[Food] The Busy Student’s Guide to Fast (Home-cooked) Food

Remember the days when you were half the height you are now, where meal times included bratty complaints about your mother’s cooking and banishing your greens to the distant corners of your plate where they would be left untouched until someone in authority forced you to eat them up?

Well fast forward approximately ten years and here we are, all in college, where home cooked food is a prized privilege that rolls around only a few times a week, particularly so for dorm dwellers. While the kitchen may have once been unfamiliar territory, the lack of parental provisions may have compelled you to finally stand before the stove and learn the culinary ropes. But cooking doesn’t necessarily have to be as time-consuming and fear inducing as people often perceive. In this 3 part series, The Ridge will provide you with a few quick and easy recipes that are also pocket friendly—perfect even for the most helpless kitchen amateurs. P.S. For those unfamiliar with metric measurements, ‘cup’ in these recipes refers to measuring cups commonly used in baking, which can be substituted by your standard drinking cup.

Recipe #1: Quick Chili

Trust the Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson to have fast but indulgent recipes nailed—she is the inspiration for this American-style chili that is arguably one of the best comfort foods every student can turn to in times of gastronomic need. The cozy aroma, coupled with the satisfying earthiness of the minced meat is a one-way ticket to heaven that your stomach will surely thank you for. Great on its own and even better with some garlic bread.

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson, serves 2

2 slices bacon, chopped
250 grams beef/lamb/chicken mince
1 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Splash of white cooking wine or chicken stock
1/4 cup water
200 grams chopped tomatoes
Grated Cheddar cheese, for serving

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan, fry the bacon and onions until bacon is crisp and onions translucent and slightly browned.

2. Add the cumin and mince, breaking it up with a fork. Add the white whine or stock, tomatoes and water and bring the pan to a boil.

3. Put the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, then serve with grated cheddar.

Recipe #2: Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Baked Rice

Baked rice: one of those dishes that everyone loves, but only when someone else is doing the cooking—the name of the dish itself might as well be synonymous with the words ‘difficult’ and ‘inconvenient’. But baked rice just got more accessible, with this version that slashes off half the time necessary but retains all the creamy and cheesy goodness of traditional baked rice.

Adapted from Annie’s Eats, serves 2

½ cup white rice, washed
1 cup broccoli florets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 shallot, diced
1 cup milk
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper
½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 chicken breast, sliced thinly

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Place broccoli in saucepan with 2 tablespoons water, cover and boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain broccoli and set aside.

2. For the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour, shallot, garlic and mustard. Whisk for a minute. Slowly stir in milk and add chicken slices. Allow the sauce to simmer until thickened, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

3. Turn off the heat and stir in cheddar. Season with salt and pepper, then add in cooked rice and broccoli. Stir to combine. At this point, you can sprinkle more cheese on top and bake in an oven-proof dish for 10 minutes in a 200˚C oven. But fortunately for those without an oven or are just plain lazy…your meal is all ready to be gobbled down, even sans baking.

Recipe #3: Grilled Cheese Sandwich (with a twist)

Grilled cheese sandwiches are the ultimate symbol of culinary convenience, but can be cloyingly heavy and greasy. This recipe tosses the typical version up with bacon for extra crunch, and apple slices that lend an unusual but wholesome touch of sweetness to the salty affair.

Adapted from Tyler Florence/Food Network, serves 2

4 slices white bread
170 grams cheddar, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
6 strips bacon, fried till crisp
½ green apple, thinly sliced
Dijon mustard (optional)

1. To assemble sandwich, spread mustard on two slices of bread and top with cheddar, 3 strips of bacon and apple slices. Place the remaining bread on top and spread outsides with butter.

2. Heat frying pan. Cook on both sides until cheese is melted and bread is brown and toasted.

There you have it: 3 easy recipes that will yield impressive results even if you have never tried your hand at cooking. These dishes look and taste like they took a lot of time slogging away in the kitchen to make—except they didn’t. The next time the craving for home cooked food kicks in, be sure to answer with these recipes, and watch this space for more to follow!