Chicken Pie Crisis

Yesterday I made a chicken pie.  It was not my first attempt at this classic dish - last year in my fresher enthusiasm I cooked for the house and presented them with a perfect specimen of poultry pie-ness.  The only problem was that it just wasn't what you might call 'tasty', due mainly to having made the sauce for the pie filling out of stock and not chicken soup - a rookie error, says my mum.

So this time, another year of uni under my belt and tin of condensed chicken soup at the ready, I was fully prepared for success and glowing culinary achievement. After all, who could possibly fail at the same dish twice.

Unfortunately I fell prey to probably my worst habit in the kitchen, my rather, haphazard, way of cooking shall we say.  Simply speaking, I ignored the recipe. You would think, as I did, that this would not be so obvious. That a little experimentation, a little blurring of measurements, or a little inventive 'je ne sais quoi', would make no difference whatsover.  But it turns out that a tin full of cold water, plus a splash of boiling for luck, is far, far too much liquid, and results in what can only be described as 'chicken soup with pastry on top'. 

Absolute nightmare, only made worse when to my humiliation and my housemates general amusement I had to resort to drinking it on a spoon.  Something clearly went seriously wrong here and I am writing this blog so no other unfortunate soul makes the same mistake.

Chicken Pie - the right way to do it

Fry some garlic, onion and leeks, chopped small, in , in a deep pan
Add chunks of chicken fillet, and stir until turns white
Add chunks of carrot
Add a tin of condensed chicken soup
Season with a combination of wine, salt, pepper, tarragon (whoever has that in their kitchen should go and find a more professional cooking blog to read...)
Add HALF A TIN OF WATER (no more than that please, it WILL end in tears)
Simmer for 15-20 mins

NB if you use normal, and not condensed, chicken soup, it is quite likely you will need even less water.  In this scenario, please consult a proper recipe as I can take no responsibility for the ensuing watery mess.

Meanwhile roll out ready-made, puff pastry onto (clean) floured surface
Move pie filling from pan to suitable pie dish
Place pastry over the top, make to slits in the top and brush with milk (no point wasting an egg)
Cook in pre-heated oven, at a normal temperature, until the pastry looks golden and flaky

Best of luck with this fail-safe, fool-proof recipe, which I'm hoping I will actually stick to next time...

Next Post: The Best Hangover Biscuit

Trials and Tribulations of the supermarket shop

Before we go any further, there is one obstacle to overcome.  After all there can be no cooking without food, and so we must begin where all meals begin; at the supermarket.

In the past, food shopping was one of those activities confined solely to the realm of the parent.  Having always viewed it from a distant, indifferent and child-like perspective, I naiively thought there was nothing to it.  Consequently, that first headache-y trip to Morrisons at the end of freshers week was one of the more disorientating memories I have of joining uni.  In hindsight I admit the headache may have more to say to the irresponsible fresher behaviour of the night before, but regardless I think the caution still stands and offer my thoughts and advice on student supermarket shops.

Optimum time

As has been long noted by the student world, it is utterly fruitless to go to a supermarket when crippled by either of the two h’s; Hunger or Hangover.  Both will lead to a sort of dizzying, nauseous experience when all kinds of things make their way un-invited into your trolley, usually an abundance of carbs, cheese, Ribena, a multi pack of salty crisps and even an ice cream or two. 

It is also useful to note other inconvenient or inappropriate shopping times.  Avoid weekends if at all possible.  Unless you are the type of person who relishes head on collisions in the cereal aisle or thrives on gridlocks of the trolley variety; the frosty, eyes-down every-man-for-himself atmosphere of a busy weekend supermarket is not for the faint-hearted.

Optimum shop

Big is better. I believe the general rule is the bigger the shop, the cheaper the prices. Or something like that.  The ‘essentials’, ‘basic’ and ‘value’ ranges of the supermarket giants are absolutely worth seeking out.  Morissons’ new ‘saver’ range is the latest favourite, with student essentials such as pasta and tins going for mere pence.

Do not turn your nose up at bargain supermarkets such as Lidl, Netto or Iceland.  They are absolute gems, a week shop in one of the above will cost almost half of what it would in one of the more ‘upmarket’ shops.  If buying veg, it pays to check it’s fresh as sometimes these stores do not get first pick.

The market can be a daunting place.  But if you’re in town and see the fruit and veg stalls, don’t just walk past; the quality and price of market stalls are not to be sniffed at.

Trolleys vs Baskets

An interesting choice which can reveal a lot about your personality.  Well not exactly, but it is not a throw-away decision.

If you are on a tight budget, carrying a basket around is a surefire way to ensure you won’t exceed this.  Simply, you will not be able to carry an expensive amount of food around and so will be forced to be more selective and choose only what you really need. If your reckless side gets the better of you half way round and you wish you had a trolley, too late, 9 times out of 10 you won’t be bothered to go back for it and bingo you end up with a nice cheap shop.

However, the pleasure of gently cruising around with a trolley is not to be glossed over here.  It really is fun and can add so much more to an otherwise mundane half hour or so.  Just remember to take that £1, otherwise the basket it is.

Lists

As a serial list maker myself, I cannot remain unbiased on one of the most popular usages for this little piece of linguistic ingenuity.  The list will save all your problems and ensure you don’t leave without that box of washing powder, carton of milk, packet of stock or other easily forgotten item.

Meal plans
Boringly organised as it sounds, planning what meals you will have before you go shopping is actually really useful.  Just don’t go as far as one of my housemates and type up a full, formal list and timetable as you risk losing all credibility and sanity.

And finally,

Weight

As strong as you think you are, do not underestimate the combined weight of a full two weeks shopping trip.  If you are on a bike make sure all weight is distributed evenly to avoid resembling a drunk crazy person, teetering precariously round corners while your tinned sweetcorn and your iceberg lettuce make a bid for freedom from all sorts of openings and holes.

Next post: Chicken Pie Crisis

Pasta and Pesto

Every student notoriously finds the independence of the move to uni unnerving, whether that is with regard to money, food or even personal hygeine. For me, it was not so much that I couldn't cook - I could -  it was the routine of continually making meals for myself day in day out, and more specifically making meals which were both satisfying and cheap.

Having always played on a netball team, the move to University netball was an easy transition.  However, three training sessions and one match a week was not so easy.  Aside from aching muscles and the sad realisation that I spend most of my week in sports clothes and trainers, I realised I was much more hungry than usual, and to counter this found myself fitting in a sneaky 4pm light meal, in time for training usually at 6.

After much consideration, I have decided my first blog post should detail what has become one of my favourite uni meals, and what I often have for that 4 o clock filler meal...

Pasta and Pesto.  Suprisingly more common in a student kitchen than you might think - at one count last term there were ten jars of pesto in our kitchen of seven.

Sounding so simple with those two ingredients, there are actually a few things to note.  Firstly, Pesto, I have discovered, is like beans. Or dry shampoo.  You just can't skimp on the classic brand for a cheaper home-brand version. Tried and tested, the truth is that Sacla Italia is for pesto what Batiste and Heinz are for those other student favourites.  There's just no getting away from the fact that coop's own brand, usually so reliable, doesn't cut it for that subtle and oh-so-sophisticated blend of basil, garlic and olive oil.  I don't know why, I don't know how, but for the best pasta and pesto you are going to have to fork out that £2.29 and buy a jar of the best.

One of the many joys of this meal, is the speed with which it can be cooked and consumed.  It's easy, it's healthy and it's perfectly filling, here are the few short steps to the dish of your dreams:

Boil the pasta with a sprinkling of salt in the pan.
In the last few minutes (time it carefully), place a metal culinder (or steamer) over the pan with a few slices of courgette in.
Cover with a lid and steam veg for about a minute.
Drain the pasta and mix pesto and courgettes together in the pan.

NB. Baby spinach is also nice here, no need to steam just mix in with the hot pasta after draining so that it wilts.

Also, please do not stint on the pesto.  There's nothing worse than a stingy half-hearted coating of the green stuff.  Go crazy.  You've left home now show the world you can do what you want and mix in an extra spoonful.

It is important that the last few steps of this simple and yet nuanced procedure are done with haste.  It adds to the sense of excitement and there is nothing better than absolutely piping hot pasta and melted cheese on top of sticky pesto and juicy veg.  For extra simplicity, eat out of the pan.  Suprisingly satisfying and saves on washing up.

So there you have it, probably one of the best student meals known to man, and a downright beaut for optimum netball energy.

Next post: Trials and Tribulations of the student supermarket shop.