Student Cooking - the Real Deal?

The more I contemplate student cooking, the more I feel it could be the real deal – swift, economical, using readily available and (hopefully) ethical ingredients.  And minimising washing up.  Hooray!

Recently I asked some friends for student-friendly recipes.  They must require only cheap ingredients and very little equipment (e.g., no weighing scales).

If you have any suggestions like the ones below, please send them to me at My Moon-Shot

and, if appropriate, I’ll add them to the Student Food page along with the author's name.
 

Vicki said, “Just tell them cous-cous – you bung boiling water on it - and that’s it.”

Good advice, Vicki, but I feel you could have tried harder.

Marsha and Dali, however, came up with true gems:

Marsha’s Pancakes

1 pot of Greek Yogurt (individual size)

1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Mix ingredients in order in a bowl (add some milk for thinner batter). Allow to rest for a minute while nonstick frying pan heats up. Drop onto skillet and flip when bubbles appear. Voila! Thick, hearty pancakes that are packed with protein! Enjoy with fruit, or my fave, butter and maple syrup.

Dali’s Quick & Easy Cheese Sauce

It can go with anything like pasta or vegetables and it is fool-proof.
1 cup of Milk
1 tablespoon of Flour
a bit of butter
some grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Put the milk (cold) and flour in a saucepan and whisk to avoid lumps. Add butter and put your pan over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add grated cheese and mix well.

This sauce goes well with pasta (add some pieces of fried bacon and you have your - nearly - own carbonara). Also, chop a few veggies such as mushrooms, carrots, onions, baby corn, put in an ovenproof dish, cover with white sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for about 30 min. Voilà, impress your housemates with your vegetable gratin.

Can I just say – it was their idea to keep using the word “Voila”.