I need to cook for 8 with what's in the cupboard, any creative ideas?

[catinapoolofsunshine]

I'm at work, I can't go to the shops because I'm on my own. I need to cook lunch for 8 people here.

I have:

An almost full 509g bag of flour
An almost full bag of sugar
Paela Rice but only 125g
A lot of onions
A lot of jam!
About 8 large Carrots
2 large Peppers
3 fresh tomatoes
3 packs of butter
A lot of cheese
A lot of milk
A loaf of frozen Bread (but sandwiches aren't an option)
A huge amount of tinned fish for some reason
2 boiled eggs but no fresh
Some fresh fruit (a fruit bowl full, mixed)
Cooking oil, olive oil, salt pepper and a few spices. Stock powder.
Lots of drinks - fruit juices, teas, coffee, hot chocolate powder

I can't think of anything I'm not missing a key ingredient for!

Any creative ideas, or do I order a takeaway?

Soup with chessy scones?

Um. I think a takeaway is the best option! I can’t think of anything decent for eight people that you could concoct from that list.

I just found a jar of plain basil pasta sauce and a pack of dry lasagna sheets... Maybe veg lasagna?

Or even cheesy ones 😊

They are 8 people who prefer fairly simple meals, thankfully - not entertaining!

Oh, good suggestion, Nemesia. With a fish pate on toast starter and fruit salad for pudding.

Mediterranean style fish stew... use the onions carrots peppers and tomatoes to make the base... add the tinned fish. Season well with the available spices. It is is a sliced loaf use it to make croutons if it is a bloomer use it as chunky bread. Or make your own flat bread using the flour and oil.

Fruit crumble for pudding. Flour sugar and butter or oil to make the crumble.

Roasted pepper soup with chilli, (grate the carrots finely and include them to sweeten it and bulk it up). Tuna Pate, (you mash the hard boiled eggs into this with black pepper & mayo) to spread on toast. Home made margarita pizza with the tomatoes and cheese. Fruit for afters.

Do you have cinnamon?
If so I’d do a pared down puttanesca, tuna, tomatoes, garlic, ideally anchovies.
hotcooking.co.uk/recipes/35/jamie-oliver-30-minute-meals-spaghetti-alla-puttanesca

Yes, french onion soup with cheesy scone bread is the best bet, I think. And ask them to bring a couple of dishes between them - a salad, a pudding etc.

Onion tart - make pastry using butter & flour. Slice onions, sauté onions until they are soft (maybe 40 mins) grate cheese in. Bake pastry blind & then add onion mix, bake.

Tuna (or whatever the tinned fish is) tart. Make pastry, mix tuna with some sautéed onions and sliced boiled eggs, add grated cheese. Bake.

Could also fry up red peppers & onions & cheese as a veg tart with another pastry base.

Grate carrots and make a raw carrot salad, make a dressing.

Jam tarts for pudding

Not a lot you can do really, everything is pastry based.

Oh Thank you everyone!

I'm liking the fish stew actually - I didn't know that would work with tinned fish! Mainly because the people I'm cooking for are likely to see soup as a starter.

Thank you!

Homemade pizza.

You can make a basic pizza dough with the flour and water, a dash of olive oil and seasoning.

Bring the ingredients together and then roll out fairly thin. It works nicely.

Make a tomato base with the tomatoes slow cooking for a while with onions and grated carrot.

Roast and slice the peppers for the topping and the tinned fish. Then top with the cheese and sorted.

It's a Jamie Oliver quick pizza recipe adapted.

Make a selection of pizzas using the flour for bases and then you could doma chunky tomato sauce and use the fish/veggies/cheese for toppings

Thanks, I did do home made pizza, hadn't thought of it due to no salami (default pizza topping and fear of riot without) yeast and the faff of dough rising but was fine without bothering with a yeast dough and margarita with optional peppers was accepted, and some of my clients had fun helping.

Usually going shopping would be part of the mornings program but I was on my own so stuck in. Have just stopped at the supermarket for dry goods to top up work's store cupboard!