Dating is never easy, and it’s just one more difficulty for students to navigate around. Cash is tight, coursework deadlines are looming, but you have a special night planned for that someone you’re seeing. It’s enough to give you a headache of the most epic proportions, so how do you work around your time constraints and financial flat-lining to whip up something suitably impressive?
You let us do the hard work for you, of course! No, we can’t slave away in the kitchen whilst you go out and pick some economy red to complement your culinary offerings, or send you on a fully-funded trip to low carb restaurants or a luxurious steakhouse, but we can give you some exquisitely tasty and easy-to-make inspiration to work with…
Thai-style fish fillet
Have you ever seen fish served up in a little parchment packet? Then it was probably prepared en papillote to ensure fantastic flavour and fool-proof preparation, which is something you can easily attempt yourself.
To start, you’ll require a white fish fillet, with ocean perch being our preferred choice. You’ll need to seal this in your ‘bag’, which you can easily make from folded and creased baking paper. Marinade with the ingredients listed on Go Make Me, pop it in the oven, and serve up some perfectly cooked Thai-style fish.
Should it all go wrong, there’s always Deliveroo – just order something in, serve it up, and say you made it yourself.
Seared steak
‘Oh no…’, you’re thinking, ‘not steak – there’s far too much potential for it all to go horribly wrong.’ Not when you follow our instructions. Go for bone-in ribeye if you want to splash out, or choose a more economical but still succulent option like sirloin. Once you have your cut, you can think about seasoning, so be sure to invest in salt, ground black pepper, fresh thyme, and butter. Season, heat your skillet, and finally watch it spit. Voila, the perfect steak!
For more detailed instructions, see BuzzFeed and their guide to the perfect seared steak.
Shrimp scampi linguine
It sounds so posh that it’s sure to impress, so shrimp scampi linguine is another great menu choice. It’s also super easy to make.
Start by cooking your pasta, as per the instructions on the back of the packet. Once this is done, heat butter and olive oil together in a large skillet, before sprinkling some garlic and onion in there with them. Keep going until the latter is translucent and then add your shrimp. Cook for around two minutes, flip, and give it another 60 seconds before you take your shrimp out and set it aside (ensure it’s cooked through). Add lemon juice, white wine, and red pepper flakes, throw the shrimp and cooked pasta back in the pan, and you’re just about done.
‘But I’m a student’, you say. ‘You really think I can afford all of those ingredients?’ We really do. Shop smart, be savvy about finding the lowest prices, keep an eye out for those all-important reductions and no-one will ever have to know you haven’t gone all out to impress. You can thank us later, when your tummy is full and that special someone is suitably pleased with your efforts.
Image credits: Main image: Anna Bizoń/123RF; recipe images: Max Pixel