Category: Student suppers

Student suppers #2: Marmite & salami conchiglie

Hugo HarrisonLeave a comment
Marmite & salami chonchiglie. Source: DWD.
Marmite & salami chonchiglie. Source: DWD.

Some dishes don’t need a lot said about them, and this is one of them! It’s quick, simple, light and delicious. For me, the marmite is what brings all of the elements of the dish together, but it can easily be omitted. If you do remove the Marmite, add another 2 cloves of garlic and a little extra salt when seasoning.

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 cloves of garlic

10 thin slices of salami

1 tbsp Marmite

1 large knob of butter

A small handful of basil, roughly chopped

175g dried conchiglie

Method: Pre-heat your oven to 150c/130c fan/gas mark 2. Wrap the garlic in a layer of tin foil and gently roast for roughly 25 minutes, until very soft and the inside of the garlic clove has baked down to a paste.

After the garlic has been roasting for 15 minutes, spread the salami on a lined baking tray and add it to the oven with the garlic until crispy, about 10 minutes. When crisp, tear into quarters.

Bring a pan of water, with plenty of salt in, to the boil. Add the dried pasta to the water and cook as advised on the label.

When cooked, drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Put the pasta, cooking water and large knob of butter back into the pan and mix well over a low heat.

Add the marmite, garlic cloves (skins removed) and salami quarters to the pan and stir well until everything is heated through. Add a pinch of ground black pepper to taste and serve while hot. Shred the basil and scatter over the top to finish.

Student suppers #1: Spiced squash & apple soup

Hugo Harrison3 Comments
Spiced squash & apple soup. Source: DWD.
Spiced squash & apple soup. Source: DWD.

As a student, I know how easy it is to buy your soup from your closest Every Little Helps store. It takes no time at all, costs very little money and most importantly – there is next to no washing up.

For the same amount of time and washing up, you can create a soup that is marginally more expensive, but is unbelievably delicious. Not only that, but it freezes very well, so one large batch can sort your lunches for a week and cost as little as 60p per portion.

Luckily, I had a jar of chilli jam kicking around, but in this recipe, you can substitute the jam for one extra apple and a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes. Serve with a little crème fraiche to offset the heat.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 cox apples, peeled and diced

1 litre vegetable stock

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp chilli jam

1 tbsp garam masala

Method: Add the oil to a large, heavy based pan on a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the squash, onion, apple and garam masala.

Stir so that everything has an even covering of oil and spice and cook for 4 minutes, or until the apple, onion and squash has gently coloured. Add the vegetable stock, fennel seeds and chilli jam and stir until incorporated well.

Bring the pan to the boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes, or until the squash is soft.

Take the pan off the heat and blend well with a stick blender, ensuring there are no large chunks of squash or apple. Season to taste. Serve while hot or freeze for up to 3 months.

Student suppers.

Hugo HarrisonLeave a comment
Student supper. Source: DWD.
Student supper. Source: DWD.

My Instagram feed seems to be a magnet for comments from my Dad, which usually run along the lines of: “remember you’re a student,” but can escalate as far as “Celeriac gratin!? You’re a f**king student!”. Just recently, after plunging nearly all of my income into a new project (blog post to follow soon), I began to realise – I am a student.

If the meals I make were movies, as a director I am a Steven Spielberg/Quentin Tarantino hybrid. I don’t cook regularly, but when I do I tend to spend a lot of money (not just on ingredients but utensils I will probably never use again), I create mess, occasionally there is blood – but the soundtrack is good.

Student suppers are my low-budget, independent films starring actors you’ve either never heard of, or that you believed to be dead. They are films that are initially made out of necessity but do occasionally win an award, which is what is most important.

Over the coming months I will be posting low-budget meals that are not only quick but delicious. If you have any suggestions, questions, or would simply like advice on low-cost cooking, please get in touch.

H x