For many people, going to university can signify the first time having to do any serious cooking for yourself. While it can be easy to fall into the trap of take-always and pot noodles, particularly during freshers fortnight, getting into a routine of cooking for yourself is a brilliant way to socialise with flatmates, eat healthier and even save money (it’s also a great way to apologise to your body after two weeks of freshers). In this segment, we’ll be sharing some of the staple recipes that carried us through our fresher year, as well as tips for tricking people into thinking you’re a great cook.

Bolognese

The ability to make a decent bolognese is an absolute lifesaver as a student, and is an affordable and delicious way to trick your body into eating vegetables. We’ve found that cooking a bowl of this for someone can more than make up made up for our many glaring character flaws when it comes to making friends at university. Our tip for making the best bolognese is to use two pans; A frying pan for preparing each element of the dish, and a pot on low heat to transfer the elements to and keep the sauce bubbling. This dish can also be easily modified to be vegetarian or vegan.

Ingredients

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

4 red onions; chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 sticks of celery, sliced

750g beef or quorn mince

3 tins of chopped tomatoes

A glass of wine (optional)

A tin of sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (optional)

500ml of stock (beef or vegetable)

1. Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the frying pan over a medium hear, and sauté in the onions, celery, garlic and carrots with a big pinch of salt. This means cooking them until they go soft and transparent, without going brown. Cook for ~20 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop them from sticking to the pan.

2. Stir in the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes (optional) and turn up the heat, then pour in the wine (if using) and cook for 4 minutes.

3. Transfer the vegetable mix into the larger pot, and put over a low heat, with the chopped tomatoes.

4. In the frying pan, turn up the heat and in very small batches (a handful at a time) fry the mince, trying not to move it about in the pan too much, until the meat is properly browned. Don’t rush this bit, as it makes all the difference to the final meal. When you finish each batch, transfer into the pot, until you have gone through all the mince.

5. Pour the stock into the pot, and cook for as long as you have the patience for. The longer you cook, the better the meal will be, but we recommend at least 20-30 minutes, until the liquid boils down and you have a thick sauce, adding more stock if it dries out too much.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with spaghetti and grated Parmesan.