Student kitchens
Easy, delicious, healthy(ish) recipes that won’t own your budget.Archive for creamy
Warm pasta salad
Ever since I whipped up my slaw dressing, I’ve had a healthy respect for raw cabbage. Ok, ok…this is mainly a sneaky attempt on my behalf to direct you to my new dressings & sauces page (for which there is a permalink under the “My pages” section to your right). It’s all for good reason, however. It’s been sunnyish recently (still freezing though of course, quite literally for once) so it seemed appropriate for a non-roast. Eating this salad made me feel like slipping back into a bikini and hitting the beach, but it was creamy enough to ensure I stayed put. It’s just the sort of thing that I’ll be eating possibly all summer (although I’m not sure what all the mayo/hollandaise is going to do to my bikini prospects). It takes barely any time to throw together, has raw vegetables (did I mention that they’re much better for you than cooked veges? Watch Food Matters if you’re intrigued), and is creamy, crunchy, tangy, soft and mildly sweet – all at the same time. Indeed.
Just in case I haven’t already mentioned this, a great big thank you goes to my flatmate Adam whose brother made the gorgeous hot pot wood block thingee that has been gracing so many of my photos. Its rich, warm golden hues always make me feel all caramelly inside.
A quick note before I divulge the recipe: Some added nuts, particularly walnuts, but possibly also roasted pistachios or roasted cashews will add even more deliciousness and protein. To roast cashews, heat on a single layer on a plate in the microwave or oven on high or 180C (350F) at a time, turning/tossing at 2 minute intervals until golden. Cashews will feel rubbery at firstbut will harden up as they cool. Wish I had thought of it before devouring the lot, but after tasting the first sliver of dressing-endowed cabbage, there was no stopping me.
Warm pasta salad
serves 2 relatively big eaters
Half a 500g bag of pasta (preferably shaped), or however much pasta you normally have
Hearty amount of salt for the pasta
1 onion, finely chopped
about 2 c very thinly sliced (or “shaved”) cabbage (green, red or Chinese will all work)
about 1/2 c peas
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
about 15g butter
pinch salt
Slaw dressing (quantities are approximate)
1/3 (heaping) c quality mayo or hollandaise (Japanese mayo or Kato Hollandaise, or Free Range mayo…any thick stuff that’s not too white)
1 1/2 Tbs white wine vinegar, or white vinegar, or lemon juice
1/2 Tbs dijon or wholegrain mustard
pinch salt
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
about 1/4c powder fine grated aged gouda or parmesan (optional)
a handful of walnuts, cashews, pine nuts or pistachio nuts (optional)
Place your pasta on to cook according to packet instructions, with salt. Don’t worry about using oil, it’ll just make the pan greasy and annoying to wash. Just make sure you occasionally stir. Just ask Donna Hay!
While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium frypan on medium heat, add a pinch of salt and the onions. Let cook, stirring occasionaly, until properly golden. Mix in peas (if frozen) and garlic, and cover, letting cook for about a minute. Uncover, stir, and cover again for another minute. Continue doing this until the peas are cooked. DO NOT BOIL THE PEAS. Thank you. Remove from heat, and leave cover on the pan until pasta is done.
Mix up the dressing in a cup or small bowl (or if you hate dishes you can mix it up in a large bowl you’ll be eating the salad out of). Mix the cabbage into the dressing, then mix in the peas, onions and garlic. Finally, once the pasta is cooked, drain and immediately mix in to the other ingredients. Scatter over any nuts you wish to use, and serve while warm, although it’s also fine cold. If you want it for the next day, make sure you cover the salad (with a pot cover or plate if you want to save money on clingfilm).
Comforting sage scalloped potatoes
Ok, so maybe for summer this won’t be the most slimming side to serve, but for post-Christmas havoc it will work a dream (or before Christmas. Or during). It’s cheesy, creamy, smooth and warming from inside out. And it’s very simple to boot.
I used fresh sage but really, you can use your favourite herb and I’m sure it’ll turn out great. I just happened to have a plentiful supply of sage, and was itching to use it in something. Turns out it worked fabulously with potatoes (does anything not work with potatoes?!).
Sage scalloped potatoes
serves 2 as a generous side
5 medium sized potatoes, sliced thinly
100ml cream
150ml water
2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 tsp garlic powder
handful fresh sage leaves or your favourite herb (thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram…)
50-100g cheese, depending on preference. I know which one I prefer!
salt and pepper
Arrange 1/3 of the potato slices on the bottom of a small/medium ceramic or glass (trust me, they’re easier to wash with this dish) roasting pan, scatter over 1/3 of the rest of the ingredients (about a pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper). Repeat until you finish the potato slices and rest of ingredients. Pop in oven, turn heat to 180C/350F, and let cook for about 35-45 mins, or until top is golden and a fork inserted gets little resistance. Serve with fresh salad.
A fishy concotion – how to make frozen fish fantastic (in 20 minutes)
I realise fish may not be at the top of the list for many students, mainly because of the price. Now, before you even hear the slightest hint of a suggestion that fish is too expensive, I have to point out that I solemnly believe fish should be as expensive as it is, given how much the oceans are being overfished. I have fish once or twice a fortnight (if lucky), and sure, it could be healthier if I had more perhaps, but I’d rather have less fish less frequently for the rest of my life than have fish lots, and then have no more fish…because I wouldn’t be able to make this dish!!! I was going to link to a “sustainable fish guide” but the truth is, fish is a sad tale – especially in NZ, according to this article on Scoop. Try this guide if you’re interested (pdf).
Getting frozen fish fillets can be cheaper, but beware! Fresh fish fillets (especially the good stuff like blue cod) should be about $25/kg, and fozen fillets should cost quite a bit less. Don’t just assume frozen will be cheaper. Proper seafood stores are always best, and often have a better frozen fish selection.
Anyway! Kayotic Kitchen has this fantastic creamy crispy baked fish recipe, which made great use of frozen fish. I decided to try it out with pasta added, and it came out pretty good…
Yes, it was a filling, delicious meal, although I think I overcooked the fish a little (or maybe Tarakihi does that more easily…), and probably could have used more cream (ahem)…so I’ve adapted my method in my adaptation. Of course, you can just do the fish bake and serve it with potatoes, but the pasta cooked while the fish did so the whole thing only took about 20 minutes. YES, that’s right. 20 minutes. I did have a fantastic kitchen pally to help me though.
Creamy crispy topped fishy pasta bake
serves 2-3
250g pasta (I used spirals)
250g-500g of white fish fillets (or misc fish meat if you’re using a whole fish), halved
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
5 tbsp breadcrumbs
200ml cream
50g grated cheese
2 Tbs butter
1 medium carrot, grated or julienned or chopped finely
1 Tbs flour
lemon juice
1 Tbs capers
1 tsp ground ginger
1 onion, chopped
salt & pepper
Bring a medium large pot of water (half full) to the boil, add an approximate teaspoon of salt, and add pasta. Let cook until al dente (“firm to the bite”).
While pasta is cooking, throw your chopped onion and carrot into a medium saucepan with butter and a pinch of salt, and cook until onion is softened (on medium heat). Add fish fillets, capers and ginger, then lower your heat one setting, and cook until one side of the fish is white (no longer pink). Flip them, then add flour, cream, mustard and lemon juice. Preheat grill to 200C, with rack in the center of your oven. Bring cream to a slight simmer. The fish should now be able to be broken easily with a plastic fish slice – break it apart. The sauce should be sort of thick and creamy. If too runny, sprinkle in more flour. If too thick, add more cream. Add salt and pepper, and once fish bits are JUST cooked, remove from heat.
Quickly drain pasta and add to a large and deepish roasting/casserole dish. Immediately add the hot fishy concoction onto your pasta, mixing it up a bit. Toss breadcrumbs and cheese together in a bowl, and spread evenly over the top. Place on the middle rack of your oven and let sit under the grill for about 5-10 minutes, until the top is golden and the cheese has melted.
Assemble a quick salad while the fishy pasta is grilling, or steam some veges, and you have a deceivingly vege-packed dinner ready in next to no time!
Creamy sage vegetables over polenta wedges
I don’t think google cached this, so here is my version of The Well Seasoned Cook’s recipe (sorry for using cream! It is a lot cheaper than mascarpone). It was my first attempt at polenta wedges and I think I did ok. I personally would recommend making the polenta wedges a day (or at least a few hours) in advance so you can let the thing cool on the side before you stick it in the fridge (putting something hot in the fridge would probably lead to angry flatmates asking why the milk is now undrinkable and everything is lukewarm).
The two of us ended up with a ridiculous amount of food each (half the tart is a little much). So I think I’ll say this recipe is better for 3-4 people, depending if you want it as a side or not. It made an extremely filling dinner, thanks to the cream and dense polenta (this ain’t rice people, where half of what you’re eating is air). The flavours worked quite well too, although texture wise you might want to skip this one if you’re not a fan of mushrooms and creamy stuff (in which case, I pity you…just kidding).
Polenta tart
1 c fine cornmeal
3 c water + 1 tsp salt
2 Tbs cooking oil
Bring water and salt to the boil on medium heat, add polenta, and lower heat. Stir well, and let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring very frequently to remove lumps. Meanwhile get out an 8″ tart pan or springform cake pan (no need to grease). The polenta is done when it looks the consistency of thick porridge, and makes this “blugb blugb” noise. Pour into tart tin, and leave on the side to cool before transferring to your fridge for at least an hour.
After removing from the fridge, cut into 6-8 wedges and fry both sides on medium high heat in a greased frypan (large enough to fit everything on one layer) until golden yellow (about 10 mins on each side)
Creamy sage vegetables
1 1/3 c cauliflower florets, small/medium
6-8 button mushrooms, halved
2″ off the bottom of a medium sized leek, sliced
2 Tbs cooking oil or butter
approx 120-150ml cream
salt
sprinklings of flour
1 Tbs fresh cut sage or dry
Heat oil or butter on medium high heat, add a pinch of salt and cauliflower florets. Now is also a good time to put the polenta wedges in a seperate pan (see instructions above). Fry florets on one side until brown, then shake the pan, and continue frying until 3 different sides are browned. Throw in mushrooms and leek, frying until two sides of the mushrooms are golden around the edges. Add another pinch of salt and the cream, sprinkling flour on top (tr not to get big lumps of flour). Lower heat to medium low, and simmer to reduce the cream to a thicker consistency, adding more flour if needed. It should be a tan colour and a similar consistency to a thin caramel sauce. Add sage and turn off heat, leaving for a minute but stirring to prevent a skin forming. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Plate the polenta wedges, and spoon over 1/3 or 1/4 of the creamy vegetables on each plate. Garnish with fresh sage leaves.
Home made ice-cream – so easy it IS funny!
Before you get skeptical – all it requires is whipping 500ml cream, and mixing in a can of sweetened condensed milk. THAT’S RIGHT. You can add whatever other flavours you want at this stage, and then freeze for at least 4 hours. It makes about 2 litres, so I made 2 flavours in two 1L boxes. Recipe courtesy of Fullblown Technicolour.
Just to tease you:
That’s brownie ice cream with cinnamon and date ice cream from Hungry and Frozen. So rich and creamy, and quite sweet (if you want, you can make EVERYTHING from scratch, thus adjusting sweetness. Here’s a recipe for sweetened condensed milk, if you want to use less sugar or something.
