Cheap Thrills: Student Recipes

A staple of Bar Dani in Glasgow, chef Steven Kenny shares the West End eatery’s recipe for butter bean hummus with charred vegetables. £3.75 in total* 

Vegetable oil
1 garlic bulb
2 tins of butter beans
1 bunch of spring onions
200g mangetout 
1 lemon 

Start by peeling all the garlic, cover with vegetable oil and cook on a low heat until soft and slightly brown. Strain oil and reserve for later. Mush garlic into a paste.

1. Take the tops and bottoms off the spring onions, peel the first layer of skin and rinse under cold water. Boil a pot with salted water and cook the spring onions for a minute, then place in iced water to stop the cooking process. Repeat the process with mangetout, cooking for 30 seconds before transferring to cold water. 

2. Rinse butter beans then blend with the garlic paste, leftover garlic oil, salt and lemon juice until your desired consistency.

3. Fry the spring onions and mangetout on a high heat with a little oil for a final char.

4. Place a generous amount of hummus on the plate, stack your vegetables and serve with bread or hard cheese (like parmesan) grated on top.

5. 

A quick and simple classic, Tomás Gormley from Edinburgh fine dining spot Cardinal offers his failsafe raw courgette pasta. £3.80 for two portions*

200g pasta, rigatoni or orecchiette recommended 
1 courgette
Knob of butter 
Grated parmesan
Lemon zest

1. Bring salted water to the boil and cook your pasta of choice until al dente, draining 30 seconds before the recommended time. 

2. Use a cheese grater to grate your courgette then mix through the pasta. 

3. Season generously with black pepper, salt, a knob of butter and parmesan. If available, zest lemon over the top before serving.

The perfect pot luck addition, Darcie Maher from Lannan Bakery shares her recipe for spelt jammies. Find your local refillery for flour. Makes 20, roughly 20p per biscuit*

250g butter, very soft
70g icing sugar, sifted
200g plain flour
25g spelt flour
25g cornflour
5g salt
5g vanilla paste 
100g raspberry jam 

1. Preheat the oven to 180c (fan).

2. Beat the butter and icing sugar until very light and fluffy.

3. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.

4. Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe onto a tray lined with parchment paper into 5cm discs. Make sure there’s no hole in the middle and leave space between each biscuit as they will spread slightly.

5. Dip your finger in cold water then make a small indentation in the centre of each biscuit. Dry and repeat for each one.

6. Fill the indentation with jam then bake for 20 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown.

7. Allow the biscuits to cool fully before eating.

8. 

Harris McNeill from Eastfield in Dundee shares his slow-cooked ragù, to be made in a big batch for the whole flat or frozen in preparation for meals to come. Makes eight portions, £2.20 per serving*

1kg red mince of choice, McNeill uses venison
6 tablespoons Scottish rapeseed oil
200g bacon
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 small onion
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprig
1 tablespoon ground mixed spice
3 tablespoons tomato purée
1 can crushed tomatoes
500ml cheap red wine
500ml whole milk

1. Season the mince well with salt and pepper. Put in a heavy-based pot, drizzle with 6 tbsp of Scottish rapeseed oil and brown on all sides, chopping through the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove the meat from the pot along with its juices.

2. Dice the bacon and add to the pot with a splash more oil and render out some of the fat. 

3. Finely chop the carrot, celery, onion and mince four garlic cloves. Once the bacon begins to colour, add the vegetables along with two bay leaves, two thyme sprigs and one rosemary sprig tied together. Add the ground mixed spice and tomato purée. Turn the heat to low and cook gently until tender but without colouring.

4. Add the browned meat back into the pot with the vegetables and mix together. Raise the heat to high and fry.

5. Stir in the tomatoes, red wine and milk – it may look curdled but it will come back together. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook gently on the hob, stirring every so often. It’s ready when the oil collects on the surface, the meat is very tender and the gravy has thickened. Add a splash of water if it dries out, or raise the heat towards the end if it looks too wet.

6. Season the ragù with salt and pepper to taste. Use straight away and serve with pasta or on toast, or portion it into containers and completely cool before freezing for later.

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1. *Prices estimated across Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Lidl budget ranges.