Carlas Cookbook

recipes made easy

As a student, I know that it can be difficult to find the time to make healthy, cheap and tasty food part of your busy day, especially when expensive but easy pre-prepared meals are available on the supermarket shelf or at the other end of a phone.

contents
Kitchen Essentials Scrambled Eggs 2 4 6 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 18 Carlas Cookbook Leek and Potato Soup Tomato and Bean Soup Mashed Potato

This book aims to give you more time and more money by providing you with a toolkit for cooking. Hopefully the recipes in this cookbook are just the start of you getting creative with food, giving you the basics to make tasty meals with whatever you have in the cupboard.

This is by no means a definitive guide but the recipes are ones Ive used since coming to Kingston and can be changed and adapted for any occasion.

Cheese Sauce Spagetti Bolognaise Green Thai Curry

Carla Fanning 3rd year Kingston University student

Pancakes Chocolate Cake Apple Tart

Essentials
This is a list of things which are invaluable to have in your cupboard and will mean you always have the basics in order to make a good meal. This list is by no means exhaustive, but will go some way to helping you get creative even with not much in the fridge

Things for the fridge

Dijon/Colmans mustard Tube of Tomato puree Garlic cloves

Cupboard Essentials
Dried Herbs and Spices: Basil Rosemary Oregano Cayenne Pepper A good curry powder

Sauces and Oils

Olive oil Vegetable oil Tamari or dark soy sauce

Freezer things Dried ingredients:

Good stock cubes, primarily vegetable stock eg. Marigold Bouillion powder, or Knorr Rice Pasta Couscous Red lentils to thicken stews/add to soups Sugar Custard Powder Plain Flour Self Raising flour Good quality gravy granuals Peas Sausages Quorn/chicken pieces or fillets (separate portions of meat and wrap separately in cling film before freezing so you only defrost what you need) It is always a good idea to get meat when there is a multi-buy offer, you can separate it into portions and freeze it in freezer bags.

Fresh
Onions Potatoes Fruit to grab on the go or chop up with yoghurt/porridge for breakfast.

Tinned food:
Chopped Tomatoes Red kidney beans Chickpeas Tuna

Carlas Cookbook

Scrambled Egg for one

Ingredients:
2 eggs 4 dessert spoons of milk 2 slices of toast sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste

Equipment:
jug/bowl 1 small saucepan toaster 1 wooden spoon

Method:
Carefully crack 2 eggs into a jug/bowl, (making sure no shell has fallen in) Add 4 dessert spoons of milk (2 per egg if you need to make more) Whisk with a fork until the mix is well combined and smooth Put a small saucepan on a low heat (smallest gas ame or number 1-2 on a ring) and add a small piece of butter about half a teaspoon Now put your bread in the toaster. When the butter is melted (it shouldnt be bubbling) pour in the egg and stir slowly with a wooden spoon. Butter your toast in between stirring the egg. As the egg cooks it will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan so stir gently and slowly but making sure your spoon scrapes every bit of the bottom of the pan. Dont be tempted to turn the heat up, the egg will just stick and burn When the egg reaches a consistency you are happy with (usually fairly rm, but not too rubbery) put it on your toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper and eat.

Carlas Cookbook

Leek and Potato Soup

serves 3

Ingredients
3 large leeks 1 large tsp butter 1 medium potato 1 small carrot 2 garlic cloves tablespoon olive oil 2 - 2 pints vegetable stock (made with boiling water) salt and pepper

After half an hour check the potatoes are cooked through, if they are, then remove the pan from the heat and place on a heat proof surface. Taste and check you are happy with the seasoning, adding a little more stock cube/salt/pepper to taste. When you are happy, carefully use the hand held blender to blend the soup. Once it is smooth and there are no more lumps, carry on blending for a minute as this will make the soup have a creamier consistency, if it is too thick add the rest of the stock now. Put the soup back over a low-medium heat and allow it to bubble again. Leave it to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste to make sure the seasoning is right making any changes you want to. Then serve in bowls with a good grinding of black pepper on top.

Equipment
sharp knife large saucepan hand held blender vegetable peeler wooden spoon

Serving suggestions:
Try adding a dessert spoon of single cream drizzled on top of the soup after serving. Dip with hot buttered toast or crusty bread. This is great for freezing. Use plastic tubs to freeze portion size amounts.

Method
Take the outside leaves off the leeks if they are a little dry or discoloured, then cut the leeks in half length-ways starting 1cm up from the base so that when cut the leaves are still attached to the base of the leek. This will enable you to rinse them thoroughly making sure there is no dirt on any of the leaves. On a low - medium heat (about 3-4 on electric cookers) melt the butter in the saucepan. Roughly chop the leeks and add to the butter. Peel the potato, carrot and garlic, chop into chunks and add to the pan with the olive oil. Allow the leeks to become soft, regularly stirring to make sure they dont stick to the bottom. Then add 2pints of the stock and large grinding of black pepper and crumble 1 stock cube into the water. Turn the heat up to medium and put a lid on the pan. Allow the soup to boil for at least half an hour.

Variations:
Before adding the leeks to the butter, fry a small chopped chicken llet in the butter for a few minutes, then continue the recipe as normal. 5 minutes before blending add half a can of chickpeas, then continue the recipe as normal. Try using milk instead of water for a richer taste.

Carlas Cookbook

Tomato and bean soup

serves 4

Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 large potato per person (or the same amount of potatoes as they would usually eat if baked) 1 nob of butter (about half teaspoon per potato) 1 splash of milk per potato salt and pepper

Ingredients:
1 onion 2 cloves garlic 2tbsp olive oil 2 fresh tomatoes 2 tins chopped tomatoes 1 tin ageolet beans 1pt vegetable stock (made with boiling water) large tsp dried basil tsp dried oregano

Equipment:
1 potato peeler 1 large Saucepan 1 colander 1 potato Masher

Equipment:
1 large saucepan sharp knife can opener wooden spoon hand held blender

Method:
Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters, making sure all the pieces are about the same size so they cook at the same time. Put them in the saucepan with a large pinch of salt and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes. Turn the heat onto medium (about 4 on electric cookers) and bring to the boil. Generally potatoes take about 20 minutes to be ready, check using a knife. Drain the potatoes and put them back into the saucepan. Mash the potatoes until there are no lumps. Now add about 1 teaspoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of milk per large potato , you may need to add a little more milk, but only do this a tiny bit at a time until the mash makes soft peaks. You can add more butter, milk, salt or pepper to make them the consistency you want. If using as a topping for Shepherds Pie make sure it is quite thick mash or it will just seep into the lling underneath.

Method:
Peel and chop both the onion and garlic, heat the oil in the pan on a low heat and fry the onions and garlic until they are soft and translucent. Then chop and add the fresh tomatoes along with the herbs and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes. Now add the tinned tomatoes, stock and ageolet beans, turn the heat up to medium and allow to boil on a low to medium heat for half an hour, stirring occasionally and keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesnt boil over. After half an hour take the pan off the heat, place it on a heat proof surface and carefully blend until smooth with the hand held blender. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary and a large grinding of black pepper. Return to the heat and simmer for another ve minutes. Serve with crusty rolls.

Variations:
Boil a peeled clove of garlic with the potatoes and mash it in with them. For cheesy mash add some grated cheese once the mash is smooth and stir it in. You can even put it in a baking dish and grill to make it golden on top.

Carlas Cookbook

Cheese sauce
Makes 1pt (Serves 4 for macaroni cheese)

Spaghetti Bolognese
serves 2

Ingredients
2oz/50g butter 2oz/50g plain our 1 pt milk 4oz/100g mature cheddar cheese salt and pepper

Ingredients
1 onion 2 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil 250-300g beef/soya/quorn beef 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1tsp dried basil 1tsp tomato puree stock cube

Equipment
weighing scales small saucepan wooden spoon grater

Equipment
sharp knife garlic crusher medium saucepan wooden spoon

Method
Put the butter in the saucepan and melt on a low heat (usually 2 on an electric cooker). When melted remove from the heat and stir in the our until it makes a smooth paste. Then add the milk one splash at a time, stirring thoroughly each time until it is completely smooth. When all the milk is combined, return to a low-medium heat (3-4 on an electric cooker) and stir continually. Dont be tempted to leave it or turn the heat up. The sauce will thicken quite suddenly and start to look lumpy, but stir it very briskly until it is smooth again. Continue stirring until it starts to bubble, now you can leave it to grate the cheese, stirring occasionally. Add the cheese, along with a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of pepper, stir through and remove from the heat. Serving suggestions Stir through pasta to make macaroni cheese, for a change add some steamed broccoli. Or preheat the oven(180C/350F/Gas mark 4), layer bolognaise sauce, lasagne sheets and cheese sauce alternately in an oven dish, top with a little extra grated cheese and bake for 45 minutes. Tip: add an extra 100-150ml of water to the bolognaise sauce so the lasagne can absorb the liquid.

Method
Finely slice the onion and heat the oil in the pan on a medium heat. Add the onions to the pan and stir occasionally. When they turn golden, crush the garlic and add to the pan, cook for a minute then add the mince. If using beef mince keep on a medium heat and stir until the meat has broken into little pieces and is browned all over. When the meat is cooked through add the tomatoes, basil, puree and crumble the stock cube in. Add a third of a tin of water and stir, leave on a low heat to bubble for at least 20 minutes stirring regularly. Taste and add any more salt/pepper or basil. A little shake of Worcestershire sauce goes perfectly with this. If using soya or quorn mince add it to the pan at the same time as the tinned tomatoes, puree, basil and crumble the stock cube in. This type of mince absorbs water so using the tomato tin add half a tin of water. Stir and leave on a low heat to bubble for at least 20 minutes. Stir regularly. Serve with spaghetti, crusty bread, or put in an oven dish, top with mashed potato and sprinkle some grated cheese on top, bake for 30mins in the oven (180C/350F/Gas Mark 4).

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Carlas Cookbook

Green Thai Curry

Serves 2

Method
Paste: Roughly chop all the paste ingredients and place in the jug.

This is a very simple version of Thai Green curry without the expensive ingredients, but with all the avour.

Ingredients
Curry Paste: 1 tablespoon grated fresh root ginger 8 cloves of garlic the stems and half the leaves of 1 large bunch of Coriander juice of one lime 1 onion 1 dessert spoon tamari/dark soy sauce 3 green medium heat chillis Curry: chicken breast or tofu olive/vegetable oil 1 courgette 1 green pepper 6 mushrooms 1 tin coconut milk the rest of the coriander not used in the paste 100g rice slice of lime per person to serve

Then gently blend until it is a paste, it will not be perfectly smooth but you dont want any lumps. Chop the chicken or tofu into cubes or strips, whichever you prefer. Heat 1tbsp oil in the pan over a low - medium heat and add the chicken/tofu, fry gently until cooked all the way through and just starting to turn golden. Remove from the pan and place in a large bowl. Chop the vegetables into cubes and add to the pan, fry on a medium heat until they begin to go soft but are still a little crunchy. Try not to let them go soggy, or too golden. Remove from the pan into the bowl with the chicken/ tofu. Put the rice on now, to cook whilst you nish making the curry. Add another teaspoon of oil and half the green paste into the pan and fry for 2 minutes constantly stirring to ensure it doesnt burn. Then pour in the coconut milk and stir through. Add the vegetables and chicken/tofu and simmer on a low heat. Taste the curry, you can add a little salt to taste and a pinch of sugar to bring out some of the avours. As soon as the rice is ready serve with a generous sprinkle of the left over coriander leaves and a slice of lime. You can add more or less of any ingredient to the paste to make it just how you like it. If you want to make it a bit more authentic add a 1inch stick of lemon grass to the paste. The left over paste can be kept in the fridge for 1 week in a jar.

Equipment
hand held blender jug large saucepan or wok wooden spatula

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Carlas Cookbook

Pancakes
Makes 6 pancakes

Ingredients
2 large eggs 6 oz/170g our (can be plain or self-raising) roughly 1pt milk pinch of salt sunower oil for frying sugar, lemon, syrup to serve

Remove the tester pancake. Now holding the frying pan handle in one hand, pour a small ladle of batter into the pan. At the same time carefully move the pan so the batter swirls over the bottom of it covering every bit and creating a circle shape. It should set fairly quickly. Leave on the heat until all the batter has set on the top, then lift the edge to see if it is golden underneath. If it is, carefully slide the spatula underneath and ip the pancake. Again leave until it is golden underneath (this wont take long) and then remove to a plate to eat! You can make a whole pile of them and pop them in the microwave for 1 minute to reheat, or eat them fresh out of the pan.

Equipment
large mixing bowl fork ladle frying pan spatula

Variations
Before removing from the pan grate some cheese ontop and allow to melt. Fold in half and serve.

Method
Crack the eggs into the bowl. Beat with the fork until smooth. Add half of the our and beat into a very smooth paste. Add a splash of milk and a spoonful of our and beat until it is a smooth paste again. Repeat this until all the our is used up. Keep the paste smooth and workable and not too thick. If you add too much our at once it will get too thick to mix properly, too much milk and it will go lumpy when you add the our so be patient and mix it gradually. Once all the our is combined continue to add milk bit by bit until the mixture is the same consistency as double cream. Add a pinch of salt, whisk again with the fork and cover the bowl with a clean tea towel. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes whisk again. Put the frying pan on a medium heat and make sure it is hot before adding any oil. For each pancake put one small teaspoon of oil in the pan and swirl it round the bottom. It is essential the pan is hot enough, so add a teaspoon of the pancake batter to the pan to check, it should start to cook immediately.

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Carlas Cookbook

Chocolate Cake
Makes a 2 tier cake

Ingredients
8 oz/225g butter/margarine softened large teaspoon of butter to grease the tins 8oz/225 golden caster sugar 6oz/170g self raising our 2oz/55g cocoa 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 eggs 6 tablespoons milk

the mixture together with the wooden spoon until it is smooth. Add the milk and stir, trying not to beat it as the air will leave the mixture. It should be dropping consistency, lift a spoon of the mix and it should easily drop off. Divide the mixture evenly into the two tins and using the back of a spoon smooth evenly into the tin. Bake for about 20-30 minutes in the middle of your over, do not open the oven for the rst 15-20 minutes. The cake should be rm to the touch in the middle, to check it is cooked all the way through stick a knife into the middle of the cake and when you pull it free it should be clean with no sticky cake mix on it, if it isnt, put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes. When cooked, take the cake out of the oven, leave it in the tin and place on the cooling rack. When cool, put your hand on the top of the cake, turn up side down and gently remove it from the tin. Then put back on the rack to continue cooling. When completly cool carefully slice the rounded top off one of the cakes so it is level. Spread with jam or chocolate spread and put the other cake on top.

Equipment
2 x 20cm diameter sandwich tins baking paper a large mixing bowl wooden spoon jug whisk sieve cooling rack

Method
Melt the extra butter and grease both the sandwich tins. Cut two circles of baking paper to the same size as the tins and place in the bottom, using two strips line the sides too. They should stick to the butter and be at with no wrinkles. Then grease the top of the paper too. Turn the oven on to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Put the sugar and softened butter into the mixing bowl and beat them together with the spoon until it makes a smooth paste. Crack the eggs into the jug. Using the whisk beat the mixture together until it is smooth and airy. Sieve the our, cocoa and baking powder into the bowl and gently fold

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Carlas Cookbook

Apple Tart
Serves 8

Acknowledgements
Nick Whitaker and Roohil Yusuf for being my tasters

Ingredients
6 large apples 2 tsp cinnamon 3 dessert spoons sugar 1 pack ready rolled puff pastry

Eleanor Wright for her fantastic design skills

Equipment
sharp knife small saucepan jug wooden spoon 1 large oven tray

The Junction49 team

KUSU, especially Stand Out Volunteering

Kingston University, especially Chris Ford and Alison Barbuti

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Peel 2 of the apples, remove the cores and roughly chop. Place in the saucepan with 50ml water, 1 dessert spoon sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Put on a low-medium heat (3-4 on an electric cooker). Stir occasionally (you may need to add a little more water). When the apples are soft enough to turn into a sauce take off the heat. Stir until it is a completely smooth paste. Place the ready rolled pastry on the oven tray. Using a sharp knife lightly score a 1cm border on the pastry. Neatly remove the cores of the rest of the apples and slice nely and evenly. Spread the cooled apple sauce on the pastry just up to the scored border line. Then layer the apples, making sure not to go over the border. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the top. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden. Can be served hot or cold. Variations. Instead of apple try peaches or pears, or a mixture of the three. Try ground ginger instead of cinnamon. Or layer sliced tomatoes, and dot pieces of goats/mozzarella cheese on top.

Philip Mowbray for the photographs

And everyone who helped with the launch!

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Carlas Cookbook

Carlas Cookbook is a concise introduction to cooking with simple easy to follow recipes at minimal expense. It will not only teach you to make these recipes, but inspire you to create your own.

Junction49 is a TimeBank initiative. Reg Charity 1073831. Junction49 is funded by T Mobile and v.