghetti or rice if you're stuck) Some grated root ginger A crushed clove of garlic (optional)
To prepare:
Cut the vegetables into strips, crumble the stock cube in about 2/3 cup of boiling water, and cut the tofu into cubes.
To cook:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan (or wok if you happen to have one), add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and the tofu and stir fry for about two to three minutes, then remove the tofu from the pan. Next add the strips of pepper, onion, beansprouts and other vegetables and stir fry for four minutes. Add the stock and seasoning and simmer for four minutes, then add back the tofu for another two minutes. Meanwhile, boil the noodles, drain and get ready to serve.
To serve:
Place the noodles on a plate or in a bowl, add stir fry
Wednesday Pasta Pepperonata Al Tonno (Pasta with tuna and peppers to the rest of us)
Difficulty: Candy from a toddler
Preparation time: five minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
90gm dried pasta, any type! Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/2 onion Small tin of tomatoes Clove of garlic Two tbsp. of tomato puree Pinch of sugar Dried herbs (basil or oregano are best) 1/2 to one red pepper Small tin of tuna in brine
To prepare:
Chop the onion, crush the garlic, and cut the pepper into strips. Open and drain the tuna. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil.
To cook:
Heat the oil in the saucepan, add the onion and garlic and lightly cook. Then add the peppers, and cook for another two or three minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, puree, herbs and sugar and bring to the boil, then allow to simmer until thickened. Then add the tuna. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water (check the packet for correct cooking time), drain and add the tuna and pepper sauce.
Completely unnecessary but dead impressive serving suggestion: place on the plate with some fresh crusty French bread.
Thursday
Omelette Pay Sanne With Potato Wedges
Difficulty: Candy from a baby - Pokemon from a pre-teen, (depending how fussy you are with your omelettes!)
Preparation time: five minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
Large potato Two eggs Tomato One or two spring onions A slice of ham or cooked rasher of bacon Some mixed herbs Seasoning A small knob of butter or a little oil Some cold cooked potato (optional) A little grated cheese (also optional, `borrow` flatmate's cheese if necessary)
To prepare:
Beat the eggs with a whisk or fork until no streaks are visible. Add some herbs to the beaten egg. Chop the onion, tomato, cooked potato and ham or bacon. Grate a little cheese if desired.
To cook:
Boil the whole potato for five minutes, drain and cut lengthways, first quartering and then going into eighths. Paint with oil and put under a hot grill. When they are turning nicely brown, dust with salt and grated cheese (optional).
Return to the grill for the cheese to melt just before serving. Meanwhile, add the butter or oil to a heated pan, then when it is just getting hot, pour in the beaten egg. When the top is almost set, tilt the pan and fold one side diagonally over the other (this is the tricky bit, usually not well-executed in a post-pub state)
Completely unnecessary but dead impressive serving suggestion: turn the omelette out of the pan onto a heated plate and serve with the potato wedges.
Friday
Cheat's Paella
Difficulty: Candy from a baby
Preparation time: five minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Tbsp. oil Small can of tuna or salmon 1/2 onion Clove of garlic Small tin of chopped tomatoes Small cup of long grain rice 1.5 cups of vegetable/fish/ chicken stock, made with a stock cube Tbsp. of turmeric Handful of frozen peas/tinned sweetcorn/diced red pepper - whatever is handy! Seasoning
To prepare:
Crush the garlic, chop the onion, and drain the can of tuna or salmon. Heat the oil in the pan and add the onion and garlic. Then add the rice and cook gently until it goes a little shiny. Add the tomatoes, stock and turmeric and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, then simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir through the rice. Leave the pan over a low heat for another five minutes before serving, by which time the rice should be cooked and most of the liquid absorbed. The perfect crime.
Saturday
Vegetable Stir Fry
Difficulty: Candy from a toddler
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: six minutes
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp. of vegetable oil 3-4 spring onions Noodles Mixed vegetables-carrots, mushrooms, peppers, courgettes, cucumber, beansprouts . . . whatever you can get your hands on! Tbsp. soy sauce Some nuts - try cashew - (optional) Root ginger (very optional) Some sesame seeds (even more optional!)
To prepare:
Chop vegetables like carrots and courgettes into thin match sticks, and slice the other thinly. Grate any ginger.
To Cook:
Heat the oil in the pan, add the ginger and sesame seeds, and cook for about one to two minutes (keep stirring, you can watch TV, or study at the same time). Then add the vegetables and nuts. Stir fry for another two minutes or so. Then add the soy sauce. Fry for another minute or so. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling water (check the pack for instructions), drain and serve immediately.
Sunday
Quick Macaroni Ratatouille
Difficulty: Candy from a toddler
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
90gm of macaroni or small pasta shapes Small can of ratatouille 25gm cheddar cheese grated Two slices of bread for breadcrumbs Pinch of dried herbs
To prepare:
Fill a saucepan with water, add salt and bring to the boil. Add the macaroni or pasta and cook for 10 minutes.
When cooked, drain with a sieve or colander and refresh with plenty of cold water and set aside. Meanwhile, rub the bread between the palms of your hands to make fine breadcrumbs in a bowl and add the grated cheese to this. Open the can of ratatouille and tip into a saucepan and gently heat through.
To cook:
Add the pasta to the hot sauce and allow to heat through for two to four minutes. Transfer to ovenproof dish and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture and brown under a pre-heated grill until the cheese bubbles.
Completely unnecessary but dead impressive serving suggestion: serve with a tossed salad and crusty baguette.
