Recipe - Jalapeno popper mac ‘n’ cheese

Traditional macaroni and cheese is a casserole baked in the oven; however, as in this recipe, it may be prepared in a sauce pan on top of the stove.

History students might know…

Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the 14th century's Liber de Coquina, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. It is an Italian dish of parmesan and pasta and was brought to England in the 14th century.

The first modern recipe for the dish was included in cookery writer Elizabeth Raffald's 1769 book The Experienced English Housekeeper.*

Serves: 4 – 6

Ingredients

10g Salt and pepper
500g Macaroni
25ml olive oil, for drizzling
3 Jalapeno chiles, seeded and sliced (veg express)
2g Chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
300 ml Whole milk
200g Cream cheese
2 onions, diced
400g Cheddar cheese, grated

To prepare

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the macaroni and cook until just cooked (al dente)
2. Drain and return to the pot
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the jalapenos, chilli flakes, onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until tender
4. Add to the pasta
5. Preheat the grill
6. In a saucepan, add the milk and cream cheese over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until smooth
7. Add to the pasta
8. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper
9. Transfer the pasta to a baking dish and grill, until browned, for about 3 minutes.

Recipe by Dan Ostler, Executive Chef at Brookes

* Courtesy of Wikipedia – we assume it’s accurate, but you may want to check – or do some other research!

Jacob’s Chop House

Headington

Reviewed by Hannah Holt

Headington is quite often known as the centre of charity shops and medium sized supermarkets, but just off of the London Road, just past the petrol station, is a very well hidden eatery.

Open from breakfast till dinner, and specialising in locally sourced meat, it’s a rose among the thorns. The menu is seasonal, meaning your favourites may disappear for a while but allowing the chefs to do what they do best - taking advantage of high quality, in season produce.

Whilst this establishment is admittedly not a vegetarian’s dream, it makes up for it with their adventurous seafood specials and spirit collection.

With limited tables, I’d advise booking in advance as the wonderfully reclaimed wooden flooring is often bustling with hungry customers in the evenings and at weekends.

A real find, especially if you like your steak cooked a perfect medium-rare or even just a good old fashioned rarebit.

Food type - Mostly meat based British favourites
Food/Drink quality - 4/5
Dietary requirements - 3/5
Service - 4/5
Value - 3/5

Décor - 4/5 (Check out the tables made from old Singer machines)

Find out more - 01865 764486

Recipe - Prawn, mushroom and black bean sauce stir fry

Happy Chinese New Year!

Stir Fry is a Chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred in a wok.

Nursing students might know…

The process of stir-frying is used in the preparation of some Chinese herbal medicines under the term 'dry-frying'. Stir frying a medical herb with honey is commonly used to increase its sweetness and therefore its spleen and stomach qi tonic effects. Stir frying in vinegar is typically used to direct the properties of an herb more to the liver based on the principle that the sour taste belongs to the liver.*

Serves: 4 – 6

Ingredients

1 kg mushrooms
500 ml black bean sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned oil
30g/2 inches root ginger crushed and chopped finely
6 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
2 small onions, chopped in large chunks
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 green peppers
500g prawns

To prepare

1. Slice the mushrooms into thin slices
2. Heat the oil in a wok until hot and add the onion and carrot, cook for 1-2 minutes until translucent but not browning at all
3. Add the prawns and cook until golden brown
4. Add the ginger and garlic for a further minute stirring constantly
5. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown on all sides.
6. Pour over the black bean sauce and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Recipe by Dan Ostler - Executive Chef at Brookes

* Courtesy of Wikipedia – we assume it’s accurate, but you may want to check – or do some other research!

All Bar One

Oxford City Centre Reviewed by Hannah Holt More often than not I try to avoid chain restaurants. There’s just something about a family-run café on a corner that you don’t usually get with a business that has hundreds of outlets.

All Bar One, however, never fails to please. With tons of offers available throughout the day, from a cheaper lunch menu to discounted cocktails all evening, it’s a magnet for students looking for quality food at takeaway prices.

For those of you wanting something a little different and willing to spend a little bit more, there are plenty of customisable options to their larger, full price menu. Guacamole is a must with their burger selection.

They also proudly sport a wide variety of wine, to satisfy those more sophisticated evenings out, even if it is only one glass.

In a nutshell, All Bar One serves wonderful food, ranging across many cuisines, whilst offering up great promotional deals only a well-established chain could, and did I mention they serve breakfast too?

 

 

Food Type - International favourites
Food/Drink quality - 4.5/5
Dietary requirements - 3/5
Service - 4/5
Value - 3.5/5

Décor - 4/5

Find out morewww.allbarone.co.uk/all-bar-one-oxford

Turl Street Kitchen

Oxford City Centre

Reviewed by Hannah Holt

In the heart of Oxford’s centre is a little blue restaurant on a corner, the Turl Street Kitchen, located underneath the home of the Oxford Hub. The Hub is a student-run organisation centred around volunteering and campaigning, and the eatery below it is a magnet for students.

The rustic styled establishment doubles as a simple café during the few hours it isn’t serving glorious comfort food, meaning you can always grab a strong coffee to power through those never ending essays.

Like other restaurants in Oxford, it takes advantage of local suppliers, meaning that the menu changes daily so you get the chance to taste all that Oxford has to offer. One of my personal favourites is their vegetable and blue cheese bake, and if you get a chance the sticky toffee pudding too - perfection in a bowl.

With meals to make you feel like you’re right back at home for barely more than £10, their cheap treats are more than worth indulging in when you’re at your most homesick.

Food Type - Seasonal British favourites
Food/Drink quality - 4/5
Dietary requirements - 4/5
Service - 3.5/5
Value - 4.5/5

Décor - 5/5 (The long sharing tables make it that much more homely)

Find out more www.turlstreetkitchen.co.uk

Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK)

Oxford City Centre

Reviewed by Hannah Holt

Having frequented Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) many times myself, and dragging friends along relentlessly as well, I can honestly recommend it as a fail-safe burger place. It’s a brilliant student haunt, with customizable milkshakes a plenty, from peanut butter to lime, and well worth a visit or two.

With a wonderfully broad menu that often showcases specials including buffalo and Persian lamb, it’s a burger lover’s dream.

Don’t stop at mains though, sweet potato fries have long evaded my cooking skills and GBK is one restaurant that does them perfectly, along with complimentary ‘baconnaise’ to die for.

The GBK app gives all students 30% off the bill, and the £5.95 lunch menu offer are just more little extras that makes this restaurant, in my opinion, a brilliant cheap treat for all students.

Food type - Burgers
Food/Drink quality - 4/5
Dietary requirements - 4/5
Service - 5/5
Value - 4/5
Décor - 4/5 (Complimentary monkey nuts by the bar)

Find out more www.gbk.co.uk/location/oxford

Malmaison Brasserie

Oxford City Centre

Reviewed by Hannah Holt

The Malmaison hotel restaurant, built into the old Oxford prison - where many of the cells have been refurbished into elegant rooms - lives up to the high standards of the famous chain.

In the cellar resides the elegant and chic Malmaison Brasserie, a gorgeous restaurant with a wine list to match the splendour of the castle.

The menu focuses on hearty European dishes that will leave any hungry tummy stuffed. The cooked-to-order aged steaks are gradually becoming my favourite dish on the menu. There is also the classic burger selection along with more adventurous dishes of Goan tiger prawn curry and ahi tuna tartar, meaning there is always something to fit all tastes.

The fixed menu Sunday lunch offers enough variety but at a lower price, meaning you can pig out in style without completely breaking the bank. A bit pricey at times, yes, but there are often sharing deals on the website, and for a celebratory meal at the end of the year, the surroundings and quality of splendid food is well worth the price tag.

Food type - European
Food/Drink quality - 5/5 (Check out the extensive cocktail list)
Dietary Requirements - 4/5
Service - 5/5
Value - 3/5

Décor - 5/5

Find out more www.malmaison.com/locations/oxford/brasserie/