Sorted: a recipe for student survival

Sound like we've lost the plot?

Well just trust us, it's a winning combination, no matter how strange it sounds. Try it once and you'll be back for more!

• small onion, diced
• clove of garlic, crushed
• head of broccoli, roughly chopped (size depends on quickly want it to cook)
• litre of boiling veg stock (more likely to be stock cube for us students)
• two generous dollops of crunchy peanut butter (to taste but about a tbsp)

sweat the finely diced onion and garlic off in a pan with a shot of oil.

hack up the broccoli into equal sized pieces, the smaller they are the quicker they’ll cook.

add the broccoli to the pan covering with the stock.

simmer for 5-6 mins or so before spooning in the peanut butter.

blitz, season and serve.

• Comment on this tip
• 0 comments

Welcome to the ultimate INTERACTIVE soup video.This video alone will show you the skills to make not just one soup, but a whole host of variations.Try it for yourself and get SORTED!! 

• Comment on this tip
• 0 comments

SORTED Xmas Dinner

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 6 chicken breasts
• 12 rashers of bacon
• half a small loaf of bread
• large onion
• orange
• handful of dried cranberries
• sprinkling of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• butter (200g)
• brussels sprouts
• whole, shelled chestnuts (200g jar)
• savoy cabbage
• 4 large carrots
• cream (250ml)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 large potatoes
• chicken gravy granules (optional)

peel and chop potatoes into golf ball sized pieces. Dump into pan with cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

blitz or chop the stale bread into crumbs and mix with cranberries, parsley and juice and zest of half the orange.

dice half of the onion and cook in the microwave with 150g butter for 1 minute until the butter has melted and the onion softened. Add to the breadcrumb mix with salt and pepper and stir together.

trim any fat or sinew from the chicken before slicing a pocket into the thick side of each breast.

stuff with some of the orange and cranberry breadcrumbs, then wrap two rashers of bacon around the chicken to seal the pocket. Position on deep baking tray and pour in half a cup of water to keep the meat moist as it cooks.

drain the potatoes after the 10 minutes of simmering and shake them in the pan to fluff the edges (makes them crisp up a treat). Chuck them onto a baking tray and drizzle with oil & seasoning.

roast the potatoes at 200ºC for about 45 minutes until golden and crisp.

grate the peeled carrots and finely slice the cabbage. Leave them to one side and put a large pan of water on to boil.

chop the chestnuts into large chunks, dice the other half an onion and trim the hard stalk from the base of each brussel sprout, allowing any outer leaves to fall off.

place the prepared sprouts into a microwavable dish and pour over a cup of water. Cover with clingfilm and leave to one side.

cook the wrapped chicken in the same oven as the potatoes for approximately 30 minutes depending on size. (Check them before serving making sure there is no pink flesh and the juices oozing out of the chicken are clear.)

boil the cabbage and carrot in the pan of water for 5 mins. Drain them well and return to the same pan and heat with the cream, 100g of butter and the nutmeg. Season well.

microwave the clingfilm covered sprouts on full power for 6-8 mins.

fry the diced onion in a little butter until soft. Add the chestnuts and toss through to heat them up. Mix into the sprouts when cooked.

serve the meal by slicing the chicken breast in half to expose the stuffing and arranging it on a plate with a good portion of sprouts, nutmeg creamed cabbage and carrot and roast potatoes.

Price per portion = £3.80                               Time required = About 90 minutes (depending on how many flat mates chip in and help)

• Comment on this tip
• 0 comments

Soggy sandwiches and a piece of bruised fruit ... If that’s your idea of a packed lunch then think again! This spinach and bacon brownie is a fantastic make-ahead recipe that’s great for lunch when you’re on the move. They resemble a quiche, but without the pastry lining making the cooking of them so much easier and just as tasty!

• 125 g Plain flour
• tsp salt
• tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• milk (230ml)
• butter (100g)
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• few rashers of bacon
• two big handfuls of spinach
• grated cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) (200g)

preheat oven to 180°C and grease a 20cmx30cm baking dish.

dice the onion and gently fry off with the crushed garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.

slice the bacon into lardons (fancy strips!) and add to the deep pan with the onion and garlic.

stuff in as much spinach as possible, with a splash of water and cover with a lid.

shake the pan well and let the spinach wilt.

tip into a colander to drain any excess water.

weigh and sieve the flour, salt and baking powder.

melt the butter in a microwave before adding to dry ingredients.

crack in the eggs and stir in the drained onion, bacon and spinach with the grated cheese.

stir together and pour into the baking tray then bake for 30 minutes until golden and set.

cool in tin for at least 10 mins before tipping out. Best to portion when cold, but serve hot or cold.

• Comment on this tip
• 1 comment

No more than 10 minutes from start to finish! Such simple, nutritious food to keep you alert during your studies.

• potato gnocchi (500g–shop bought)
• spring onions
• 6 rashers back bacon
• creamy blue cheese (100g)
• 2 large fistfuls of fresh spinach
• knob of butter
• double cream (100ml)
• cluster of walnuts
• fresh parmesan

fill a pan with salted water and bring to the boil.

wash spinach under cold running water and drain well.

drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook for 4 minutes until they float.

fry bacon and spring onions in a pan with knob of butter.

wilt spinach in the same pan with the cooked bacon before adding cream and walnuts.

crumble over blue cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper.

drain gnocchi and toss in the creamy spinach sauce.

divide between bowls and grate Parmesan over to serve.

• Comment on this tip
• 0 comments

When you're cooking to impress you don't want anything too heavy, and certainly not time-consuming. You want to be keeping your guest company not panicking in the kitchen. So this fish recipe ticks both boxes. Prepare it before that special sombody arrives and enjoy it later on without the fuss.

• ripe avocado
• half a red onion
• 3 fresh tomatoes
• clove of garlic
• sprig of fresh coriander (optional)
• knob of parmesan
• two fillets of cod
• crisp salad leaves and dressing to serve

halve the avocado, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh. Cut it up and put it into a bowl.

peel and finely dice the onion, adding to the avocado with the crushed or grated garlic.

quarter the tomatoes and remove the pulp. Dice the remaining flesh into small pieces.

chop up the coriander and add to the avocado with the diced tomatoes, then season and mix.

remove any bones from the fish and lay on an oven-proof tray.

pile the avocado salsa onto each fillet of fish and top with grated parmesan. At this stage you can cover the tray and leave it in the fridge for an hour or so until you are ready to eat

bake the fish in a hot oven for about 10-12 minutes before serving immediately with a light crisp salad.

• Comment on this tip
• 0 comments

This simple, plan-ahead dessert is the perfect end to any meal where you want to impress. It can really help to seal the deal! A rich, indulgent chocolate pudding made with pain au chocolate is a novel twist on the classic bread and butter pudding recipe.

Set your Halloween celebrations off to an eerie start with SORTED's themed punch. All you need is:-

• litre of blueberry and pomegranate juice
• litre of cranberry juice
• half a litre of ginger ale

... it's that simple!

Then to add a few novelty twists drain a tin of lychees and stuff each fruit with a grape. These mimic witch's eyes perfectly.

And why not fill a marigold glove with water, tie off the end and freeze over night. As you serve just peel away the rubber glove leaving you with a perfect severed hand ice sculpture to float in the punch!

• Comment on this tip
• 0 comments

Once you've hollowed out your pumpkin for some crazy carvings, wash and roast off the seeds to make this festive bread. Perfect for dunking in just about any soup recipe! If you need a good soup idea - try a few of these:-

 http://bit.ly/tLfr1

pumpkin seed and pine nut bread

• 450g strong bread flour
• tsp salt
• tsp castor sugar
• 2 tsp cream of tarter
• tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200ml natural yoghurt
• 25g melted butter
• 200ml of milk
• 50g pumpkin seeds
• 50g pine nuts

preheat oven to 180°C

sieve the flour, salt, sugar and both raising agents into a large bowl

tip in the nuts and seeds.

pour in the wet ingredients, leaving a little milk back as you don’t always need the full 200ml.

stir with a spoon until it begins to form a dough, then bring together with your hands.

position the ball of dough in the centre of a lined baking tray and pat it out to a depth of about 5cm and diameter of about of about 20cm.

bake immediately on the middle shelf for about 45 minutes or until golden and hollow sounding when tapped from underneath.

cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Note:- this is a simple bread which uses baking powder and cream of tarter as raising agents rather than yeast and so does not require needing or proving.

• Comment on this tip
• 0 comments