If you are leaving Bermuda to study overseas, this might be the first time you are leaving home, and therefore, home-cooking. Welcome to cooking for yourself, every day.
Whilst take out options might look appetising, they could quickly blow your budget, and relying solely on pre-prepared foods from the supermarket could leave you lacking nutritionally. RG Scholarships is here to help! Here are some easy-to-make recipes to get you started:
JACKET POTATOES
The ultimate in flexible, filling eating, there is so much you can do with a jacket potato:
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
- Rinse potatoes, cut out any bad bits, and, using the tip of a sharp knife, prick the skin a few times.
- Place them on a baking tray and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 1 – 1.5 hours, depending on size. You know they are done when you can squish them slightly.
- Fill them! Suggestions include melted butter, grated cheese, hummus, tuna mayonnaise or baked beans.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH HUMMUS AND PITA
Roasted cauliflower packs a lot of flavour, and is good bang for your buck, because you can use the whole vegetable.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F
- Cut the cauliflower florets, stem and leaves into pieces. I like them small so they go really crispy.
- Lay them out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and salt, then, using your hands, mix together so the cauliflower is well covered.
- Optional extras: Throw some cherry tomatoes or chickpeas into the mix. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse well before adding to the baking sheet. You could also sprinkle your choice of herbs, or a small amount of curry powder over the top with, or instead of, the salt.
- Roast for around 25 minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the oven and how crispy you like your cauliflower.
- Warm the pita, slice in half, spread with hummus and fill with the cauliflower.
PASTA PUTTANESCA
While pasta with a jar of sauce has become a student staple, with a few added extras, you can make it into a dinner-party worthy dish to treat your housemates, without risking too much of your food budget. This writer can recommend the Spaghetti Puttanesca recipe from the BBC Good Food Guide, which serves 4:
- Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan, over a medium-low heat. Add one finely chopped onion, a generous pinch of salt, and fry for 10 minutes, or until soft. Add two crushed garlic cloves and, if you like it, ½ tsp of chilli. Cook for a further minute.
- Stir a 400g can of chopped tomatoes, 5 finely chopped anchovy fillets, 120g of pitted black olives and 2 tbsp of drained capers into the onion. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook 300g of dried spaghetti following packet instructions. Drain and toss with the sauce and ½ a bunch of chopped parsley.
For this and other recipes, visit bbcgoodfood.com.
SOUPS
Nothing warms the insides like good soup, and if you are moving to a cold climate, they may be particularly welcome. A guaranteed winter warmer is Jamie Oliver’s Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup, which serves 6 – 8 people:
- Peel and slice 2 carrots, 2 medium onions, 2 garlic cloves and 800g sweet potatoes. Slice 2 sticks of celery, 200g chorizo sausage and a small bunch of fresh parsley.
- Put a large saucepan on a high heat, add 2 tbsps olive oil, then all the chopped ingredients, along with a heaped tsp of curry powder and mix together.
- Cook for around 10 minutes, with the lid askew.
- Cover 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes with around 1.8 litres of boiling water, stir until dissolved, then add to the pan. Stir the soup, then bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sweet potato is cooked through.
- Blend until smooth, using a hand blender.
This recipe is from ‘Ministry of Food’ by Jamie Oliver and is very popular in this writers house.
