Cooking from scratch for a starter

[BethanyGilbert]

I’ve recently started cooking a meal from scratch (ish!) every week. I was a total and utter beginner so I’m still keeping quite safe. I can do a few pasta sauces and some chickeny dishes. Please could you share with me fairly simple things I could learn to make. Thank you.

It might help to know what you like to eat and whether budget is tight? Do you like beef / pork / ham? Casseroles or stir fry? Spicy food? Are you cooking g for a family?

Corned beef hash
Risotto
Kedgeree
Chilli con carne
Lasagne
Victoria sponge
Apple (or any fruit) tart
Crumble
Egg and chips
Sausage and mash.

sloppy joes, the recipe doesn't state it but i add shredded carrot to this.

irish lamb stew

homemade fish and chips

meatballs with sauce

chilli con carne

fish cakes

all the best x

Chilli
Lasagne
Lobscouse.

So easy and the 1st two meals easily frozen.

Jamie Oliver cook boods are very easy to follow! Good Luck, & well done you!

We like everything really. Shopping budget is about £75 a week.

Gosh I really don’t think of lasagne as easy. So many bits to do, a white sauce which can go lumpy and then the whole thing can end up stodgy and dry if you don’t find the right recipe/add enough liquid.

What kind of things were you eating before?

Pasta sauces - tomato/cream
Curry sauces
Casseroles/stews

When you can make the base you will then find it really easy to change things out by swapping proteins and veg.

Dahl is nice and simple.

Roasting tin recipes are very easy and simple to do. Eg roasting veg with chicken thighs.

Google bootstrap cook, everything is costed and straightforward, no fancy ingredients that you'll never use again.

Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food is a very good starter cookbook.

I would look for things which develop skills you can use in other recipes. So roasting a joint of meat. Make marinades, learn to stir fry, look at mince dishes once you can brown mince with onions you can turn it into bolognaise, chilli, or cottage pie. Once you can make the mash you for the cottage pie you can learn to make fishcakes and fish pie. Once you can make a batter you can make pancakes, Yorkshire puddings and toad in the hole etc etc etc hope that makes sense!

Cookbooks aimed at uni students are always a good source for cheap, easy meals. The one DD has starts with boiling an egg and ends with making a 3 course dinner.

Go to Ebay: They have Delia Smith's book for £2.99 free post
How to cook - You won't go wrong with her. She will teach you all you need to know.

Seconding the student cookbook. I use Sam Stern’s vegetarian quite a bit. It’s aimed at students, but the recipes are unfussy and it’s useful for quick family cooking.
Also the bbc good food website is relatively reliable.

This is my favourite ever beef stew
Better with added mushrooms and chopped pancetta and keep checking it as it can catch on the bottom if not stirred. I also add a stock cube or a tiny bit of marmite but it's a very easy dish to do as you can alter the tastes

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-and-ale-stew/

I second Delia Smith but the 'Complete Cookery Course' available second hand and I still refer to it.

Couple of other things I thought of that are really helpful to be able to do

Carbonara - quick and pretty cheap
A really good tomato sauce which can then go with meatballs or pasta
Roasted veg as a side dish
Something sweet, these are easy https://afrugalmonth.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/twinks-hob-nobs/

Was any one else expecting to give recipes for a starter (as in first course)?

Roasts:

Easy roast chicken - buy whole chicken, put in oven in roasting dish at 180 degrees for time stated on pack, that’s it. Put some baking potatoes in the roasting dish, cook some veg (frozen peas or sweet corn, corn on the cob, broccoli or whatever), meal done. Then cold chicken the next day either with baked potatoes and veg again or in a sandwich, wrap or salad. As you get more confident you can roast potatoes, gravy etc.

Gammon also works well with the just shove in the oven method, but it’s not as healthy for the family as it’s processed meat so I don’t do it so often.

Good luck

Princess that chicken has to last a whole lot longer. MN law

Tried to add a photo, but it won't show, sorry. Try this, it's very easy & yummy with bbq's picnics etc

Courgette, bacon & cheese loaf/muffins
75g butter melted
200g courgettes skin on (weighed topped and tailed, squeeze excess liquid out)
225g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon salt ½ tsp black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
125g extra mature cheddar, grated plus 50g left in small chunks
3 large eggs
4 tablespoon full fat milk
1 small red onion finely diced
3 rashes of best smoked bacon finely diced
Goats cheese cubes for the top optional, or parmesan cheese grated

pre-heat oven to 180C/160Cfan /gas mark 4. I used the non-fan oven
line a 2lb loaf tin with butter and flour, knocking excess flour our of tin.
Or use muffing cases

Lightly brown the onion & bacon, leave to cool
Melt the butter and leave to cool- don't allow it to solidify.
Grate the courgettes on course grater, squeeze out excess liquid and set aside.
Sieve the flou, cayenne powder, mustard powder, salt & pepper into a bowl
Stir in the grated cheese. & small chunks. Mix
Lightly beat eggs, milk and melted butter together with a whisk.
Add to the flour along with the courgettes and stir until evenly mixed
Add the bacon and onion. Mix well
Put the mixture in the loaf tin and level the top.
Sprinkle the chunks of goats cheese on top
Bake loaf for 45-50 minutes (check after 35mins & turn tin if one side is browning more than other) (muffins 20-25mins) or until the springs back when pressed slightly. Should be lovely and golden in colour.
cool on a wire rack. Good to freeze too. Picnics,bbq’s spread butter or soft cheese on, or dip into roast veggies juices!

One of my favourites is sweetcorn and crab soup. Sounds expensive but you can substitute the crab.

Cook some frozen sweetcorn in some stock. Once cooked, blitz in a blender and return to the saucepan. Add more frozen sweetcorn for texture and cook. Once cooked I often add a tin of crab meat but you could add prawns, tofu, leftover meat or other veg. I like it spicy so I add hot sauce.

Spanish style meatballs and cous cous is a favourite here

Pan fry meatballs (I prefer lamb) with a chopped onion, 3 cloves of garlic chopped and a green pepper sliced plus 1tbsp cumin seeds. Add the finely chopped stalks of coriander then 2 cans chopped tomatoes, 1tablespoon paprika and 1 tbsp oregano

Cook until reduced, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped coriander just before serving.

Meanwhile 150g couscous to 200ml boiling water plus the juice and zest of a lemon and dry fried cumin seeds

Ps you can sub the meatballs for mixed beans to make it vegan