Seven months of booze-filled nights and independent student living, and here we are again, heading towards another season of exams and deadlines. May is always a stressful month in the student calendar, and it’s often easy to forget about wellbeing during busy study periods. Whilst food might not be a priority throughout exam time, a bit of culinary comfort never goes amiss when it comes to busting university stress.
As a minimal-effort and easy culinary technique, slow-cooking is the perfect means of avoiding ‘hangryness’ (angry hungriness) when studying. Whilst this cooking method can bring out the quality in the cheapest of ingredients, slow-cooking can also cut out big steps in food preparation—perfect when time is of the essence!
Although a lot of recipes require (at least) 6 hours of cooking, slow-cooker meals take next to no time when it comes to preparation. In fact, most recipes require little or no pre-cooking at all; just chop up all your ingredients, turn on your slow-cooker, and go about your daily business. If you’re worried about cost, slow-cookers themselves are relatively cheap, and can be bought for around £20-£30 from most supermarkets and homeware shops. With that in mind, here’s a few cheap and easy recipes to try during the approaching exam season…
Steak and ale pie
A British classic and comfort food to many, steak and ale pie is the perfect meal when it comes to eating away university stress. Whilst steak and ale are (obviously) key ingredients, you can use pretty much any root vegetables for your pie filling. I usually opt for potatoes and swede, but parsnips and carrots are also ideal. If you’re running low on time, or if you simply want to avoid morning preparation, these vegetables can be pre-chopped and left in water overnight.
Ingredients:
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Chopped beef (500g+ depending on the size of your slow cooker)
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Flour
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Ale
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Oil for cooking
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Beef Stock (1 oxo cube mixed with 400ml water)
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Gravy granules (for thickening)
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Root vegetables
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Just roll puff pastry
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Mash and peas to serve
Method:
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Chop up all your veg into relatively small pieces, then add to the slow-cooker.
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Sear the outside of the beef in a saucepan with a little oil, and cover lightly in flour. Add on top of the veg.
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Mix together 1 beef stock cube with 400ml of boiling water, and add to the pot, covering with 300-500ml of ale. Leave the ingredients to cook for 6 to 8 hours.
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If the sauce is not thick enough when you return to your slow cooker, add gravy granules to thicken your filling.
- Pour the filling into oven-proof dishes, and top with puff pastry. Cook according to pastry recommendations.
Beef brisket
This is a fairly well known and popular slow-cooker recipe, and for good reason! Whilst beef brisket is commonly cooked in a home-made barbecue sauce, I take the easy route out and serve my brisket with shop bought sauce to save time. Beef brisket is a fairly adaptable recipe, and can be matched with a variety of accompaniments. I personally prefer mine in wraps, but brisket works well with nachos, mash, or in a baguette.
Ingredients:
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Beef brisket (available in most supermarkets)
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Stout (Guiness is fine)
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Large Onion
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Bay leaves
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Barbecue sauce
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Your chosen side
Method:
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Slice your onions, and place in your slow-cooker alongside 3 bay leaves.
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Sear your beef brisket in a large pan before adding to the pot, along with 300ml of stout.
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Leave to slow-cook for up to 8 hours.
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Once cooked, remove from the pot. Pull your beef brisket apart with a fork (so as to resemble pulled pork).
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Add BBQ sauce if you wish (I line my wrap with BBQ sauce before adding the beef filling).
Chicken casserole
Chicken casserole is a healthy one-pot recipe that dates back years. This meal requires no preparation other than chopping prior to slow-cooking, and works wonders with dumplings or mashed potato. Again, most root vegetables can be used to make chicken casserole; I would recommend buying a stew pack of root veg (available in supermarkets) to save money.
Ingredients:
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Boneless chicken thighs
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Chicken stock (1-2 stock cubes and 600ml water)
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Large Onion
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Potatoes
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Root vegetables
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Gravy granules (for thickening)
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Dumplings or mash to serve
Method:
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Chop all your veg. into small squares and place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
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Cut the chicken into bitesize pieces, then add to the pot.
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Add chicken stock, and a handful of gravy granules to thicken your sauce.
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Leave to cook for up to eight hours. Serve with dumplings or mash potato.
Pulled Pork
A similar concept to beef brisket, pulled pork is an upcoming favourite in supermarkets and restaurants alike. This recipe is ridiculously easy and relatively cheap, requiring next-to-no effort!
Ingredients:
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Pork shoulder
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Chipotle sauce
Method:
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Season your pork shoulder with salt.
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Leave to cook away in the slow-cooker for 8 hours (the pork will cook in its own juices)
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After 8 hours, remove the pork, leaving the meat juices in the pot. Shred the meat with two forks.
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Mix equal quantities of the meat juice with chipotle sauce, before mixing in with the shredded pork.
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Serve in a wrap along with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Alternatively, serve on top of nachos or tacos for a Mexican twist!
Images:
All images my own except for pulled pork: http://cdn-image.myrecipes.com/sites/default/files/styles/300×300/public….
Brisket recipe adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/slow_cooker_beef_brisket_98634,