What's cooking / VT cookbook merge

[MattJ83]

Actually, this thread came at a perfect time for me. I'm looking to lose weight so have changed up my diet, it's working but i'm starting to get bored of the same old rabbit food. Can anyone recommend a good healthy cookbook? I cook for one (student) and am on a budget (student). Any ideas?

yeah - i'm a student as well so know what you mean. I have a couple but the best i Good Food's "101 one-pot" dishes and "101 low-fat dishes". You can get them from WH Smiths. Really good as they are simple dishes - Chicken Biriani is in there and is a favourite because its easy and it makes loads so you can eat it for loads of days after!

[peterms]

Actually, this thread came at a perfect time for me. I'm looking to lose weight so have changed up my diet, it's working but i'm starting to get bored of the same old rabbit food. Can anyone recommend a good healthy cookbook? I cook for one (student) and am on a budget (student). Any ideas?

Real Fast Food, Nigel Slater.

Quick, practical, good.

[MattJ83]

Actually, this thread came at a perfect time for me. I'm looking to lose weight so have changed up my diet, it's working but i'm starting to get bored of the same old rabbit food. Can anyone recommend a good healthy cookbook? I cook for one (student) and am on a budget (student). Any ideas?

Real Fast Food, Nigel Slater.

Quick, practical, good.

Yeah - Nigel Slater is brilliant! I really want his Food book but can't afford it at the moment. All the Chefs say he is good for 'normal' food and his tv series (on 4 on demand) is really good as well

[BOF]

Matt, there are used copies of that book for 96p on Amazon. I know students are poor but ffs

[MattJ83]

Matt, there are used copies of that book for 96p on Amazon. I know students are poor but ffs

Pff! You failed to tell me that shipping costs are £2.75!!

No - thats really good. am going to invest in one i think. Although i've only looked at the 'real food' book (though it was just called 'food'! D'oh!)

Cooking some bread today woop! to have with that nice sausage and beans recipe that was given..mmm....

[xliosive]

Pesto Donaldinho

Pasta, preferrably fusili

1 Onion, chopped

10 Pork or Turkey Fankfurters, decent German ones

1 Jar of Sundried Tomato or Red Pesto

1 Tin of Coconut milk

1 handfull of Wallnuts or Pecans (optional)

Olive Oil

Cook the pasta. Cut the Frankfurters down the middle lenghtways, then once again to quater now chop horizontaly about 8 times, you are left with roughly 35 or so small pieces per sausage. Saute/fry the sausage, nuts and onion in Olive oil on high until the onion starts to caramelise but before the sausage or nuts burn. Chuck in the Pesto and the can of Coconut Milk and simmer for 20 minutes. Now drop the Pasta on top of the creamy pink goodness turn off the heat and mix it all up. Serve in a bowl to be eaten in front of the telly.

Be sure to try the leftovers after a heavy night out, not only is it a fantastic boozy snack but it may well cure the hangover before it starts. No promises but some of my mates used to swear by it and wouldn't go home on a Saturday until they had been by my flat to take their dose.

I've tried dozens of combinations, different meats, veg, cream etc. Nothing even compares to frankfurters, onion, red pesto and coconut milk. It's like the flaming Homer, on paper it makes no sense but when prepared is phenominal.

Hey man.

As crazy as it sounds I tried your dish because it sounded interesting, and I do love pesto. Well, I cooked it for myself 3 other housemates and everyone loved it! It was a lovely creamy delight. Cost £11 to make it for 4 people mind but I look forward to leftovers in the morn. Nice one!

[TheSufferingVilla]

Glad you liked it, I haven't made it in a while must whip up a batch for the weekend.

[Olejniker]

Easiest/cost effective/semi-decent dish I do is roasted cajun chicken, roasted mediteranian veg and couscous. Easy as, and always tastes good, plus a few portions of your 5 a day

Those fajita kits are pretty useful too. Not that cheap for what they are though.

Edit- Baked Potatoes, easiest thing ever to cook.

Agreed. Just chuck a potato into the microwave for a few minutes and then dig out the flesh and dump in canned tuna. Sprinkle it with cheese(I use a mixture of mozarella and, parmesan - gooey smelly tasty goodness) and put it in the oven for a while to let the cheese brown. It can be prepared very quickly, normally under 10 minutes. Plus, while the cheese is browning in the oven, you can add some milk, cream and butter to the potato flesh you dug out and make a quick side dish of mashed potatoes.

Easiest meal ever. I find it much faster and easier to make than a fancy sandwich. Minimal washing up as well. Not the healthiest or most well-balanced meal though. :oops:

[Ballybunion_Ice]

The king of dinners THE B.B.C (boiled bacon & cabbage)

1. Buy a joint of gammon (unsmoked)

2. Submerge it in a pan of water the night before to get the salt out of it.

3. Boil it for 1hr 15

4. Peal some spuds boil them for 30min

5. Cut up a cabbage boil for 30mins ( in same water as the spuds ).

So simple even i can do it.

Or you could go the Fox at Walmley for a 3.50 Cavery, no washing up ! :-)

[trimandson]

Man, I love food.

[BOF]

So come on Trim, have you tried many of the recipes in here, and have you put on any weight

[MattJ83]

I finally cracked Honeycomb the other day after 3 attempts. It only has three ingredients and is fairly simple.

Worth a go if you have a sweet tooth.

100g Caster Sugar

3tbs Golden Syrup

1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Mix the sugar and syrup in a pan.

Heat until it turns into a molten lava (don't stur, shake if you need to).

This is the hard bit - once its bubbling away but before it starts to burn - take it off the heat and add the soda.

Whisk (it should be growing at this point) and then place onto some baking parchment.

Put into a cold area for 10 mins or so and wait for it to go hard.

Smash apart and serv..:-)

[JulieB]

If you're looking to lose weight:

1) Increase exercise, add resistence exercise if possible. This keeps your metabolism up a lot longer than running. Your uni/college will probably have a dirt cheap gym.

2) Dont eat less - this is where people fall down - if you eat less your body will hold onto the fat etc because it is undernourished, it's waiting for the next meal. The best way to do this is to go from the usual 3 meal a day thing to 5 smaller meals - eat healthy foods and drink only water for a fortnight. Guaranteed droppage of pounds.

I've lost loads doing this and I mean loads...like a size 20 down to a small 14 taken me a couple of years and a trip to NZ.....I walk more and just keep on the go ...also I cut down on Carbs...and upped my intake of low fat things..like no fat yoghurt, having skimmed milk more than semi skimmed. I've tried to cut out crap foods and cut out alot of chemicals also. I drink more water too.

I find homemade soup really great...just whatever is in the veg basket/fridge chop up, chuck it in pan, sweat off and then add stock, herbs, seasoning etc and ..voila!

I make mean Cheese scones but even those I've cut down by using half fat mature cheese & light cheese spread on them instead of butter.

[Jezza]

pretty much the same with me - to cut on cholestrol, Í trim all fat off meat (bacon, lamb etc) drink loads of water (few glasses of wine at the weekend), low fat foods (semi skimmed milk), taken up playing hockey again, and I feel loads better for it. At my age (42), youhave to be careful

[Olejniker]

A while back I had one, and have been craving it since. I thought of going on the net and finding out the best recipes for it, but I decided I should consult the numerous culinary experts on VT.

So, what's the best recipe for Steak and Ale pie?

And of course, the more important question is: What's the best brew for this dish?

[b6bloke]

Has to be guinness and puff pastry not short pastry. Leave the meat to soak in the meat overnight and only use the guinness stout not the draught in a can. If you cant use guinness just make sure its a dark stout.

[robojoel]

I struggled to find a good recipe for years but found that the best andost authentic results came simply:

Cover stewing steak in plain flour mixed with salt an pepper

Begin to fry a whole large Onion then add the steak till it is browner

Add EQUAL amounts of ale and beef stock (black sheep or guiness) around three quaters of a pint of each depending on how much meat you have

Add a tablespoon of worstershire sauce and a teaspoon of sugar

Cook on Lowest heat for about one and a half to two hours

Buy some frozen pastry of your choice (I use puff pastry) and cook seperately, cut into portions after cooking and serve on top of stew mixture

You can of course add carrots etc to the stew but that's optional

Cooking the pastry in a pie dish on top of the stew is also an option but can make it a bit soggy!

[peterms]

This in one for those who like it in pie form (including soggy bottom layer), rather than the pastry separate. Adapted from 2 recipes by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

A slight problem with the above version from robojoel is that you want the onions softened on a low heat but the meat browned on a high heat, so adding meat to already cooking onions will either not brown the meat or else overcook the onions. You may end up with meat that looks grey, not brown.

Best is to brown the floured meat first on a fairly high heat in a heavy frying pan, in small batches, tranferring to a large heavy saucepan as it is cooked. Some people brown some pancetta before the meat, also removing from the pan when cooked. If you're using whole baby onions, they can be browned after the meat. You want the meat cut in fairly large chunks.

Having done this, deglaze the pan with some of the ale, and add to the saucepan. The pan should be clean after this if you've deglazed it properly. Add a bit of oil to the frying pan and soften the sliced/chopped onions on a low heat, and when they're done add them to the saucepan. Add the ale/stock, salt and pepper, and also a couple of bay leaves, some sprigs of parsely and thyme tied up together with string (to make it easier to remove them later). Cook for an hour and a half on a very low heat - you want it quivering, not bubbling - with the lid on but slightly raised to let a bit of steam escape. You can add mushrooms towards the end.

If using frozen pastry, make sure it's properly defrosted. Puff pastry is best. Roll it out and cut two rectangles, the top one shaped to the size of the dish but slightly larger, the other for the base a bit bigger to allow for the sides of the dish. Grease the dish, lay out the bigger piece of pastry, add the cooked meat, brush the edges of the pie with beaten egg yolk, lay the other piece of pastry on top and crimp the edges so it sticks, and brush the rest of the egg yolk over the surface. Mak a small slit or x in a couple of places, to let steam escape, and cook at 190/mark 5 for 50-60 minutes.

Quantities: for a pie dish of 1.2 lites, maybe 1.5 kg meat, 750 ml ale/stock, 600gm pastry.

[nrogers]

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Vile, and awful shock clearing in the woods.

My Favourite would be Flemish Stew with a pastry cap

So

Season beef cubes with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Shake off any excess. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the beef cubes and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Work in batches so as not to crowd the beef cubes, or they will steam instead of sauté. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, if necessary. Transfer the beef cubes to a heavy Dutch oven. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally, until browned, about 15 minutes. If necessary, raise the heat toward the end of the cooking time. It is important to brown the meat and the onions evenly to give the stew its deep brown color. The trick is to stir the onions just enough to avoid burning the but not so often as to interrupt the browning process. Combine the onions with the meat in the Dutch oven. Deglaze the skillet with beer, scraping with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits, and bring to a boil. Pour the beer over the meat. Add thyme and bay leaves. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the meat is very tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Before putting on Pastry top, stir in red currant jelly and vinegar; place in oven for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden

[robojoel]

This in one for those who like it in pie form (including soggy bottom layer), rather than the pastry separate. Adapted from 2 recipes by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

A slight problem with the above version from robojoel is that you want the onions softened on a low heat but the meat browned on a high heat, so adding meat to already cooking onions will either not brown the meat or else overcook the onions. You may end up with meat that looks grey, not brown.

Best is to brown the floured meat first on a fairly high heat in a heavy frying pan, in small batches, tranferring to a large heavy saucepan as it is cooked. Some people brown some pancetta before the meat, also removing from the pan when cooked. If you're using whole baby onions, they can be browned after the meat. You want the meat cut in fairly large chunks.

Having done this, deglaze the pan with some of the ale, and add to the saucepan. The pan should be clean after this if you've deglazed it properly. Add a bit of oil to the frying pan and soften the sliced/chopped onions on a low heat, and when they're done add them to the saucepan. Add the ale/stock, salt and pepper, and also a couple of bay leaves, some sprigs of parsely and thyme tied up together with string (to make it easier to remove them later). Cook for an hour and a half on a very low heat - you want it quivering, not bubbling - with the lid on but slightly raised to let a bit of steam escape. You can add mushrooms towards the end.

If using frozen pastry, make sure it's properly defrosted. Puff pastry is best. Roll it out and cut two rectangles, the top one shaped to the size of the dish but slightly larger, the other for the base a bit bigger to allow for the sides of the dish. Grease the dish, lay out the bigger piece of pastry, add the cooked meat, brush the edges of the pie with beaten egg yolk, lay the other piece of pastry on top and crimp the edges so it sticks, and brush the rest of the egg yolk over the surface. Mak a small slit or x in a couple of places, to let steam escape, and cook at 190/mark 5 for 50-60 minutes.

Quantities: for a pie dish of 1.2 lites, maybe 1.5 kg meat, 750 ml ale/stock, 600gm pastry.

Yes, 100% correct, i forgot about cooking the onions seperately!