Student Food
Eating on a tight budget needn't mean an endless diet of baked potatoes topped with baked beans and cheese (although such a meal has a great deal going for it - nutritious, tastes good and is indeed cheap). In fact baked potatoes with all sorts of toppings can be the saviour of the student meal and the student finances, especially when you want something to stick to your ribs so you can go out and spend more money on beer and girls.
A good way of eating well and on-the-cheap is to go to the supermarket and look for those items which are marked down because they're close to the sell-by date and then use them that night (or freeze them if you have a freezer) and put together a good meal on the fly that evening..
Here's a quick and lovely dish, Anchovy Pasta, which will also satisfy veggie friends provided they don't mind some fish. Serves 4.
One large chopped onion.
One clove of garlic (crushed or finely chopped)
One tin of anchovies in oil.
Two tins of whole plum tomatoes.
Tablespoon (tsp) of olive oil or vegetable oil (or Flora or similar).
Tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley or shredded basil. NB. Buying fresh herbs in pots isn't a luxury - they will grow happily on a windowsill for weeks provided you make sure some growth continues). You can substitute these in this meal with a dried bay leaf.
Tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
A second tablespoon of oil.
Pepper to taste.
Enough pasta for your needs - one fist-full of spaghetti per diner should do it but it's a personal thing.
What to do:
Get a medium sized saucepan and warm a tablespoon of oil in it.
When it's hot add the onions and lower the heat and cook till soft but not browned, moving the onion around a bit from time-to-time with a wooden spoon.
When soft add the garlic and let that cook for a couple of minutes but DON'T let it brown (tastes disgusting).
Add the anchovies whole, but discard the oil (our dog loves anchovy oil on his dog cereal) and stir them around for a bit with a wooden spoon until they start to break up.
Add the two tins of whole of tomatoes and give it a gentle stir, try not to break the toms up.
Put on a low heat and allow to simmer gently for up to one hour, although it will be OK after a half hour.
After an hour add the RW vinegar, the second spoon of olive oil and the chopped herb or the bay. Let it all simmer for a while longer whilst you boil up a generous pot of water then add the pasta to the water and bring back to the boil, lower the heat so that the pasta is boiling gently and separate it with a fork. Try a bit after 5-10 minutes and if it's soft but still has bit of bite (a little hardness) remove from the pot, pour it into a sieve or colander and run it under hot tap water. Put the colander-full of pasta back over the pot and add a knob of butter or Flora or whatever and mix it in - cover to keep warm.
Break up the tomatoes in the sauce with a fork, add a pinch of pepper and a few more chopped herbs if you wish.
Put the pasta on warmed bowls, pour over a generous glug of the sauce and serve with Parmesan (or cheddar cheese - grated), pepper and garnish with a sprig of parsley or anything green and edible.
Scoff.
A good way of eating well and on-the-cheap is to go to the supermarket and look for those items which are marked down because they're close to the sell-by date and then use them that night (or freeze them if you have a freezer) and put together a good meal on the fly that evening..
Here's a quick and lovely dish, Anchovy Pasta, which will also satisfy veggie friends provided they don't mind some fish. Serves 4.
One large chopped onion.
One clove of garlic (crushed or finely chopped)
One tin of anchovies in oil.
Two tins of whole plum tomatoes.
Tablespoon (tsp) of olive oil or vegetable oil (or Flora or similar).
Tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley or shredded basil. NB. Buying fresh herbs in pots isn't a luxury - they will grow happily on a windowsill for weeks provided you make sure some growth continues). You can substitute these in this meal with a dried bay leaf.
Tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
A second tablespoon of oil.
Pepper to taste.
Enough pasta for your needs - one fist-full of spaghetti per diner should do it but it's a personal thing.
What to do:
Get a medium sized saucepan and warm a tablespoon of oil in it.
When it's hot add the onions and lower the heat and cook till soft but not browned, moving the onion around a bit from time-to-time with a wooden spoon.
When soft add the garlic and let that cook for a couple of minutes but DON'T let it brown (tastes disgusting).
Add the anchovies whole, but discard the oil (our dog loves anchovy oil on his dog cereal) and stir them around for a bit with a wooden spoon until they start to break up.
Add the two tins of whole of tomatoes and give it a gentle stir, try not to break the toms up.
Put on a low heat and allow to simmer gently for up to one hour, although it will be OK after a half hour.
After an hour add the RW vinegar, the second spoon of olive oil and the chopped herb or the bay. Let it all simmer for a while longer whilst you boil up a generous pot of water then add the pasta to the water and bring back to the boil, lower the heat so that the pasta is boiling gently and separate it with a fork. Try a bit after 5-10 minutes and if it's soft but still has bit of bite (a little hardness) remove from the pot, pour it into a sieve or colander and run it under hot tap water. Put the colander-full of pasta back over the pot and add a knob of butter or Flora or whatever and mix it in - cover to keep warm.
Break up the tomatoes in the sauce with a fork, add a pinch of pepper and a few more chopped herbs if you wish.
Put the pasta on warmed bowls, pour over a generous glug of the sauce and serve with Parmesan (or cheddar cheese - grated), pepper and garnish with a sprig of parsley or anything green and edible.
Scoff.
posted by Drugsblogger at 6:29 AM
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