White fish noodles in tomato sauce.

We'd been away for the weekend, so I had to make do with what we had in already - so my white fish dish was born!

Ingredients: (serves two)
1 pack egg noodles
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 carrots, chopped
1/2 butternut squash, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 white fish fillets (we had Basa fillets in, but use whatever you have)
2 Tbsp. each of fresh garlic and parsley (dried is fine, but use more)
Olive oil
Salt + pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Put the carrots and butternut squash in a baking dish with a good glug of olive oil, and 1 Tbsp. each of garlic and parsley. Put in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on how big you've cut your veg. In the last ten minutes, add the onion.
2. When your veg is nearly done, put the noodles in a pan of boiling water and heat until cooked. Drain, then place in a ramekin or potato cutter. Put in the oven to crisp up.
3. Get your sauce started. In a pan, add the chopped tomatoes, season and add the rest of the garlic and parsley. Add the carrots, squash and onion from the oven, and coat in the tomato sauce. Leave to simmer. 
4. Heat a frying pan on a high heat with a drizzle of oil. Add the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes each side.
5.Check on the noodles! They should be crispy but not overly brown. If so, remove from the oven and place on a warm plate. 
6. Assemble! Around the noodles, serve up the roasted veg tomato sauce, then top the noodles with the fish. Eat up!

Chicken salad bowl

I love the simplicity of this dish, but it still manages to pack in a helluva lot of flavour. Filling but light enough for a summer's eve, this will soon be a staple in our household! I hope you like it.

• Ingredients:
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces 
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sumaq (you can get this in any health food shop or online)
• 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 1/2 mugs jasmine or basmati rice
• 3 mugs water
• 2 red pepper, cut into fourths
• 1 courgette, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 2 avocados, mashed very well
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• salt + pepper, to taste
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions: 

1. In a large bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, onion powder, sumaq, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, parsley and basil. Add the chicken and toss well. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.
2. Make the rice. Add the water to a medium size pot. Bring to a low boil and then add the rice. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit on the stove, covered for another 20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). After 20 minutes remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.
3. Add the red pepper and courgette to a gallon size ziplock bag. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake well so the veggies are coated with olive oil.
4. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping 2-3 times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks. While the chicken is grilling grill the courgette for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender and the red peppers for about 5 minutes flipping once or twice during cooking.
5. Remove everything from the grill and let cool 5 minutes. Once cool slice the red peppers into strips and if you have whole chicken breast cut those into cubes.
6. Add the mashed avocados to a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
7. To assemble the bowls, divide the rice among 4 bowls or plates. Top each bowl of rice with equal amounts of chicken, grilled peppers and courgette. Add a large dollop of the avocados and then add the fresh tomatoes and walnuts. Sprinkle with blue cheese if desired. Serve warm.

Quick moan.

You would not believe how hard it is in my student digs here in France to not have an oven. Or a microwave. Or a toaster. I must admit, not only have my meals become monotonous (think lots of salad and cup-a-soups) but I've been eating out more than I should as well. But I think that's acceptable. At least I'm telling myself that. 

However I got to breaking point and just had to make something amazing. And though this is only a burger, compared to my usual cup-a-soups or Snickers bars for lunch (don't judge), this was amazing.

So simple it's laughable, but with only two pans I think it's a fair effort. And only being here for a year my herbs are, well, non-existent. But here it is! My burger with fried onions, melted leerdammer on ciabatta (unfortunately not toasted) with boil-in-the-bag chips (no, I'd never heard of them either) with a sprinkling of baby spinach for garnish. Not my healthiest meal I'll admit, but a damn good one for a rainy Sunday.

Pizza!

This is a great way of getting all your friends involved, and it's also fun decorating your own pizza! This recipe makes enough for four to five hungry people - just choose your own toppings.

Charlotte's: mushroom and pepperoni

For the dough:

• 500g plain white flour
• 7g sachet dried yeast
• pinch of salt
• 350ml warm water (boil a kettle then wait for it to cool - DO NOT use water from a hot tap)



Charlotte decorating her pizza.

• 60ml olive oil

1. Sift all the flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and the yeast.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour, then slowly add in the warm water. Mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together and starts to look like a dough. If you have put too much water in even it out with more flour - it should be soft, not sticky.
3. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead firmly for about 10 minutes, until it becomes soft and spongy.
4. Lightly oil a clean bowl and put the dough in. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for about an hour.
5. Turn the dough out on the floured surface again, and knead. You should notice that it feels airier than the first time you kneaded the dough. 
6. Separate the dough into 4 or 5 balls, depending on how many are eating.

Nat and her masterpiece!

For the tomato sauce: You can use passata if you have it, but it's not generally the store-cupboard essential in a student kitchen!

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 cube vegetable stock
• pinch of salt and pepper
• some herbs (I used oregano and parsley)

Basically, throw all this into a food processor and whizz until it's smooth. If you don't have a food processor just crush the tomatoes with a fork and mix well.

Roll out your dough on the floured surface, spread over the tomato sauce, and top with a generous quantity of mozzarella. 

Now for the fun bit! Add whatever toppings you want! 

Nat's: bacon, yellow pepper, onion and cheddar.

Amelia made sausage pizza and stuffed cheese in the crust. Yum!

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
2. Place your pizza on a baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness and size of your pizza.
3. Tuck in!

I said this made five, yet we could only cook 3 at a time in our oven, so Tom and I waited. By the time it was ready we were ravenous and I totally forgot to document our pizzas! If you really cared, we had chilli, onion, mushroom and veggie bolognese on our pizzas. Be as adventurous (or as safe!) as you like!

Tom's mushroom tagliatelli with home-made pesto.

As I am often told, being vegetarian is a pain for people when I go to theirs for dinner. Despite Tom moaning a little, he made this extraordinary pasta dish especially for me, for which I am uber-grateful. 

Courtesy of Tom, here it is!

For the home-made pesto (because shop bought stuff isn't veggie):

• handful of fresh basil leaves
• handful of pine nuts
• some veggie cheese (as much as you fancy), finely grated
• olive oil

1. This is so simple. Just chop the basil as finely as possible and put in a bowl. 
2. Chop the pine nuts to as close as a powder as possible. Add to the basil.
3. Throw in the cheese. 
4. Mix all together with a dash of olive oil. Start with a small amount of it then add more if needed. It should resemble a paste. And there you have it! Home-made pesto.

For the mushroom pasta:

• one batch home-made pesto
• 4/5 chestnut mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• two wheels of tagliatelli
• olive oil

1. Pour some salted boiling water into a saucepan and add the pasta. 
2. About 5 minutes later, heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Throw in the mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes until soft. Add in the garlic.
3. When the pasta is cooked, drain and put back in the saucepan. Add in the garlic mushrooms and the home-made pesto and toss together until it's all coated. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper and serve. 

Voila! A lovely vegetarian pasta dish that's tasty but not too time consuming. 

Chestnut, porcini and shiitake mushroom risotto.

My first ever risotto! And, surprisingly, it didn't go wrong! Although as my flatmates and I have agreed, as long as there's cheese in something it'll generally taste amazing. It is rather a labour of love, but my god it's worth it. 

Being the unorganised person I am, I didn't have any butter or white wine, so I just used extra oil and more vegetable stock. Improvise people!

Ingredients: Have a boiled kettle on hand too!

• a generous splash of olive oil
• enough arborio rice for one
• a handful of dried mushrooms
• 4/5 chestnut mushrooms, chopped
• 2 spring onions or half a regular onion, chopped
• a little chilli if you fancy a kick
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 50g grated cheese (I used cheddar but Parmesan or mozzarella would do I'm sure!)

1. Add hot water to the dried mushrooms to "inflate" them as it were and leave for about 10/15 minutes. Pick out the mushrooms and crumble the stock cube into the leftover mushroom broth.
2. Heat some oil in a large, shallow frying pan and toss in the onions. Add the garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes. 
3. Throw in the fresh and dried mushrooms and cook until they lose their pale, uncooked colour. Season with salt and pepper. If using, add the chilli now.
4. Now for the scary bit. Tip in all the rice. KEEP STIRRING. Do not stop or it will stick to the bottom of the pan. Add another splash of olive oil.
5. Pour in half of the mushroom broth/stock. Stir until all of it has been soaked up by the rice. 
6. Pour in some more. This really is a matter of judgement - keep pouring in the mushroom broth/stock until the rice is cooked. You may need to use boiling water from the kettle if you run out of mushroom broth/stock. KEEP STIRRING.
7. Keep trying the rice - you don't want it al dente. 
8. When it's looking creamy and the rice is cooked, add in the cheese. Stir it in until it's melted.
9. Spoon onto your plate and demolish - it's that good.

Hot diggety dogs.

I heard about this the other day and decided to give it a go, but being a poor student I decided to make it simpler and therefore cheaper. Now I'm all for lots of ingredients and technique, but this recipe is so tasty that you'll forget how quick and easy it is! I served it up with frozen peas and some leftover goats cheese I stole from a restaurant.. Classy lady.

Give it a go and I promise you won't be disappointed!

Come on, everyone loves a good sausage.

Ingredients:

For the diggety dogs.

• 2 or 3 sausages (depending on how hungry you are! You can use proper meat sausages or veggie ones like I did)
• 1/2 white onion
• Good amount of sweet chilli sauce
• Olive oil

1. Firstly, heat your oven to about 200 degrees celsius (our student oven is rather old so you may need to turn it down to prevent your sausages burning). 
2. Chop your onions how you fancy them. Heat some oil in a non-stick frying pan. When it's hot, add the onions and fry, stirring often so as not to burn them.
3. Put the sausages in a heatproof dish (I used a mini lasagne one) and add a touch of olive oil. Smother in sweet chilli sauce and whack in the oven. 
4. Check the sausages and turn over after 5-7 minutes.
5. When the sausages are cooked (about 15-20 minutes depending on the size/thickness), remove from the oven and add the cooked onions. Toss with the sausages so that they're also covered in the sauce. 
6. Put back in the oven for another five minutes. If serving with peas, boil some water in the kettle now and cook them - they don't take long.
7. Et voila! Your hot diggety dogs are done! Drain your peas and cover in whatever cheese you find in your fridge so it melts a little bit. Dig in!