Each meal in this book is designed for everyday meals. They are cheap basic meals that can be adapted to suit your taste. For students these recipes are ideal. They are cheaper than any takeaway and most of them are quicker to make. Each recipe in the book is one portion, but can be made in bulk and frozen for future use. The book is designed to give basic guidlines towards each recipe, which you can add more of your favourite flavours too. All photography, design and wording by Jack Daly. The recipes used are mostly my own, some family favourites and of course the favourites of fellow students.
Cooking rice
This is the quick simple approach to cooking rice. Instead of boiling it, steam the rice. All you have to do is place the rice and water in a pan with any seasoning you like and leave it with a lid on for 10 minutes. All you have to do is stir it every now and then and it will be nice and fluffy.
Cooking pasta
The best way to cook pasta, is to boil it in salted water. Salt will stop the pasta tasting bland too bland and will add more seasoning to your dish. Add a generous pinch to the boiling water, most of it will be drained away.
Chopping onion
Slice the onion in half, just to the side of the root, then peel the skin off. Slice the onion from the base but not slicing all the way to the top. Turn the onion 90 degrees and chop down. This means the onion will stay together until you make the final slice, it also stops you crying whilst cutting as you haven’t cut the root off.
Chopping peppers
To get as much as you can out of a pepper, cut just the stork at the top off then place the top flat on your chopping board. Slither down one edge of the pepper then rotate it and do the same all the way round.
A mug of flour, a mug of water, tomato passata, mozzarella, salt & pepper, oregano and olive oil.
This is by far the easiest pizza recipe and it definitely beats any shop-bought pizza, especially as you can mix up the toppings. Start by putting the flour, water, a dash of oil and a pinch of salt in a bowl and keep adding water until it’s a dough. Flour a work surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Roll out into the shape of your baking tray with a rolling pin or something similar like a drinking glass, anything round will do. Put the base onto your baking tray, add about 4 tbsp. of passata (just enough to cover) then tear the mozzarella and sprinkle over the top, along with a pinch of pepper and some oregano. This is your basic margarita, you can add any additional toppings you like and cook at 200 ° C/Gas Mark 4 for around 8 minutes, but keep checking.
A mug of any pasta, a tbsp. of flour, a tbsp. of butter, half a mug of milk, a handful of cheese, salt & pepper.
Start by boiling your pasta in some salted water. To make the sauce you will need to start with a roux. Melt the butter on low heat, then add the flour and keep stirring until it’s smooth. Then add the milk a dash at a time whilst stirring. It shouldn’t be runny, but should still roll off the spoon. Add the cheese and keep stirring until it’s the consistency of cream then season with salt & pepper. Drain the pasta keeping back a bit of the water, then add the pasta to the sauce. Mix it all together and transfer to an oven dish. Add a bit of the water until the sauce is loose. Grate some cheese on top, then place under the grill on high heat until the cheese has melted.
1 onion, 1 carrot, a few potatoes, a mug of any pasta (macaroni works really well), a tin of tomatoes, 1 litre of veg stock, salt & pepper and chilli flakes .
This is a simple winter warmer that hits the spot any time of day. Fry the onion in a little oil for about 5 minutes. Add the sliced carrot and potatoes and stir it all together. Then add the tin of tomatoes and the stock, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the veg is cooked. Add the pasta and leave till its cooked. Season with salt & pepper and serve up.
3 good quality sausages, 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 red and yellow pepper, 300ml of veg stock, 1 tsp. of dark brown sugar, a cup of pasta.
Fry the sausages in a little oil. Once they’re done, add the onion and fry until it’s cooked. Add all the other ingredients, leave to simmer until the pasta is cooked. Then serve.
A mug of your favorite pasta or a handful of spaghetti, 2 tbsp. of yoghurt, a handful of grated parmesan, 1 egg, salt & pepper.
This is a great and cheap alternative to a traditional carbonara. Start by boiling the pasta in some water. In a bowl mix together the egg yoghurt and cheese until smooth. This is the sauce that will cook when stirred into the drained pasta. Once the pasta has cooked, drain it but keep some water. Place the pasta back in the pan and pour the egg mixture over immediately, stirring well. Add a bit of the water to loosen it up and add the salt & pepper. Serve with some of the parmesan grated on top.
Half a mug of risotto rice (arborio), 1 chicken or veg stock cube, 1 stick of celery, 1 onion, a handful of mushrooms, a knob of butter, a handful of parmesan cheese.
This is a dish that really tastes amazing. It cooks quickly and is always impressive. Start by frying the chopped onion and celery in a pan with some oil on a low heat. After 5 minutes add the rice, sliced mushrooms and the stock cube. Add half a mug of stock and stir well. Once all the water is absorbed, add a little more. Repeat this process until the rice has cooked fully. The consistency should be so that the rice falls off a wooden spoon and isn’t stuck together. Once cooked, turn off the heat, add the butter and parmesan, and put a lid on for 5 minutes. Letting it rest will intensify the flavor a lot.
Half a mug of rice, 1 onion, 1 cooked chicken breast torn into pieces, 1 tbsp. of flour, 1 tsp. each of turmeric, curry powder and ginger, 1 pint of veg or chicken stock, 1 clove of chopped garlic, salt & pepper.
You can add almost anything into a curry, but this base will get you started. Fry the onion in a little oil on medium-high heat. After about 5 minutes add the cooked chicken, the spices, the flour and the garlic, then stir it all together. After a few more minutes add the stock a little at a time whilst stirring it all together. Season with salt & pepper then leave to simmer for around 20 minutes. Steam your rice then serve it all together.
ÂŁ3-worth of minced lamb, fresh mint, coriander, 1 egg, 1 large white onion, cumin seeds, coriander seeds.
This is a simple recipe from my good friend Charlie, for a real-style kebab. This is the basic meat recipe, but it goes so well with all the side dishes (see next page). Finely chop the onion as small as you can. Next add 1 tbsp each of cumin and coriander seeds to a pan, dry roast until fragrant, and then crush in a pestle and mortar or in a bowl with a spoon. Finely chop the mint and coriander. Place the mince into a large mixing bowl and add all ingredients, crack an egg over it to bind it, and mix thoroughly with your hands. Season with salt & pepper. Shape the mince into patties as wide or thick as you see fit. Position them on a pre-oiled baking tray and place under the grill, making sure to flip each patty as they gain colour.
1 Tin of chick peas, Tahini, Garlic, 2 Lemons
Strain the chickpeas and empty into a blender. Slice and add a large clove of garlic, 2 tbsp of tahini, a touch of olive oil, the juice from the lemons, and seasoning. Blend until smooth and add a touch of water to loosen it. Keep on tasting until all the flavours balance out.
3 carrots, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, 1 lemon, salt.
Peel and grate the carrots into a mixing bowl. Fry 1 tbsp each of cumin and mustard seeds in 2 tbsp of cooking oil until they start to pop. Pour them over the carrots, and add the squeezed lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and season to taste. Coriander, Greek natural yoghurt
Slice remaining mint & coriander into a bowl of Greek natural yoghurt, season to taste.
A mug of your favourite pasta or a handful of spaghetti, 250g of mince, a tin of tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 carrot, salt & pepper.
Heat the mince, onion and carrot in a little oil on a medium heat. Once the mince is browned, add the tomatoes, salt & pepper, then fill the tomato tin with water and add that. Leave to simmer, stirring now and again so it doesn’t stick. Then cook the pasta in salted water. Once the pasta’s cooked, drain and serve it, and pour the sauce over the top. Add a bit of grated parmesan cheese on top to finish.
A mug of cooked rice, 1 clove of garlic, chilli flakes, any veg of your choice (a bag of frozen mixed works well), any meat of your choice, a dash of soy sauce.
You can throw any leftovers into this dish. Heat some oil in a wok, then add the garlic and chilli flakes. Add your meat (this dish works well veggie too) and fry until cooked. Add your veg and toss it until cooked, then add your cooked rice. Season with soy sauce and toss it all together.
3 chicken drumsticks, 1 tsp of honey, about a tsp. of paprika, olive oil and a few chilli flakes.
This recipe is a simple marinade for the chicken. You can use it on any part of the chicken, but drumsticks are the cheapest. It’s best served with the spicy rice recipe. Mix the honey, paprika, oil and chilli flakes in a bowl, then add the chicken. Leave for at least 20 minutesovernight in the fridge is even better. Place the chicken in an oven dish and cook for 30 minutes at 180° C/Gas Mark 4 . Then serve.
A nest or two of dried noodles, a couple of spring onions, a couple of carrots, 1 clove of garlic, a handful of broccoli, your favourite meat (beef works really well), soy sauce, toasted sesame oil (olive oil works too).
This is a quick, easy recipe that tastes amazing too. If you can get hold of sesame oil, it really makes a difference to this dish. Although broccoli and carrots work well, you can use almost any veg in a stir-fry. Start by boiling your noodles in a pan of water. Then heat the oil in a wok until it’s nice and hot. Add the chopped spring onions and garlic to start, then add the beef about 2 minutes afterwards. Fry until it’s browned, then add the finely chopped veg with a tbsp or two of soy sauce, continuing to stir it all the time. Once cooked, add the noodles and toss it all together, then serve it up.
Half a mug of couscous, 1 chicken breast fillet, 1 red pepper, 1 spring onion, paprika, soy sauce.
Cut the chicken and pepper into small chunks, sprinkle it with paprika, and place on a baking tray in the oven at about 180째 C/Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked. Then prepare the couscous by putting it in a bowl with one whole mug of boiling water. Once all the water is absorbed, fluff it together, then add the chicken and the pepper. Finally add the spring onion and soy sauce, and mix it all together.
A mug of your favorite pasta, a heaped teaspoon each of flour and butter, about half a mug of milk, a handful of your favorite cheese, a handful of broccoli, salt & pepper.
Start by putting your pasta on the boil with salted water. You then need to make a roux sauce. Do this by melting the butter in a pan on a low heat, then add the flour and keep stirring until it’s smooth. Add milk to this base, one dash at a time, whilst stirring. Once it’s the consistency of cream, add the cheese and keep stirring. Keep adding cheese and tasting until it’s just how you like it. You want to keep this sauce moving until it’s served so it doesn’t sit for too long. Once your pasta is nearly done, add the broccoli at the last minute. When both are cooked, drain the pasta and broccoli then place back in the pan with a bit of the water you boiled it in. Add the sauce and stir it all together well. Season with a bit of black pepper and serve straight away.
Two sausages, a tin of tomatoes, a tin of beans (cannellini beans work well), 1 onion, a handful of potatoes cut into chunks and some mixed herbs (or oregano/thyme).
Start by grilling the sausages, then fry the onion in some oil on a medium heat. After 5 minutes, add the tomatoes, beans and potato chunks to the onion and leave to simmer until the potato is cooked. When the sausages are cooked, chop and add them too. Simmer for 20 minutes. Then Serve.
All images copyright Jack Daly. All rights reserved. Design, photography and text by Jack Daly. Recipies from students, family, myself and adapted online recipies.
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