University or bust …

… or is it starve!

I have it on good authority that living in Halls and being responsible for what you eat produces all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff.

Now I don't want you to lose sleep but here's a glimpse of real life “a la Halls”.

“I was well stocked with food drops that would shame the Army. Defrosting some pre-portioned chilli or a piece of steak was amazing and possible easier that a pizza to heat through and far tastier. But there were days after the food had run out and instead of heading to the supermarket for some fresh stuff it was either pasta, beans and cheese or the ever popular angel delight and crisps. In my defence the supermarket was 6 miles away due the amazing (lack of) planning of the Halls of Residence and the only shop could charge what they wanted for “Happy” bread. Happy seemed to be a euphemism for white flour, a lack of taste and a shelf life that rivals any of the ageing rockers still refusing to leave the stage!

Eggs were quite popular, as were beans.

There were some interesting meals, I cooked a lot of chicken in tomato soup as some kind of shortcut to a sauce base, add mixed herbs and job done.

Lots of cheese was melted onto bread, meat and bagels and there was the incident with the microwave and ketchup – results in green smoke – don't ask.”

My overwhelming memory is making shed loads of individual sticky toffee puddings. The boy had no idea that they contained dates!

Sleep well!

Tranklements

Not a word you come across every day of the week. This wonderful word is synonymous with the North and Central England – in this particular use of the word it means small possessions – bits and pieces, paraphernalia etc.

If your fledgling is self catering in this first year and in Halls, I implore you resist the urge to buy every piece of kitchen kit known to man when in reality most are worse than useless and, more to the point, there's limited space. Choose carefully.

If I had to chuck my hat into the ring to suggest an “up there” candidate for piece of kit of the year/decade no prizes for guessing the answer – a slow cooker. They fit the bill on all counts, they don't take up too much space, they are economical with electricity, they are the easiest piece of kit to use and probably most importantly, aren't difficult to keep clean.

There are many different sizes to suit everyone – I'd suggest the 3.5L – described as a family size – I'll explain why later. Ensure that it has a “low” setting option. Cost wise there's not much difference and there are loads of deals out there.

Geography matters – it may be that your fledgling is accessible i.e. you can drop off food parcels from time to time – if memory serves me correctly – it gives a whole new meaning to “ready meals” - free ones! To this end may I suggest that the pieces of kit that don't fall into this category are a large supply of containers – foil with lids (14x12cms) and ditto for the microwave (17x11cms) and in both locations for parents and child.

Even if you may only see your fledgling intermittently you may want to supplement food to make sure they aren't fading away – that sudden realisation that he or she has to feed themselves is definitely a shock to the system. I know that some fledglings are better equipped than others but I thought it would do no harm to give you a few ideas that might appeal. From both sides of the fence that is, food parcel delivery or easy peasy DIY slow cooker stuff et al.

It has not escaped my notice …

...that the 2016 University year begins in late September – this varies from Uni to Uni but the first term is definitely the hardest – I'm not sure whether it's harder for the student being on their own full-time for the first time (and by that literally having to fend for oneself) or, probably more to the point, for the Parents left behind, bereft – not for nothing is it known as empty nest syndrome!

These days there are so many options regarding accommodation from sharing a twin room to a one bedroom flat and all points in between. There's a variety to suit budgets – some catered some self-catering. Indeed some Uni's offer a meal plan – can't help thinking that it's just putting off the evil day when you've gotta look after yourself.

I suppose there are those out there who have sufficient funds and no intention of ever cooking but there must be a considerable number of students who don't have or can't afford that luxury.

Is your child about to fly the nest? Many first year students (or fledglings) spend the first year in Halls of Residence (Halls) – it's regarded as a rite of passage – part of this transition relates to the making of new friends and sharing space - like a large kitchen for communal eating as well as cooking.

There's more than one way of looking at this – for a young person leaving home embarking on a new chapter it's massive – there are so many emotions to cope with – settling in to Halls and making new friends – food is the ultimate ice breaker – everyone needs to eat so what better way to get to know people.

Made up main …

… the end result

There is very little prep required for the Made up main but there is one thing you need to do ahead of the game and that is fry off the diced chorizo so that it surrenders all that delicious oil – it only takes a few minutes – just long enough so that it begins to crisp. Remove the chorizo, box and set aside in the fridge when cooled. Leave the oil in the pan, covered, ready for when you want to cook and serve.

Other than getting yourself organised, pulling ingredients from the freezer and frying off the chorizo this meal is brought together, cooking time, in minutes. If you look at the method for the Orzotto – heat the chorizo oil, ready to rock and roll, just before you add the lemon juice and frozen peas.

Add the scallops to the chorizo oil – remember the clock system, begin at midnight and add your scallops like a clock face – when you get back to midnight, turn them. Add your asparagus tips and prawns and toss around for 2/3 minutes.

Serve with garlic bread, sliced into “soldiers” (add to your Can't fail staples list).

Just in case you think I make this stuff up – here's a couple of photos of the finished product.

Well that was a baptism of fire – just goes to show what you can do when you have to think outside the box.

They did love it by the way.

Tickety Boo!

The ultimate …

... “fly by the seat of your pants” test

I have two ideas for the last evening meal – do I make a “mixed grill” style meal including ingredients I know that my friends love and indeed miss, like English sausages and bacon with everything thrown in, or, do I really wing it and produce a meal including elements I know they love but definitely would not figure on the traditional “English” cooking scale at all.

I did what any host should do – I gave them the choice, here's the result :

Orzotto

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

260g orzo pasta (in your pantry)

500ml chicken stock (or vegetable) (pantry)

juice of 1 lemon

200g frozen petit pois (freezer)

2 tbsp fresh pesto (pantry or fridge)

bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

extra pesto and slices of lemon to serve

salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion for 2/3 minutes. Stir in orzo and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the stock all at once. Simmer and stir occasionally for 7/8 minutes until nearly cooked. Stir in the lemon juice and the frozen peas. Simmer for 2/3 minutes until the peas are cooked then add the pesto and the parsley. Season to taste and serve with extra pesto and a squeeze of lemon.

Do yourself a favour – do all the mise en place ahead, it doesn't take long and you won't regret it.

Made up main

to serve with the Orzotto

150g scallops (approximately 1 dozen)

if they are thick slice them in half

250g diced chorizo

350g cooked, peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

and drained

100g fine asparagus tips, snapped so the wood is

removed, trim to ensure they are all the same size

Read on for the end result.

Post toast it's on to the roast

or rather my version of it. I said in What's in the fridge? the whole chicken was going in the slow cooker as part of a roast.

I also suggested, check what you've got in your fridge and freezer. This slow cooking/freezing malarkey really works. I had a container of sauce supreme in my freezer – aka posh gravy, which I placed in the fridge overnight to defrost. I made my normal roasties (á la Nigella – tossed in semolina) they never fail. Since the oven will be on for the roasties I will fill it so there will be carrots cut into similar sized batons, roasted in lemon, butter and black pepper.

So, for your roast, I meant what I said – easy prep, easy cook :

Serves 4

Chicken in slow cooker as per recipe on the blog -

it's going to take eight hours so time it so that you'll

be ready to serve it all at the same time

Pre-heat your oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6 when you

are ready to cook

Peel and parboil potatoes – as many as you want – in my

house a large tray full! Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of semolina and shake

to coat them – can be done ahead – place in hot rapeseed oil -

these will take one hour to roast, turn every 20 minutes

Peel 5/6 medium carrots and cut into batons

can be done ahead - place prepped carrots in a

food bag and fridge until you're ready.

Place the batons on foil on a baking sheet -

add 2 x 20g of unsalted butter, a couple of glugs of

lemon juice and black pepper – wrap tightly.

These will take 40 minutes – shake carefully after 20 minutes.

Grate parmesan for cauliflower cheese - **see below

A quick scan through the pantry also produced a box of sage and onion stuffing mix. Take a medium onion, finely chopped and softened in a large knob of unsalted butter then add to the stuffing mix with a glug or two of boiling water. Can I also point out that chestnuts are not just for Christmas. I always have vac packs in my pantry – add 150g, finely chopped to the stuffing mix.

I always cook my stuffing in a cake liner in a loaf tin.

**Cauliflower cheese. Since the object of this exercise is you haven't a clue what you or your guests are doing and when, there is nothing wrong with using a bag of frozen cauliflower cheese - tip into a foil tray and sprinkle with 75g of grated parmesan. It will take 40 minutes. You can make it from scratch if you wish but do so in the knowledge that you may finish up with a fresh cauliflower that you may not use. No waste at all if it's in the freezer.

The final flourish is the sauce supreme and is the only saucepan on your hob – note to self – do not be tempted to microwave the sauce – it will split. It may be a little too thick, if it is, whilst heating gently add either a drop of chicken stock or if feeling indulgent double cream.

To the roast purists a sauce supreme wouldn't cut it as gravy – my kitchen, my roast.

They loved all of it but the stand outs were the roasted carrots and the “gravy”. The chicken was moist and tender and the best bit is you get to save all that beautiful stock to freeze in readiness for your next sauce supreme.

Minimum fuss, maximum flavour.

A toast to toast!

Who doesn't love toast?

It would appear that toast is not just any old breakfast item.

Who'd have thought it evokes such a reaction! Twice in the last week toast has figured in completely different conversations.

Most of us would probably agree it's high up on the list of comfort food or midnight snack and probably the fastest too, whether it's with cheese on (toaster bags are a brilliant piece of kit for a lazy toasted cheese sandwich) or whether with a preserve of your choice. I have a Grandson who always has his with lemon curd.

Anyway, I would always have said toast is toast is toast – apparently not, as my Dil (Daughter in law for the uninitiated) pointed out to me recently. Cheryl overheard her daughter Alyce talking with friends saying, quite emphatically, “my Grandma makes the best toast”. “There has to be something you do differently” - not that I'm aware of …

Then as you know my friends arrived from France. The first morning it's “would anyone like toast?”. The best part of a whole loaf later, together with a certain famous Danish butter … perhaps there is something going on here …. it's simple enough - serve hot and a production line with enough butter on so that you have to lick your fingers, don't be shy about the amount of butter or guilty – this is a treat – not an every day occurrence.

That set me thinking – is there an art form – some don't like it hot, may be some like it toasted and then the butter on after it's left to cool – not my personal favourite I have to say.

I think I've done toast a dis-service – we take it for granted. I realised this when it was pointed out that whilst the French are fab at baguettes et al they are not so hot on sliced bread for toast – put good toasting bread together with a good quality butter and you've cracked it. Note to self – completely misjudged the bread order.

Post toast it's on to the roast!