Three recipes you can try with ingredients you already have

Finding ingredients and necessities at your local grocery store may be a little challenging this week, but that shouldn’t stress you as you can create delicious and filling meals with the ingredients which should be available in your kitchen’s pantry. Try these three yummy recipes which you can make with the kitchen staples you already have.

Potato bake

Ingredients

• 60g butter
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 2 1/3 cups milk
• 2 cups grated (500g)
• 1.2kg Sebago potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 6cm deep, 24cm square baking dish.
2. Melt butter. Add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from heat. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until well combined. Return to heat. Cook, stirring, until sauce comes to the boil.
3. Add 1 and a half 1/2 cups of cheese. Stir to combine.
4. Arrange one-third of potatoes, overlapping slightly, over base of baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon one-third of the cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat twice. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender and top is golden. If top begins to brown too much, cover with foil.

Fried rice

Ingredients

• Cooked, chilled rice
• Eggs
• Carrots, onions, green onions and peas
• Garlic
• Soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Toasted sesame oil
• Butter

Instructions

1. Using a small pat of butter, scramble some eggs in a large sauté pan, breaking them into small pieces as you go. Then transfer the eggs to a separate plate, and set aside.
2. Return your sauté pan to the heat, and sauté the onions, carrots, peas and garlic until soft and cooked through.
3. Stir fry rice: Then turn the burner to high heat. Scooch the veggies over to one side of the pan, melt the remaining butter in the other half, and add the chilled rice, soy sauce, and oyster sauce (if using). Then stir to combine with the veggies and continue sautéing the rice, stirring every 15-20 seconds or so for 3 minutes, or until you notice the rice and veggies starting to brown slightly.
4. Remove pan from heat. And stir in your green onions, sesame oil, and scrambled eggs.
5. Give the rice a taste, and season with salt and pepper, plus any extra soy sauce or sesame oil if needed.
6. Then dish it up and serve nice and warm!

Tuna pasta

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 (5 ounce) can tuna, drained I prefer tuna packed in oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 4 ounces uncooked pasta (I used spaghetti)

Instructions

1. Boil a salted pot of water for your pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions. Prep your other ingredients while it cooks.
2. When the pasta is close to being ready, add the oil to a small pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the tuna, lemon juice, and parsley. Let it heat through. 
4. Once the pasta is done, add some of the pasta water (a couple tablespoons) to the sauce and then drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Optional: serve pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese and lemon zest.