Ruby & White Blog GUEST BLOG : Student Cooking with Pippa

Today's guest blog post comes from The Bristol University Epigram's Pippa. We challenged her to cook as many different meals as she could just using our beef mince, here's how she got on...A staple student ingredient, easy to cook with, convenient to freeze, mince makes a regular appearance in our fridge. Despite best intentions, it often finds itself again and again in yet another beef chilli or spaghetti Bolognese (boring even the most devout carnivores) but it doesn't need to be confined to these two old timers. The versatility of this ingredient is easy to overlook, so this month's 4 for 1 feature seemed the perfect excuse to explore other options. The price of meat is often off-putting in the face of student loans, but mince is a convenient ingredient to split with friends for a communal dinner to share the cost. The following recipes all serve 3-4 for effortless communal dining - they're also easily doubled if you're really feeling like playing host. Moroccan inspired kofte serves 3-4 KOFTE400g beef mince1-2tbsp. olive oil¼ onion, finely chopped¼ fresh red chilli, finely choppedSmall handful each of fresh mint and coriander, finely choppedGood couple of pinches of salt HERBY YOGHURT DIP4 tbsp. natural yoghurt¼ cucumber, finely chopped½ small handful each of fresh mint and coriander, finely choppedSmall handful of flaked almondsPinch of saltCombine all the yoghurt ingredients and set asideWith your hands, mix together all the kofte ingredients until fully combinedMould into about 10 small kofte shapes (slightly shorter and fatter than a normal sausage)Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heatSpace the kofte across the hot pan (they should sizzle on contact) and cook for about 5 minutes on each of the 4 sides until cooked through (slightly pink in the middle is absolutely fine with quality mince like this)Serve with the yoghurt dip and a scattering of almonds (you can toss the almonds through the meat juices to fry them off slightly if you fancy)Beef and Sausage MeatballsMeatballs150g quality pork sausages (roughly 2 large ones)¼ red onion, finely chopped250g beef mince1 small egg (or half a large one)50g finely grated parmesanAbout half a handful of flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped (use the stalks for the sauce)Good pinch of salt and pepperTomato sauce400g passata¼ red onion, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, finely chopped2tbsp. olive oilA few basil and parsley stalks, finely chopped (use the parsley leaves for the meatballs)Really good pinch of salt and sugar, adjust as you cookSpaghetti and extra parmesan to serveSqueeze the sausage meat out of their skins and combine in a bowl with the remaining meatball ingredientsPreheat oven to 200 degrees cUse your hands to mould into roughly golf ball sized meatballs and place onto lightly oiled baking trays (don't worry if they're fairly closely packed)Cook for 20-30 minutes until browned all over (don't throw away the juices)Meanwhile, gently fry off the onion, garlic and herb stalks in the oilOnce softened and fragrant, add the passata and seasoning and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes (keep tasting and feel free to adjust the seasoning)Once cooked, set the meatballs aside and tip their roasting juices into the tomato sauce mixCombine the tomato sauce with your cooked spaghetti (if using) and top with your meatballs and a grating of parmesan if you fancy.Beef Keemaserves 3-4400g beef mince2tbsp. olive oil2 garlic cloves, finely chopped2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped,¼ red chilli, finely choppedSmall handful of coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved to serve (optional)Good pinch of saltAbout a tsp. garam masala (adjust to taste)About a mugful of frozen peasRice, to serve (optional)In a large pan on a medium heat, fry the garlic, chilli, ginger, coriander stalks and garam masalaWhen fragrant (don't let the garlic burn), add the mince and combine it fully with the herbs and spices to break it downOnce brown all over, add about ½ cup of water and simmer for about 15 minutes until fully cooked throughAdd the peas about 5 minutes before the end and serve with rice, yoghurt and the leftover coriander leaves if you fancy.Bolognese stuffed jacketsserves 3-4400g beef mince400g passata2tbsp. olive oil (plus a little extra for the potatoes)½ red onion, finely chopped2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped1 carrot, finely choppedA few basil and parsley stalks, finely chopped (or about ½ tsp. dried mixed herbs)Good pinch each of salt and sugar (plus a little extra salt for the potatoes)2 sweet potatoes2 baking potatoA little cheese, for grating (about 50g)Cook the potatoes (pierce them a few times first) either in the microwave (about 10-15 minutes for the normal potato and 8-12 for the sweet potato) or in the oven. If cooking straight in the oven, rub the potatoes in a little oil and salt and wrap in foil firstMeanwhile, fry the onion, garlic, carrot and herbs in an oiled pan on a medium heatAfter a couple of minutes (make sure the garlic doesn't catch), add the mince and combine together in the pan. Fry gently until the mince is browned all over (another couple of minutes)Add the passata, salt and sugar and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickenedOnce cooked, halve and hollow out the potatoes, reserving the insidesMix about 2/3 of the potato filling with the mince mixture and use this to fill the potato skins (if you've cooked them in the microwave, now's the time to rub a little oil and salt on the skins)Top with a few dots of the remaining potato and grate a little cheese on topBake in the oven for about 10 minutes until golden.