Easy Homemade Pizza

Anyone Italian will probably hate this recipe - it's not really a proper pizza, it's just a simple, healthy variation that's tasty and should satisfy any pizza craving you have! It's not as salty or greasy as frozen ,shop-bought, or takeaway ones sometimes are, and doesn't really take that long - as long as you'd wait for a takeaway!

Ingredients for the base (two servings roughly):

• 170g or 6 oz of self-raising flour (something to always have in the cupboard for cake)
• 15g or 1/2 oz butter
• Up to 140 ml or a 1/4 of a pint of milk (whole or semi, doesn't really matter)
• Seasoning and dried herbs.

Recipe:

• Rub the butter into the flour in a medium-large mixing bowl. If you're unsure how to do this, look at the scone recipe here.
• Add a shake of dried herbs, a pinch or two of salt, and some black pepper, and stir it all together.
• Now start adding the milk slowly and stir it until it makes the dough. If it's too sticky add more flour and if it's too dry keep adding milk. You might need to knead it as well. 
• Now flour a baking tray and roll out the dough so that it fits. It should be about 5-10mm thick.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, and start thinking about the top of the pizza.

This is more down to personal preference. I like to put a squeeze of tomato ketchup on the top and spread it out so that it doesn't quite reach the edges as my base. You could also use tomato purée here, but I find that a little strong. I do sometimes mix ketchup and purée though. 

For my toppings, I like to fry 1 rasher of bacon cut up into pieces, a red pepper, and 4 mushrooms in a little olive oil. Start by frying the bacon and pepper over a medium heat for about 4 minutes, then add the mushrooms and continue frying until the bacon is done, and the pepper fairly soft.

Slice raw tomato and lay them on the pizza base, scatter the fried things on top and add lumps of mozzarella and grated cheddar or parmesan on top. Add some fresh basil leaves and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes - until the cheese is molten and slightly browning on top. 

Pre-cooking

Serve with some green leaves and salad dressing. Last year, I ended up buying a bottle of balsamic vinegar (not very expensive) and mixing my own dressing because it was cheaper. I always had olive oil for cooking anyway, so balsamic and olive oil was a tasty (and healthier) alternative. 

The protein in this meal comes from the bacon and cheese, and carbs from the base. This probably goes under the comfort food category, but is still healthy! If you buy one bag of salad, and eat half the pizza each day, you don't have any waste. Add some carrot, celery and any other fresh salad you can buy seasonally and cheaply for a balanced meal.

Those colours though

Tune of the day: Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit - The Box

Tip of the day: Plan your meals for a week and make a shopping list based on that, at least for a while anyway until you get to grips with the sort of things you need, and what you like and what you use up. Also try and overlap ingredients - so if you make something which uses half a pepper, use another recipe which uses half a pepper later in the week, such as a risotto, or the Moroccan Cous Cous in half quantities. 

---K

Stuffed Peppers with New Potatoes, Feta and Pesto

So if you're a keen follower of this blog (as I know you all are), you'll know we've already done a post on stuffed peppers. However, I would say this one is equally great but with an exciting different combination of flavours.

As Kitty said in her recipe, these are great to make a few of and then freeze before cooking to make a great ready meal for times when you just can't be bothered to make something afresh.

Although this does involve a lot of veg already, I would recommend serving it with a leafy salad as it adds to the combination of flavours (and overall healthiness) nicely. 

We're all about the long-lasting energy at Gourmet Student Grub, and this recipe is no different! Potatoes are a great carbohydrate for keeping you going aaall day and aall night.

It's really quick and easy to prepare (although the cooking time is a bit longer), especially for the amount of flavour it provides.

I've nicked this from a book called River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall which has loads of great vegetarian recipes in it, although not all of them as student-friendly as this.

Look at him: smugly eating all his vegetables

Ingredients (makes 2 portions)

2 red peppers
100g feta cheese
100g new potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil (or any cooking oil you have to hand)
2-3 tbsp pesto
Some chopped up basil leaves (if you've bought a reduced herb plant!)

Recipe

• Bring a pan of salted water to boil and then wack in the new potatoes
• Boil for 10 minutes until they are tender, then drain and set aside
• Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and the dodgy white bits (stalk is optional).

I choose a life without stalk

• Brush outsides with oil and bung them all (tightly packed) on a baking tray that is well lined with baking paper.
• Halve the new potatoes (or quarter if large) and put them in a mixing bowl, with the feta (cubed) and pesto.
• You can always add more pesto, but make sure the combination is all well covered.
• Spoon the filling into the peppers and bake for about 40 minutes, until nicely browned on top.

Perfectly browned

• Sprinkle on the chopped basil and serve with green salad (balsamic dressing always helps).

That presentation though

• Simple and easy, voila!

Complimentary tune: Deckchairs on the Moon - Bipolar Sunshine, a cheeky little tune to match this cheeky little recipe for you cheeky little people.

Tip of the day: If you've any stale bread leftover then make croutons! Simply cut up into cubes and drizzle with oil (walnut and sesame taste best) and wack in the oven to grill for a couple of minutes. Make sure you flip them over to brown on both sides. A great topping to any salad, n.b. jazzes up a plain leafy salad nicely.

--C

Moroccan Couscous

This is something that can be made in a large batch and reheated in smaller portions when needed. It is highly versatile and the recipe always varies whenever I make it, so different ingredients can be added each time you serve it.

Although couscous itself is not bursting full of nutrients, it is a great alternative carbohydrate to the wheat we tend to choose for most meals. The chickpeas provide you with much needed protein and the fruit and vegetables provide a lot of long-lasting energy.

This is great as a quick lunch option, especially if made in advance and kept in the fridge, but can also be a healthy dinner (perhaps with the addition of some grilled chicken to bulk it up a bit).

Kitty has talked about the use of planted herbs in recipes in a previous blog post, and the tactic of buying at the end of the day in supermarkets when they tend to be reduced. This recipe is a great opportunity for these plants to be used (especially if you don't have a vast quantity of dried herbs and spices in the cupboard), as Moroccan implies a lot of exotic herby flavours.

A work in process

Ingredients (makes 5 large portions)

500g of Couscous
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 can/carton of chickpeas (drained)
A large handful of herbs of your choice (coriander/parsley etc)
or
A large tsp of dried herbs (ground cumin/ground coriander etc)
1-2 tbsp of lemon juice (or any fruit juice you have)
2-3 carrots (grated)
1 pepper (optional but adds colour, espec. if red)
150g of raisins
150g of sultanas (or just 300g of one of these if cheaper)
2 cups boiling chicken or vegetable stock (about 2 stock cubes worth, follow ingredients on packaging)


Recipe

• In a large saucepan (you need to be able to fit in all the rest of the ingredients as well) fry the chopped up onions and crushed garlic cloves on a low heat.
• Stir in your boiling stock once the onion has browned (make sure cubes are completely dissolved before adding)
• Turn down the heat to as low as possible (or just remove from heat) and add couscous (and more boiling water if needed).
• Make sure you keep stirring well, as the couscous is liable to stick to the bottom of the pan without sufficient movement and lubrication (insert lols here).
• Once couscous is properly fluffed, chop up and add the rest of the ingredients (I would advise adding raisins/sultanas first, as allows them to plump up slightly with the steam from the boiled water).

• The best way to chop up fresh herbs is with a large non-serrated knife, place your hand flat on the farthest end of the knife and make a levering motion back and forth across the herbs (repeat in contrasting directions).

Action shot

• Add a decent amount of salt and pepper before finishing to taste (if you don't feel you used enough stock then add more salt to compensate)
• And there you have it, a simple but exciting recipe to keep you going for days (OK, maybe just hours).

Complimentary tune: Love On Top - Beyoncé, I know you all know this song so please belt it out like the belter outer it is for maximum summery happiness.

Tip of the day: If you're cooking meat off the bone, make sure to use the leftover meaty bones as stock. Do this by placing leftovers in a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring this to a simmer and then turn down to a low heat for a couple of hours (between 2 and 6), the longer its left the better the flavour will be. Strain the mixture and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze and use when needed. Make sure you label well though so no-one uses it as an ice cream sauce.

That colour variation though

---C

Sweet Potato Stuffed Peppers with Cous Cous

This recipe is a bit more time-consuming, but delicious and fairly easy to make as well as being cheap. I made this last year at uni quite a lot as it makes a change from something pasta or rice based. It's also super healthy and full of goodness. The protein comes from cheese and pumpkin seeds (or any other nuts or quinoa), carbs from the sweet potato and vitamins and anti-oxidants etc from the vegetable and fruit content.

Ingredients

• 1 pepper (I prefer red)
• Half a large sweet potato or a whole small one
• One small parsnip (if you like parsnip)
• 2-4 tbsp of Philadelphia, other cream cheese, cottage cheese or a soft cheese. (I always have this in stock because I love to eat it in sandwiches with sliced tomato and fresh basil, or on its own if I'm feeling lazy. It can be put in any cheesy sauce and just perks up quite a few dishes).
• Parsley
• Optional 2-3 mushrooms,
• 3 tbsp of cous cous or quinoa or brown rice
• Lemon juice to flavour

Recipe

• Put a saucepan of water on to boil, and put a shake of salt in it. Set the oven to 200 degrees.
• Peel the sweet potato and the parsnip and cut them up into medium chunks. To cut up the parsnip, you'll want to core it as the core is tough. To do this, very carefully cut it in half length-ways, then turn it flat-side down and cut it into quarters. Then hold it angled side up so you have the ridge pointing upwards, then push a knife into the line between the core and the rest of the parsnip, and wiggle it so that the core comes away.
• Once you've done this, cut the parsnip up into chunks and place both this and the sweet potato into the boiling water. Cook them for about 20 minutes over a medium heat, or until a knife poked into a chunk feels soft.
• Once they're done, drain them, place them in a small mixing bowl and mash them with a fork. Add the cheese, parsley chopped up, season with black pepper and a bit of salt, and continue to whiz with the fork.Taste the mix and add more of anything to taste.
• Cut the pepper in half from top to bottom (not round the middle) and put the stuffing in - piling it up a little. Scatter some pumpkin seeds on top and grate some hard cheese too if you have some.
• Smear about a tbsp of oil round a baking tray or dish, and place the two halves of the pepper in it. Put them in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.
• While they're cooking, decide what you're going to have with it. I sometimes have brown rice and vegetables. This can be a bit dry though, so here I've suggested cous cous. Follow the instructions on the packet, and add lemon juice and vegetables and a bit of olive oil and seasoning and it should be yummy!!
• You can eat half the pepper, and put the other half in the fridge to eat another day.

Here's one we prepared earlier!

Tip of the day: If you ever see cream on offer in the supermarket, buy it and then freeze it individually in an ice cube tray. Whenever you're making a sauce that needs enriching, wack in just one of those cubes and voila! 

Complimentary tune: Sia - Chandelier (Night Cruise Remix) we love the original tune here at Gourmet Student Grub, and we love this remix even better.

---K