Discussion
First time I've visited this section, so be gentle. I'm not a connousieur of anything, just looking for some tips.
I start my new job on Monday and am renting a room from a friend's Mum. We've agreed the rent and that I'll cook/fend for myself except when she's feeling extra kind. There's a Tesco & Morrisons on the way home from where I'll be working (have Clubcard, will travel) so budget food is a yes. I need to feed myself reasonably healthily and cheaply.
Breakfast is easy, some cereal and toast.
Lunch is easy(ish), rolls, ham/cheese, cucumber, crisps, choccy bar and some grapes or a banana.
Dinner is the difficult one. I love Pasta but obviously cannot eat this 7 days a week, any suggestions for stuff I can "cook for one" on a reasonably cheap budget? I will have (some) fridge space so can make something and store for a couple of days?
Any ideas would be great!
I start my new job on Monday and am renting a room from a friend's Mum. We've agreed the rent and that I'll cook/fend for myself except when she's feeling extra kind. There's a Tesco & Morrisons on the way home from where I'll be working (have Clubcard, will travel) so budget food is a yes. I need to feed myself reasonably healthily and cheaply.
Breakfast is easy, some cereal and toast.
Lunch is easy(ish), rolls, ham/cheese, cucumber, crisps, choccy bar and some grapes or a banana.
Dinner is the difficult one. I love Pasta but obviously cannot eat this 7 days a week, any suggestions for stuff I can "cook for one" on a reasonably cheap budget? I will have (some) fridge space so can make something and store for a couple of days?
Any ideas would be great!
Mince is the cheap eaters friend imo.
Spag bol, chilli, lasagne, shepherds pie are all a doddle.
As is Marzetti.
Brown mince with some onions.
Half cook some pasta.
Chop some peppers.
Mix the lot together with tinned tomato soup and mushroom soup.
Lob in a casserole dish and grate 100-200g cheddar into it (depending how cheesy you like things)
Chuck in oven at 180c for 30-40 mins until it looks and smells tasty.
Baked potatoes are also really easy, but require patience as take over an hour in the oven.
Soup is good in the winter, pick up some of those par-baked rolls or baguettes to supplement them.
Spag bol, chilli, lasagne, shepherds pie are all a doddle.
As is Marzetti.
Brown mince with some onions.
Half cook some pasta.
Chop some peppers.
Mix the lot together with tinned tomato soup and mushroom soup.
Lob in a casserole dish and grate 100-200g cheddar into it (depending how cheesy you like things)
Chuck in oven at 180c for 30-40 mins until it looks and smells tasty.
Baked potatoes are also really easy, but require patience as take over an hour in the oven.
Soup is good in the winter, pick up some of those par-baked rolls or baguettes to supplement them.
BigAlinEmbra said:
Mince is the cheap eaters friend imo.
Spag bol, chilli, lasagne, shepherds pie are all a doddle.
Simple to do, but very difficult to do properly - especially in terms of cooking time. A nice cheap and tasty alternative to shepherds pie is mince, onion, and potatoes; boil potatoes, and whilst boiling, fry off some mince and onions, maybe add peas, some dried basil / oregano to add some more flavour, serve.Spag bol, chilli, lasagne, shepherds pie are all a doddle.
Another good one. Take a chicken breast and form a "pocket" in the breast. Mix together some philly cheese and a little pesto and stuff the pocket with the mixture. Wrap the breast with some good quality bacon and whack in the oven for about 20 mins at gas 6. Serve with rice or cous cous.
ETA:
Kedgeree. For 2 people. Smoked fish of choice (we like un-dyed haddock), nuke for 2 mins on a medium setting until the fish flakes, one packet of yellow savoury rice cooked to instructions, hard boil 2 eggs, when the rice is almost ready add peas or sweetcorn, once the rice is cooked and all the water has been absorbed add the flaked fish, serve in a bowl, quarter the eggs, place on top and sprinkle eggs with cayenne. Done.
Edited by smiller on Tuesday 10th June 23:02
and learn to make a white sauce - very easy, but takes a close eye to get it just right.
melt butter (or use oil) and heat this gently in a saucepan. then add flour while stirring, until it's a bit paste like. then start adding milk, a bit at a time, while whisking. continue heating gently and whisking (it'll thicken from the bottom up, so this prevents clumping and mixes it all together). how thick you like depends on you - just keep adding milk a bit at a time if it gets too thick - heat it til near boiling and it's ready. add salt and pepper to taste. you can add cheese and make a cheese sauce or some mushrooms (sliced and fried in a seperate pan before hand), or some shredded chicken , turkey (for chicken a-la-king).
great over pasta or rice.
melt butter (or use oil) and heat this gently in a saucepan. then add flour while stirring, until it's a bit paste like. then start adding milk, a bit at a time, while whisking. continue heating gently and whisking (it'll thicken from the bottom up, so this prevents clumping and mixes it all together). how thick you like depends on you - just keep adding milk a bit at a time if it gets too thick - heat it til near boiling and it's ready. add salt and pepper to taste. you can add cheese and make a cheese sauce or some mushrooms (sliced and fried in a seperate pan before hand), or some shredded chicken , turkey (for chicken a-la-king).
great over pasta or rice.
Edited by SpydieNut on Wednesday 11th June 09:27
Another one for you.
In Northern Italy (actually, in Italy generally, I suspect) there is a simple dish called Brodo. The version around Verona / Valeggio / DeSenzano uses tortellini, and all it consists of is a chicken broth with tortellini garnished with parmesan.
The key to this is finding the right Brodo stock. Italian supermarkets sell "Brodo" in tins, but I believe you can buy similar Knorr chicken or vegetable stocks in this country, but make sure that that stock granules are in a tin not in cube form.
Boil the tortellini in water that has had 2 tablespoons (not a prescriptive amount) of Brodo granules added to it. Once cooked, use a perforated ladle to transfer the tortellini to a bowl. Pour as much Brodo broth remaining as you like over the pasta, then grate some Parmesan into it.
Molto Bene!
In Northern Italy (actually, in Italy generally, I suspect) there is a simple dish called Brodo. The version around Verona / Valeggio / DeSenzano uses tortellini, and all it consists of is a chicken broth with tortellini garnished with parmesan.
The key to this is finding the right Brodo stock. Italian supermarkets sell "Brodo" in tins, but I believe you can buy similar Knorr chicken or vegetable stocks in this country, but make sure that that stock granules are in a tin not in cube form.
Boil the tortellini in water that has had 2 tablespoons (not a prescriptive amount) of Brodo granules added to it. Once cooked, use a perforated ladle to transfer the tortellini to a bowl. Pour as much Brodo broth remaining as you like over the pasta, then grate some Parmesan into it.
Molto Bene!
smiller said:
Once cooked, use a perforated ladle to transfer the tortellini to a bowl.
Forgive the lack of knowledge, but is this a ladle with holes in to let the water run out of it?Thanks for all of the replies so far, they're brilliant, realy useful!!
I'm a fan of cous-cous actually but hadn't considered cooking it myself, could be one to try .If you don't have any cook books, take a visit to the BBC food website www.bbc.co.uk/food/, which is one of the best food sites on the net. Use the recipe search with for ingredients or favourite type of food, and start cooking The Get Cooking Video stuff is good if you are new to cooking, and need a bit more walking through that a recipe would give you.
Supermarket websites are another good source of ideas (Sainsburys and Waitrose are good for recipes). Most of them have options for cheap / quick meals for one or two to get you started.
The Get Cooking Video stuff is good if you are new to cooking, and need a bit more walking through that a recipe would give you.Supermarket websites are another good source of ideas (Sainsburys and Waitrose are good for recipes). Most of them have options for cheap / quick meals for one or two to get you started.
The BBC recipes site is a good start, or google 'recipe' plus whatever ingredients you have. Don't get too fond of the fridge, you can't eat the same stuff day after day! Eventually you will have to learn to work the freezer. Hint: stocks, soups, sauces, and chillis freeze just fine. And you can make them by the bucket.
To really impress your mate's Mum, google "Beer Butt Chicken", then freeze the bones for a stock.
Edit- apostrophe, before anyone like me takes the piss.
To really impress your mate's Mum, google "Beer Butt Chicken", then freeze the bones for a stock.
Edit- apostrophe, before anyone like me takes the piss.
Edited by grumbledoak on Friday 13th June 01:49
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