Manifesto

So I realize that I haven’t yet told you what this is all about, although you may have already guessed! And so, as a general election grips the nation, here's my own manifesto...

I am currently in the last term of my last year of my undergraduate degree at a college of the University of London. I lived in halls in my first year, but for the last two years of living in a real house (actually, I only live in a real house now, last year I lived in a split-level apartment for half the year and a tiny flat for the other half of the year), I have cooked from scratch every* single day. I have never, ever, ever met anyone who has any use for a “Student Cookbook” of any variety, or who lives off baked beans. I completely believe that there is no student out there who doesn’t want to be eating real food, cheaply, every day.

But how? So many people ask me how I manage to come up with great meals and can still afford to go clothes shopping and go out clubbing. Well, that’s what this is all about: I want to show you how to make the most of your ingredients; how to come up with loads of different meal ideas from just a small amount of shopping; and how cooking really tasty and healthy food can not only be easy to do, but also easy to fit into your day – I’m revising for my finals, writing my dissertation, and still cooking from scratch. A healthy body equals a healthy mind, right? So ditch the convenience food, takeaways and ready meals, and join me in my adventure finding Food for Finals.

Bank Holiday Baking

Well, here we are: May Day bank holiday weekend. Crikey. That means it's only one month until my finals. That's right, I said it - FINALS. So what did I do? I baked.

This is what I came home from the supermarket with on Saturday morning. BEAUTIFUL.

So, as you might have also notice, it rained all weekend. Non stop. So I was totally justified in my bake-a-thon, I'm sure! And I always bake on Sundays anyway so...!

I didn't actually make this one. This Beetroot and Seed Cake was made by one of my housemates, and I got the recipe from the lovely people at Leafi, who do the catering at my university but also have fantastic restaurants all over London. Check them out, seriously. (If you can get their Brazilian Carrot Cake it's my absolute favourite thing ever.)

I did, however, make these:

Oops.

That's A LOT of GIANT cookies. But boy are they good!

The recipe is from the ever-brilliant Joy the Baker, and I also made her S'more Brownies but for some reason didn't take a photo, and of course they're all gone now!!

So, that is what I did. Not revising, cooking. Lush.

Pastaaaaa

It's been a while. I've been writing my dissertation, having technology-related crises, and zero social life. To fit everything in, I've been making the ultimate student staple - pasta. But not just pasta with sauce-from-a-jar. Proper, interesting, healthy pasta. Here's a few:

Spaghetti with courgettes and prawns

1 serving spaghetti

1/2 pack king prawns

6 courgette ribbons

olive oil

1tbsp chopped parsley

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and black pepper

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a pan and fry the prawns with salt and pepper. 

When the pasta is cooked, add the lemon juice to the prawns and then the pasta, courgettes, and parsley. Use pasta tongs to distribute the ingredients evenly through the pasta and serve with salad.

Spaghetti with venison meatballs and garlic ciabatta

1 cup venison mince

1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes

fresh thyme

1 serving spaghetti

tomato puree

1 tsp sugar

salt and black pepper

olive oil

Season the mince and shape into balls. Heat a frying pan over a high heat and add a little oil. Fry the meatballs until brown on all sides (approx 3 mins).

Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, puree, sugar, thyme, and seasoning to a sauce pan and cook over a medium heat. When the meatballs are browned, add to the sauce to cook through.

Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and serve. (Here I made double quantities of sauce so had to mix the pasta and sauce on my plate - it's much better to coat it in the pan though!)

For the garlic ciabatta:

1/2 ciabatta

1 tbsp softened salted butter

1 clove garlic

Oven at 190C. Make slices into the bread, but don't cut the whole way through. 

Crush or finely chop the garlic and add to the butter and mix well (I use a fork to mash them together). Carefully spread the butter between the slices of bread, trying not to tear it. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden (approx 15 mins).

Angel hair pasta with feta, mint, and courgette (from Tessa Kiros)

1 portion angel hair/vermicelli

1/4 block of feta cheese, crumbled

6 courgette ribbons

1/2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 clove garlic

olive oil

salt and black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute before adding the courgette, mint, and lemon juice. Remove from the heat and add the pasta, cheese, and season. Use pasta tongs to mix together, and serve.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Sunday. It just sounds fantastic. My housemates had spent most of the day gardening (I was shopping) and so were ready for a long, relaxing evening of food, friends, and fun...In case you're wondering, on the table there is a pesto risotto, potato salad, and coleslaw.

Sunday - Tomato, Chilli and Prawn Spaghetti

I needed something super-summery, as the weekend had been two days of glorious sunshine and I was feeling ready to give in to the summer (if only I could put away my books already!) This fresh, light, mediterranean pasta dish was a great way to exercise my escapism though, and we continued our 'holiday' theme long into the evening out in the garden - cardigans and  jasmine tea around the fire? Perfect.

1 serving spaghetti

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 spring onion, sliced

1/2 pack prawns

1/2 tin chopped tomatoes

1/2 onion, chopped

1/3 red chilli, finely chopped

juice 1/2 lemon

olive oil

salt and black pepper

chopped parsley to serve

Heat a little oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook until clear and add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, and chilli. Cook until you can smell the chilli and garlic, then add the tinned tomatoes and lemon juice.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan of salted water for the pasta.When the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and cook according to the packet instructions.

About 1 minute before the pasta is ready, add the prawns to the tomato sauce and cook through. 

Strain the pasta and add to the sauce. Add the spring onion and stir through to completely coat the pasta and then remove from the heat.

To serve, use pasta tongs to transfer to a plate, and sprinkle some parsley on top.

Lemony Tuna Steak with Chickpea and Courgette Salad

Saturday - Lemony Tuna Steak and Chickpea and Courgette Salad

Saturday was another day spent at the library. Yawn. I swear I have read far too much for this dissertation by now and by this point hadn't even written half of it!

Anyway, it was a beautiful day outside, and when I got home in the evening everyone was there, ready for a nice sit-down meal all together, so I needed something quick and easy to make. This summery special is not only quick and easy, but also super-healthy, and, as tuna is an oily fish, it's great brain-food too! I really like this with the simple flavours of the lemon and parsley bringing everything together, but you could introduce some garlic to the tuna when it's cooking for an extra hit.

1 tuna steak

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp parsley, chopped roughly

1 spring onion, sliced

a handful salad leaves

1/2 courgette in ribbons

1/3 cup chickpeas

olive oil

salt and black pepper

To make courgette ribbons, use a vegetable peeler to 'peel' very thin strips off the courgette lengthways.

In a bowl, combine the courgette ribbons, chickpeas, half the parsley, salad leaves, a teaspoon of lemon and a teaspoon of olive oil, and leave to one side.

Heat a frying pan over a high heat.

Brush the tuna on each side with a little oil and season both sides.

When the pan is hot, add the tuna and cook for 1 minute on each side. Add the remaining lemon juice and the spring onion and continue to cook until the tuna is almost entirely cooked through (it's nicest a little rare in the centre).

To serve, place the salad on the plate and the tuna on top. Sprinkle the onions on the tuna and salad and top with the remaining parsley.

Friday Night at the V&A

image from http://www.vam.ac.uk

So, on Friday night I headed over to the Victoria and Albert museum in South Kensington to see the exhibitions Quilts 1700-2010 and Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill. 

I had been quite - well, actually VERY - excited about both of these shows for some time (and even more so for Grace Kelly, Style Icon which I want to see this week), as I have a strange love for crafts and quilting, and have absolutely loved Strawberry Hill and Gothic Revival architecture since studying it for A Level Art History. I know that this isn't really supposed to be an art blog, and if you're reading this then you probably know that I'm a much better cook than art historian, but I feel that, for such exciting shows, I should say a few words!

So, to begin with Quilts (just because that's the one I went into first), this has been billed as the first ever exhibition of British quilts, and as a chance to see the V&A's "unseen" collection. Whilst I would like to take issue with the problems of this "unseen" and the general concerns of a female-dominated, self-consciously craft exhibition, the first thing that struck me about the show was the design. By this, I mean that it was very pink. Surely the curators wanted to make this a genderless exhibition? Doesn't a bubblegum pink backdrop to an exhibition of of craft just make it seem like exclusively a show of "women's art"? As the exhibition progressed, though (it gets a bit confusing half-way through as you have to go down some back corridors before you can find the second half of the show...) it did improve and I could see why the general consensus is that this is a great show. My main highlight was the Prison Quilt (which the V&A don't have on their website, sadly, and the postcard is so tiny that it really doesn't do it justice), and I fell in love with some of the really amazing historical quilts.

Meanwhile in Strawberry Hill...Somehow I managed to get into this show for free, which was fab! And I really enjoyed this one! Again, check out the design of the set, because it is beautiful - really intricate gothic tracery in the heights of the 'roof'. The show is much better than the museum's website makes out, there's been hardly any hype for it and yet they've managed to get all of the most exciting items from Walpole's collection, plus loads and loads of beautiful drawings and paintings of Strawberry Hill which I had never seen before. It's hung in a really good way, so that each space in the exhibition represents a room in the house, and shows what it would have looked like and some of the items which would have been displayed in the collection kept in that room. The video at the end (I can't believe I'm saying this) was probably the best bit for me though - I'm so excited by the restoration of the house which has been going on for aeons that seeing it 'up-close' was very exciting for me! The house looks so close to completion now (it's due to re-open in the autumn) and I just wish that this show had had more hype around it so that more people will be as excited as I am to visit the awesome historical sight that is Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill.

Anyway, back to food.

So, after a good look around the shows, my friend and I headed off to the V&A dining room for dinner. Usually a Friday night dinner is a little disappointing as it's a late opening and most of the food will have gone by the time we want to sit down to eat. This time, however, the food that was left was actually the food that I would have chosen overall anyway! 

Friday - Goats Cheese, Onion and Pepper Tart, Lentils with Beetroot, and Salad Leaves

Looks yum, right? Well, I was pretty puzzled by the beetroot-lentil combo, but it was, surprisingly I must admit, really lovely! The tart is puff pastry with caramelized onions and green and red roasted peppers with exactly the right amount of goat's cheese melted on top. This is definitely something that I want to be re-creating at home, so watch this space! It probably needed something herby to just pick up the flavours a little more, so that's one for the test kitchen. The lentils were just so surprising! - I know I keep using this word, but both my friend and I were pretty dubious about this combination but it's great! I still haven't quite worked out when and how to make this one though...The salad was mixed leaves with a mustard dressing which went really well with the tart too.

If you haven't been to the dining rooms at the V&A at night time then it's a must-do. During the day it's not so noticeable but by night the absolute decadence of the back rooms is just stunning. The V&A dining rooms are catered by Belgo and during the day also have a salad bar, loads of cakes, sandwiches, and more hot food options. The V&A is served by South Kensington underground station.

Lazy Brunch

Friday, and it's sunny outside. There's a whole day of library-based studying ahead of me, so a lazy breakfast with coffee and magazines seems like the right way to be beginning the end of the week. This lazy brunch, which is actually just a slightly more exciting version of my usual breakfast, is pretty healthy and a great way to set yourself up for the day...

Friday - Muesli with yoghurt, blueberries, and strawberry and rhubarb compote

a handful of blueberries

3 spoons of muesli

1 individual pot yoghurt

2 spoons of compote (see below)

If you don't want to mix everything together (which I do) then make sure that the yoghurt is the bottom layer, with the muesli next and compote on top, sprinkled with blueberries - this way the muesli won't be dry!

For the Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote:

1 pack rhubarb

1 pack strawberries, quartered

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup orange juice (fresh)

Chop the rhubarb into 2cm pieces and add to a pan with the sugar and orange juice. Heat over a low heat until it comes to the boil. Add the strawberries and cook for a further minute. The compote will seem too wet at this point, but don't fear! - allow to cool and pour into a bowl or tupperware to put into the fridge. Leave in the fridge overnight and it will be a beautiful bright pink/red compote in the morning! Perfect.

a perfect way to start the day!

Pasta Carbonara

Thursday evening, beginning to wind down to the weekend after four solid days of dissertation-writing morning to night, and I needed something quick and comforting (but a little bit summery!). So what did I have left from the last three days which could constitute another meal? Prosciutto, eggs, mushrooms, cream, and spring onions. Add to that a grating of parmesan and some pasta and I had myself a fab pasta dish!! Granted, I couldn't actually find any spaghetti on my overflowing shelf, but I did find something similar, a type of ribbon pasta from Asda's 'Extra Special' range (I'm so easily won over by novelty value!). 
If you're in a hurry (trying to fit another few hours of studying into the day?) this is amazing - in the time it takes to cook the pasta, the sauce will be ready to go and, as is the magic of carbonara, the heat of the pasta cooks the sauce in the time it takes to mix the two together and plate up! Perfetto.

Thursday - Pasta 'Carbonara'

1 serving any variety of ribbon pasta

4 button mushrooms, quartered

2 slices prosciutto

1 tbsp single cream

1/2 egg (left from making the gnocchi, or a whole egg if not)

1 tbsp grated parmesan

black pepper

1 spring onion, sliced thinly

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.

Heat a frying pan on a high heat and add the prosciutto, fry until golden on each side and plenty of fat has been released. Remove prosciutto from pan and set aside.

Add mushrooms to bacon fat in pan and fry until golden.

As soon as the water is at the boil, add the pasta an cook according to packet instructions.

In another pan, warm the cream through, and add the cheese, spring onion and mushrooms. Crumble the fried prosciutto into the cream mix, and remove from heat.

When the pasta is cooked, add the egg to the cream mix, and use pasta tongs to add the pasta to the sauce, trying to keep as much pasta water clinging to the pasta as possible. Use the tongs to toss the pasta in the sauce and fully coat it. 

Once the pasta is coated and the mushrooms and prosciutto are evenly distributed through the pasta, plate up, and serve with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.

3 ways with ricotta

image from www.lunch.com

Ricotta is a delicious, mild, fresh cheese, which I'm sure you've all encountered before (probably spinach and ricotta cannelloni?) Delicious as it is, it's also highly perishable and needs to be used up pretty quickly, but no one wants to be eating the same thing every night! So, here are three very different ways to use ricotta...

Monday - Spinach, Ricotta and Mushroom Risotto

- the twenty-or-so minutes that it takes the make a risotto seems like the ideal study-break! This one is light(ish), vegetarian, and mouthwateringly good. Much better than revision.

a handful of baby spinach leaves

3 button mushrooms, quartered

60g risotto rice

a splash of white wine

1 shallot, chopped

40g ricotta

olive oil

1 small clove of garlic, crushed

vegetable stock

Pre-heat the oven to 220C. When it is up to temperature, bake the ricotta in foil with a teaspoon of olive oil.

While the ricotta is baking, the risotto can be made. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan and add the shallot. Cook until clear, then add the garlic and cook until you can smell it. Add the rice and coat, before adding the wine. Cook off the wine, then begin adding the stock, a ladleful at a time. The risotto needs to be stirred constantly so that the rice becomes creamy.

After about 15 minutes, or when the rice is nearly cooked, add the chopped mushrooms and allow them to cook in the rice whilst still adding stock and stirring.

When the rice is cooked (it should be soft but still retain its bite), remove from the heat and stir in the spinach. Cover with a lid and place to one side.

Remove the ricotta from the oven. It should be slightly puffy and a little golden on the bottom. 

Plate up the risotto, crumble the ricotta on top, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, and serve!

Tuesday - Ricotta, Chive, and Prosciutto Omelettes, adapted from Donna Hay

- this is a little time-consuming, but definitely worth it! Tastes and looks fabulous (although my omelettes obviously aren't the neatest they could be - using an egg ring would be neater than these free-form ones, but they taste just as good.

2 eggs, separated

1/2 tablespoon single cream

35g ricotta, crumbled

1/2 tablespoon chopped chives

sea salt and cracked black pepper

10g butter

30g sour cream

a handful of spinach, watercress, and rocket mix

2 slices prosciutto

Whisk the eggwhites until stiff peaks form. 

Mix together the egg yolks, cream, ricotta, chives, salt and pepper, and gently fold this mixture into your eggwhites.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. Pour half the egg mixture into the pan cook for 3 minutes each side or until golden. Repeat with remaining egg mixture.

To serve, place omelettes on a plate and top with the sour cream, mixed leaves and prosciutto.

Wednesday - Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi from Donna Hay

- I just love Donna Hay's cookbooks, they're always so beautiful (she does the styling herself). My gnocchi, however, are not so beautiful. But they did taste fantastic, and really are super-easy and quick to make, although they can be prepared in advance and then take a total of, oooh, 2 minutes from the fridge to the table!

125g ricotta

10g parmesan

1/2 egg, beaten

1/4 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp lemon rind

1/4 tbsp chopped mint leaves

a handful chopped spinach

1/4 cup semolina 

1/4 cup single cream

10g extra parmesan

10g extra mint leaves

Place ricotta, parmesan, egg, flour, lemon, mint, and spinach in a bowl and mix well. 

Turn out onto a surface sprinkled with the semolina and roll into a 30cm long rope, cut into 2cm lengths.

At this point the gnocchi can be refrigerated if you're preparing them ahead of time.

Bring salted water to the boil, add gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes until they float to the surface.

Meanwhile, place the cream in a pan on a high heat and cook for 1 minute or until warmed through.

Add the gnocchi to the cream along with the extra parmesan, round mint, seasoning, and toss to coat. Serve with extra black pepper.

Any other ideas for ricotta recipes?