HOW TO COOK- what a sizzler!

Last term alongside Bacon Brothers founder, Troy Bilbrough, we hosted the first Lifeskills: How to Cook session.

Taking it right back to basics and using a budget of $200 (Thanks to New World Supermarkets), Troy guided us through a bunch of meals, with a focus on big flavour, budget friendly ingredients and all-round nutrition. Showing us some all rounder meals, such as dumplings, tacos, nachos, burgers + more.

Keeping yourself well-fed, cooking  and sharing kai with your mates goes hand-in-hand with looking after your head, and we were stoked to spend some time doing just that at How To Cook. A big thank-you to Troy & Bacon Bros for your infinite wisdom and for sharing your story. We all left very full and very ready to up our kitchen game- the following recipes are just seven of those for you to try at home:

Recipes

Smash Burgers

When you're craving a tasty bacon bros burger, but need to save some pennies- this one's for you

Ingredients: 

• Beef mince- whatever's on special
• Bread rolls
• Cheese slices Dairyworks, burger cheddar is the best)
• Pickles (McClures are the best)
• Butter (Westgold is the best)
• Lettuce + Toms (when in season)
• For the sauce: ⅓ Ketchup , ⅓ mayo , ⅓ mustard and a splash of pickle juice

Method:

1. Get beef mince and roll into 150g balls (roughly a tennis ball size)You dont need breadcrumbs or eggs to hold them together.
2. Crank up your bbq hotplate or frying pan to max.
3. Put the mince ball on the hotplate and then use a pot to smash down to 1cm thin. Once the edges start to curl up flip over.
4. Put the cheese on top and melt.
5. Toast the buns in butter.
6. In a separate bowl, mix up your burger sauce.
7. Lastly, assemble your burger with a generous spoonful of sauce

‍Life Hack : Save the pickle juice and slice up cucumbers and make your own pickles. Or use the pickle juice to brine chicken before you cook it. (keeps chicken moist)

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Gyozas

This recipe was inspired by a trip to Japan, which ended up with me getting chased by a Hokkaido bear in the forest.

Ingredients: 

• Dumpling Wrappers
• Pork Mince 
• For the Sauce : 1 cup Soy Sauce , ¼ cup Sugar 1t, chili ¼ cup Mirin or Sake or rice wine, 1t sesame seeds. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.
• Spring onion or chives or spinach

Method:

1. Mix the pork mince, a splash of the sauce and the finely diced greens. Keep mixing until the meat gets quite tacky and sticks together.
2. Fold your dumplings (Google how to fold.) It's really fun and therapeutic. Get the flat together and fold up a few dozen dumplings and treat yourself.
3. Heat a pan or hot plate to low and then add oil.
4. Put the dumplings down cook on low checking the bottom isn't burning. Flip over once the bottom is golden brown. You want the dumplings internal temp to be 75c. If you don't have a temp probe cut one open after 5 minutes and check the meat is cooked. Pork will change from pink to white once cooked and you should see the steam coming out from the cooked meat, you want the inside to be fully cooked.
5. Serve up and eat with sauce mix

Life hack: get a cheap internal temp probe, you will be able to cook better meals and wont over or under cook food.

BBQ Lamb and Flat Breads

This one is inspired by the best meal of my life in the streets of a small town in Greece. 

Ingredients:

• Flour
• Plain Yogurt  (gopala is the best deal)
• Yeast
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lamb Chops 
• Rosemary
• Pepper
• Cucumber
• Spinach
• Garlic
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil

Method for Flat Breads

1. Add 1T of sugar into 1 cup of warm water and dissolve.
2. Add a packet of yeast or 2t of yeast to the warm water.
3. Once the yeast starts to bubble on the surface, add 500g of flour, 1t of salt and ½ cup of yogurt. Mix together and then rest in a warm place for 2 hours.
4. Once dough has risen, split the dough into balls ½ the size of a tennis ball. Rest again for 1 hour. 
5. Knead the dough and add flour if you need to.
6. Roll the dough out into the size of a side plate and then grill on a hot plate or frying pan for 3 mins each side until golden brown. Add butter or oil if needed.

For Lamb

1. Rub the lamb chops with salt pepper and rosemary and garlic and rest for 30 mins.
2. BBQ until the outsides are caramelized and meat is cooked through, roughly 5 mins a side.

For Tzatziki Sauce

1. Dice up a cucumber and sprinkle with salt. Let the salt draw out the moisture for 30 mins.
2. Mix cucumber into a cup of yogurt.
3. Add diced garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
4. And add a dash of olive oil to finish.

Pull the meat off the lamb, add to your flatbread, add tzatziki and spinach. Enjoy.

Life hack: make a big batch of the flat breads and freeze the leftovers for the next time you get a souvlaki craving

Dorito Pie 

Inspired by my American travels, we ate this meal camping by a lake in the deep south.

Ingredients: 

• Doritos 
• Beef roast on special (we used topside, but you can use any beef cut, brisket, chuck, etc)
• Beef stock (for 1L)
• Salt & Pepper
• Mexican Beans
• Cheese ( we used dairyworks on special)
• Can of tomatoes 
• Onion
• Garlic
• Rice 
• Paprika

Method:

1. Rub the meat with salt and pepper 30 mins before cooking.
2. Put into slow cooker with 1L of beef stock, 1 diced onion, 4 cloves of garlic , 1 can of spicy beans, 1 can of tomatoes or fresh ones when in season.
3. Keep slow cooker on low all day (8-12 hours). Once you get home from uni or a night out your dinner will be waiting for you. Meat is done once it all pulls apart.
4. To serve cut open a bag of doritos and spoon the meat on top.
5. Serve with rice cooked, mixed with paprika (1 tablespoon).

Life Hack: If you want this for lunch, put this on before you go to sleep and it will be ready at lunch the next day.

Roast Chicken & Roasties 

Sometimes in life all you need is a good roast chicken meal. Soothing for the soul. 

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 L warm water
• ⅓ cup salt
• ⅙ cup pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t thyme
• Mr chips roasties

Method:

1. Mix the Warm water with the salt, pepper, lemon, oregano, thyme, wait to cool.
2. Add in the whole chicken and brine in the fridge for 24 hours. 
3. Turn oven to 180c. Take chicken out of the brine. Rub with olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Put the chicken in the oven for 1.5 hours until juice runs clear from the thighs. Internal temperature 75c for cooked. Meat will change from translucent to white. Thigh and Leg meat will stay pinkish/ brown even when cooked, breast meat and tender will be white.
5. For the roasties: Put them in the roasting pan after the 30 minutes and let them roast with the chicken for the next hour.
   
   Life Hack : leftover roast chicken makes a great sandwich.

Roast Pork With Crackle 

Who doesn't love some roast pork & crackle!

Ingredients:

• Pork shoulder roast
• Salt & Pepper
• Boiling Water
• Vinegar
• Chicken Stock
• Apples
• Sugar
• Green veges
• Potatoes
• Butter

Note:

1. 1 day before you cook, pour boiling water over the skin and then dry off.
2. Rub with vinegar and salt and then leave the pork in the fridge overnight for the skin to dry. Dry skin will crackle and wet skin won't.

Method:

1. Oven to 180c. Rub the pork all over with salt and pepper 30 mins before you cook it.
2. Put the roast in the oven in a roasting pan and cook for 5 hours at 180c or 8 hours at 150c. For the last hour if needed, crank up to 220c and watch the skin crackle. 
3. Peel and cook sliced apples in a pot with 1 Tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar- cook till soft, then mash or blend for sauce

Serve with mash, greens and apple sauce

Life hack: Super important to dry the pork skin out, wet skin wont crackle.  

Vege Taco Night

Eat your greens! Every week do a vege night, save some money and stay healthy. 

Ingredients:

• Seasonal veges on special
• Flatbreads from above Or budget tortillas (bottom shelf are the best and cheapest)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Cheese ( we used rolling meadows on special)

Method:

1. ‍ Slice veges thinly, toss with olive oil salt and pepper.
2. Grill on a bbq or frying pan / wok until al dente.
3. Top with Cheese, Hot Sauce, Salsa of your choice.

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Life Hack : Steam the tortillas on top of the veges as they cook for a super soft and warm tortilla.

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When you need a break in the kitchen, make sure you go visit the team at Bacon Brothers and their restaurant BEERS, they are are pretty legendary bunch. Also a big thankyou to State of Play for their refreshing & non-alc IPAs- the perfect pairing for all the courses!

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