This week a column for students heading
off to college with a limited budget and even more limited batterie de cuisine
or ‘kitchen kit’.
First
a list of basic essentials if you’re to rustle up anything at all in your
kitchen. Hopefully you’ll have an oven but I’m not taking this for granted, but
I am assuming that you’ll have some sort of hob or a couple of gas jets. I’m
also assuming that you’ll have basic cutlery and crockery.
So
here we go…
a
frying pan and egg slice
a
wok
a
22.5cm saucepan and/or a casserole with lid
a
nest of three Pyrex or stainless steel bowls
a
coil whisk
a
couple of wooden spoons, one with a round and the other straight ended
A
few 20.5 or 23cm pasta bowls that can also be used for breakfast cereal, soup,
stew, risotto or pudding…
I’m not a fan of the Instant pot. But many people are so I’ll leave that up to
you but be very wary of the Teflon lined versions which are causing
considerable anxiety in some areas. Check it out yourself.
With
the few basics I’ve listed above you could make a myriad of dishes in a very
short time. If your parents cook, badger them into giving you a couple of
lessons before you leave for college and down a few of your favourite family
recipes.
A
few basics like tomato fondue – a gem, easy peasy to make, an all-rounder as a
sauce, a topping for pizza or flatbread, a basis for all kinds of additions
like mince, a fillet of fresh fish, a few mussels, a chicken breast,
hard-boiled eggs. Any leftovers will keep in the fridge for several days or can
be popped into the freezer at the top of your fridge.
Collect
some recyclable containers and tubs to take with you.
Plain boiled rice or pilaf rice can of course be an accompaniment to something
else but also a base for lots of tasty bits and bobs. A few little cubes of
chorizo deliver so much bang for your buck in flavour terms, always worth
having in your fridge to jizz up dishes from scrambled egg to a 30 second
French omelette, a frittata or even a dish of pasta. Look out for Gubbeen
chorizo, made by Fingal Ferguson in West Cork.
Another
brilliant standby is a piece of nice fat streaky bacon which can be used in a
similar way and also cut into skinny lardons to crisp up and sprinkle over a
salad with a generous sprinkling of grated cheese.
Try
to always have a few fresh eggs, a brilliant and inexpensive source of
protein and it’s so easy to whip up a myriad of satisfying dishes, I could
write a whole book on egg dishes alone.
Make
friends with a local butcher and ask to buy scraps of inexpensive meat. Learn
how to make one basic stew with lots of added root vegetables and a layer of
potatoes on top so you’ll have a fine nourishing pot of comforting goodness.
A
slow cooker would be another brilliant bit of kitchen kit, perhaps your
grandparents might like to gift one to you before you leave for college. Then
you could have a stew bubbling and ready to eat when you arrive back to your
digs in the evening.
I
don’t care how tired or stressed you are, try not to ever buy any ultra
processed food and definitely avoid anything that is labelled low-fat, light
or healthy, it usually means it isn’t…
Make it a priority to look after your tummy, there’s tons of research now to
highlight the importance of a healthy gut biome which hugely affects both our
physical and mental health. In other words, our energy level and ability to
concentrate and achieve.
Tomato Fondue
Tomato fondue is one of our great convertibles, it has a number of uses, we serve it as a vegetable or a sauce for pasta, filling for omelettes, topping for pizza…It will keep for four or five days in the fridge and freezes perfectly.
Serves 6 approx.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
110g sliced onions
1 clove of garlic, crushed
900g very ripe tomatoes in summer, or 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes in winter, but peel before using
salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste
1 tbsp of any of the following;
freshly chopped mint, thyme, parsley, lemon balm, marjoram or torn basil
Heat the oil in a stainless steel sauté pan or casserole. Add the sliced onions and garlic toss until coated, cover and sweat on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured – about 10 minutes. It is vital for the success of this dish that the onions are completely soft before the tomatoes are added. Slice the peeled fresh tomatoes or chopped tinned tomatoes and add with all the juice to the onions. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar (tinned tomatoes need lots of sugar because of their high acidity). Add a generous sprinkling of herbs. Cover and cook for just 10-20 minutes more, or until the tomato softens, uncover and reduce a little. Cook fresh tomatoes for a shorter time to preserve the lively fresh flavour.
Tinned tomatoes need to be cooked for longer depending on whether one wants to use the fondue as a vegetable, sauce or filling.
Variations
Tomato Fondue with Chilli
Add 1-2 chopped fresh chillies to the onions when sweating.
Penne with Tomato Fondue
Toss 450g of cooked penne or spaghetti with Tomato and Chilli Fondue.
Tomato and Chorizo Fondue
Add ½-1 sliced or diced chorizo to the tomato fondue five minutes before the end of cooking, great with pasta.
Tomato, Bean and Rosemary Stew
Add 1 x 400g can of haricot beans or black-eyed beans and 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary to the above.
Tomato Fondue with Aubergines
Cut 450g Slim Jim aubergines into 7mm slices, sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Dab dry with kitchen paper.
Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan on a high heat, toss the aubergines in batches and cook until golden on both sides, transfer to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of chopped marjoram. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Add to the tomato fondue, taste and correct the seasoning.
Tomato Fondue with Courgettes
Cut 450g courgettes into 1cm dice.
Heat some
extra virgin olive oil in a pan on a high heat, toss the courgettes in batches
and cook until golden, transfer to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of chopped
marjoram. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Add to the
tomato fondue, taste and correct the seasoning.
Pilaf Rice
Although a risotto can be made in 20 minutes, it entails 20 minutes of pretty constant stirring which makes it feel rather laboursome. A pilaf on the other hand looks after itself once the initial cooking is underway. The pilaf is versatile – serve it as a staple or add whatever tasty bits you have to hand but don’t be tempted to use it as a dustbin…!
Leftovers will keep in a covered box in the fridge for several days
Serves 4
15g butter
1 tbsp finely chopped onion or shallot
200g long-grain rice (preferably Basmati)
475ml homemade chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp freshly chopped herbs e.g. parsley, thyme, chives: optional
Melt the butter in a casserole, add the finely chopped onion and sweat for 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and toss for a minute or two, just long enough for the grains to change colour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, add the chicken stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum and then simmer on top of the stove or in the oven 160°C/Gas Mark 3 for 10 minutes approx. By then the rice should be just cooked and all the water absorbed. Just before serving stir in the fresh herbs if using.
Note
Basmati rice cooks quite quickly; other types of rice may take up to 15 minutes.
Other good things to add to pilaf
Fresh spices, cubes of
cooked chorizo, ham or bacon, freshly cooked chicken, sautéed mushrooms, tomato
fondue, Parmesan and basil leaves, red and yellow pepper.
Lamb or Beef Stew with Bacon, Onions and Garden Herbs
Chicken can be substituted for lamb or beef if desired, use brown meat preferably (legs/thighs).
Serves 4
175g green streaky bacon
900g should of lamb chops not less than 2.5cm in thickness, or stewing beef from the shin
seasoned white flour, preferably unbleached
a little butter or oil for sautéing
225g onions
175g carrot, peeled and thickly sliced
375ml approx. lamb or beef stock or water
4-6 ‘old’ potatoes (optional)
sprig of thyme
freshly chopped parsley
Cut the rind off bacon and cut into approx. 1cm cubes.
Cut the meat into large cubes and roll in flour well-seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté the bacon until crisp, remove and put in a casserole. Add the meat to the pan and sauté until golden then add to the bacon in the casserole. Heat control is crucial here, the pan mustn’t burn yet it must be hot enough to sauté the meat. If it is cool the meat will stew rather than sauté and as a result the meat may be tough. Then quickly sauté the onions and carrots, adding a little butter if necessary, and put them into the casserole. Degrease the sauté pan and deglaze with the stock, bring to the boil and pour over the meat.
Cover the top of the stew with peeled potatoes (if using) and season well. Add a sprig of thyme and bring to simmering point on top of the stove, cover the pot and then put into the oven for 45-60 minutes, 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Cooking time depends on how long the meat was sautéed for.
When the casserole is just cooked, strain off the cooking liquid, degrease and return degreased liquid to the casserole and bring to the boil. Add back in the meat, carrots, onions and potatoes, bring back to the boil.
The stew is very good served at this point. Serve bubbling hot sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Variations
Lamb or Beef Stew with Haricot Beans
Add 225g of precooked haricot beans to the stew about two-thirds of the way through cooking, omit the potatoes.
Lamb or Beef Stew with Haricot Beans and Tomatoes
Add 225g of precooked haricot beans to the stew about two-thirds of the way through cooking, omit the potatoes. Make x 1 recipe of Tomato Fondue and fold half of it into the stew just before serving, taste and correct the seasoning if necessary. You will have quite a different but equally delicious stew.
Lamb or Beef Stew with Spices
Add 1 teaspoon each of freshly roasted cumin and coriander seeds in with the carrots and onions and proceed as in the master recipe.
