The Ultimate Student Cookbook Review

The Ultimate Student Cookbook:

Cheap, Fun, Easy, Tasty Food

From

Studentbeans.com

Well the days before Paige goes to Derby University are counting down very fast, I always have loved cooking its a passion and in some ways this has hindered my two. Paige said the other day its made her content to let me cook,she helps out and has a few signature dishes but said she needs more experience.

We have been doing a crash course the last two weeks as her job and college are both over. I have been saying she needs a good book and to revise some of the basics that will make it easier. I have had visions of a starving wreck!!!

Studentbeans.com have come up with just such a book.

What I have been gently nagging Paige to do, the The Ultimate Cookbook did in minutes, suddenly excited by how simple everything looked, cheap and easy meals, snacks, hints on what to buy for store cupboard staples,measurements all suddenly made sense to her.

I believe the humour in the book helps. 

Cheese and Ham Toastie -'Melted cheese is God's gift to the human race'


All Purpose Fried Rice - Here's a recipe that's so versatile you might end up trying to get it to fix your door, do your dissertation and talk to people you fancy in a club!

Baked Camembert for two- This dish will clog your arteries, give you type 2 diabetes and probably a good dose of gout to top it all off. But who cares when food tastes this good?


 So inspiring is this book Paige spent the morning making  a shopping list,shopped and cooked.

I waited for the usual "Mum, I don't get this bit!" ...nothing. I  went in to the kitchen to photograph the proof. Mouth open as she looked so confident making a totally new recipe, she does cook a good few of mine but never one from scratch and hasn't read a cookbook or displayed much interest in cooking basics and skills!

Then she called me for lunch!!!!

Bacon and Pea Spaghetti!!!

My visions of the starving wreck evaporated,dreams of being invited to dinner stirred!

Oh and I actually want this book myself, its brilliant, great recipes for curries (see below) and stews,posh toast, brill white sauce recipe, I've been copying some down before she goes.

Also sort of hoping she may just forget it, but alas it disappeared into her food box along with mixed herbs, lentils and baked beans!

Leaving home for the first time ever and being away from mum’s cooking is daunting for the average student. Luckily, those clever people at Studentbeans.com have come up with a clear and simple-to-use cookbook with properly designed recipes for wholesome and great-tasting food.

• Cooking basics: a necessary rite of passage to a higher level of culinary learning. Measurements, kitchen kit, store cupboard and fridge stand-bys, simple salad dressings, how to slice and dice, how to cook rice and pasta
• The Building Blocks:  recipes with a multitude of uses. Boiled egg, scrambled egg, simple tomato sauce, white sauce, basic pancakes, multi-purpose mince
• Quick ‘n’ Easy: Quick fixes for hectic lifestyles – broccoli and anchovy spaghetti, simple potato salad, cheesy easy omelette, sweetcorn fritters with avocado salsa
• Hungry but Penniless: a chapter dedicated solely to recipes that can be bought with the coins from the back of the sofa – garlic mushrooms on toast, carb-loaded pesto pasta, tuna pasta bake, bean cassoulet, old-school sausages and lentils
• Home-cooked Classics: for those who really miss mum’s cooking – easy chicken stew, hearty fish pie, mac ‘n’ cheese, roast chicken and gravy, the perfect roast dinner
• Nifty Lunches: from the basics of sandwich fillings to more complicated lunches – Spanish omelette, prawn, feta and quinoa salad, sausage and red pepper rolls
• Crowd Pleasers: dishes for minimum effort and maximum impact – baked camembert for two, steamed mussels, chorizo chicken, fajita party
• DIY Take-Aways:  better for your wallet and tummy – piri-piri chicken, lamb kebabs, Indian lamb curry, tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza
• Sweet Stuff: desserts and sweet treats with which to indulge yourself and your friends  - All-American pancakes, raspberry and white chocolate muffins

Indian Lamb Curry

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need an entire continent’s worth of

spices to prepare a curry. Just stick with this recipe and smile knowingly when

all your friends marvel at your internationally influenced palate. With slow

cooking, the best meat to buy is often the cheaper and fattier cuts. Try using

diced shoulder or neck of lamb for this recipe.

SERVES 4

6 tbsp oil

2 onions, peeled

and grated

5 garlic cloves, peeled

and very finely chopped

Large thumb-size piece

of fresh ginger, peeled

and very finely chopped

2 green chillies, split

lengthways, but still

held together at the top

1½ tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground turmeric

800g diced lamb (neck

or shoulder work best)

4 tomatoes, roughly

chopped

Large handful of fresh

coriander, chopped

Cooked basmati rice,

to serve

Salt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish over a

medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and a generous pinch

of salt. Cook the onions, stirring regularly, for 12–15 minutes

until they become lightly coloured and incredibly soft.

Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry for a further

4 minutes, stirring regularly, before spooning in the spices.

It is very important to ‘cook out’ the spices for 1 minute, so

fry, constantly stirring to avoid burning. Increase the heat to

maximum, then add the diced lamb. Stir well to combine for

1 minute, then add the tomatoes.

Reduce the heat a little and add half a glass of water to the

saucepan. Bring the liquid up to the boil, then reduce to a

simmer. Place a lid on top and leave to cook for a minimum

of 1 hour. (It can go on cooking for double that time if you

keep adding a little water every now and then to prevent it

from drying out.) The longer the curry is cooked, the better

it becomes.

Add the chopped coriander just before serving with cooked

basmati rice . . . and then delete the curry takeaway number

from your telephone.

Tip: More often than not, curries taste better the day after

they have been cooked because the flavours settle and

intensify. So if you can cook this the night before, leave it

to cool completely before refrigerating. When ready to eat,

just tip the curry back into the saucepan and bring to the

boil over a medium heat. Simmer for 2–3 minutes and enjoy

your fully matured curry.

About Studentbeans.com: Taking inspiration from the student’s staple recipe ‘beans on toast’, studentbeans.com was born in 2005. A few years on, the website is first destination for millions of students looking for savings, advice and entertainment.

Published on 15th August 2013 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in trade paperback at £11.99, as an eBook at £7.99

 Disclosure I was given a free product. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.