A Couple of Quick and Easy Meals in the Thermomix

Life has been a bit of a blur this week - as in everyone's house, there are weeks when you can just never seem to get your head above the s..t.  We have been eating, and I have been taking the photos, but getting to the posts.... well that is another issue.

What I have made, I have made quickly and easily in the Thermomix.  I know that I am in training to become a consultant, and that I should be saying good things about the Thermomix, but I was absolutely blown away this week with how easy the lasagne was to make.  Lasagne is usually a thing that takes several hours, and many dirty pots, before you get it onto the table.

From grating the cheese to sitting down to eat the lasagne I swear it took about an hour and a half!!  How good is that?  Bechamel sauce - took all of 15 minutes - and was perfect and lump free!

Lasagne
Adapted from EDC Thermomix Cookbook

Serves 6

Before starting the recipe - grate all your cheeses.  8 seconds on speed 8.

Bechamel Sauce
1000g milk
100g flour
100g butter
1 tsp salt
pinch nutmeg

50-100g pecorino cheese
Pre-cooked-lasagne sheets

Place all ingredients in the TM bowl and cook for 12 minutes at 90 degrees on speed 4.  Add the pecorino cheese to taste.  Mix on speed 4 for 10 seconds.  Remove the sauce and set aside in a jug.

Wash and dry the TM bowl.

Bolognaise Sauce

1kg mince
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick celery, roughly chopped
2 zucchini, roughly chopped
3 rashers bacon
25g oil
50g red wine
2 tbs vegetable stock concentrate
2 tbs tomato paste
400g can chopped tomatoes

Place the onion, carrot, celery, bacon, zucchini, garlic into the TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 5.

Add oil and saute for 3 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Add the mince and cook for 10 minutes at varoma temperature on reverse and soft speed.   At this stage you may need to move the meat around with the spatula - due to the large amount of meat in the bowl.  If there are still lumps of uncooked meat, cook for an additional 5 minutes, breaking up with the spatula.

Add the wine, vegetable stock concentrate, tomato paste and tomatoes.  Cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on Reverse and soft speed. (remove the MC and place the basket on the top to avoid the sauce spitting out the top).

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Lightly grease a large  rectangular baking dish.  Place a layer of lasagne sheets in the bottom of the dish.  Cover with a layer of bolognaise sauce, top with a layer of bechamel sauce, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.  Repeat layers, ending with a layer of pasta, and bechamel sauce.  Top with parmesan cheese.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

This has got to have been one of the easiest lasagnes I have ever made!!!  I certainly won't be relegating lasagne to the "too hard" basket any more!

Another quick and easy dinner winner this week was a Tomato and Meatball Risotto.  As you know Risottos are oh so simple in the Thermomix - this one was just a tweak of ingredients to make it tomato based - and the meatballs were just sausages squeezed into meatballs and steamed in the varoma - too easy!

Tomato and Meatball Risotto
Adapted form Super Food Ideas Magazine - July edition

Serves 6

1 onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
30g olive oil
400g arborio rice
100g white wine
1100g liquid (made up of chicken stock and canned chopped tomatoes)
1kg Italian style sausages

Squeeze the sausage meat from the casings, forming small meatballs.  Place the meatballs in both levels of the varoma receptacle.

Place the onion and garlic in the TM bowl, chop for 3 seconds on speed 7.

Add the oil and saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1 (with the MC off).

Insert the butterfly, and add the rice and wine into the TM bowl, saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on reverse and speed soft.

Set the scales to zero - add the canned tomatoes, and make up the difference in weight with chicken stock.  Place the varoma tray on top of the TM.  Cook for 17 minutes at 100 degrees on Reverse and speed soft.

After the 17 minutes season the risotto with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place it in the Thermoserver.

Half fill the TM bowl with boiling water and place the varoma trays back on top of the TM bowl.  Cook at varoma temperature and speed 4 for 15 minutes.  Add the meatballs to the risotto.  Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side.

This week I graduate from Thermomix Training, and then I am out in the big wide world telling all and sundry how wonderful this machine is.  Wish me luck!  While I know how wonderful the Thermomix is, I don't know how successful I will be in actually turning that enthusiasm into sales.  I hope I am not too nervous at my first demo!!!

Spaghetti Carbonara

I was under the misconception that spaghetti carbonara was a creamy sauce.  This is apparently incorrect.  A true carbonara sauce is a combination of raw eggs, cheese, bacon, and butter or olive oil with black pepper.  The addition of cream was to come later.

The history of this dish is a little unclear - but some tend to believe that it started making appearances on dinner tables during World War 2, when the American troops were stationed in Italy.  The troops bartered their rations of powdered eggs and milk with the Italian peasants, and hence spaghetti carbonara was born.  When the troops returned home they then replicated the dish, but "Americanised" it with the addition of cream.

What got me wondering about the dish was the fact that it is in the current edition of Good Food Magazine as one of George Calombaris' mum's dishes - they are after all Greek, are they not?  Perhaps spaghetti carbonara is a dish that knows no international boundaries?

Spaghetti Carbonara
From Good Food Magazine - June edition

Serves 4-6

1 litre chicken stock
5 chicken wings
1 cup parmesan rinds (optional) *
3 thyme sprigs
1 clove garlic
500g spaghetti
1 tbs olive oil
200g piece of bacon, cut into 1cm cubes (I used speck)
5 egg yolks
20g butter, diced
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

* Parmesan rinds are the ends of the block of cheese - use them to flavour stocks, risottos or soups.  Discard them before serving.


Bring the stock to boil in a large saucepan on high heat.  Add the chicken wings, parmesan rinds, if using, them and garlic.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, removing any scum from the surface.  Strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids.  Return the stock to a clean saucepan and simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until reduced to 2 cups.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water according to packet directions.  Drain and return to the pan.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on high heat.  Cook the bacon for 5 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.

Remove the stock from the heat.  Using a stick blender, blend the egg yolks and diced butter into the hot stock, until smooth and thickened.  Add the sauce to the spaghetti along with the parsley.  Toss well to combine.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Scatter with bacon and serve.

As you can see reading the recipe - there is no use for the chicken wings.  I thought to myself I am not going to just throw these away, but I didn't want to add them to the pasta either, so what should I do with them?

I was baking a loaf of multigrain bread to go with the meal so I decided to put the chicken wings in the oven at the same time.  I had used 7 wings in total.  I lined a baking tray with foil.  Placed the chicken wings on the tray and then sprayed them with garlic infused olive oil spray.  Next I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on them - and into the oven for the 20-25 minutes that the bread would take.

As for the bread - I made my usual bread mix, but added 30g each of sunflower seeds and linseeds, and 15g of sesame seeds.

After 25 minutes ......

How beautiful are these??

So to go with our bowls of spaghetti carbonara we had a lovely crispy chicken wing.  "The Darlings" declared the wings "better than KFC!"  Now that's some compliment coming from them!

MR. CCC was not with us when we ate, and unfortunately "The Darlings" liked the wings so much that they ate his share - oops!!!!

I will definitely make the wings again - I wonder if it was just a fluke - or can I replicate them again???

So Dear Readers have you made any little gastronomic discoveries whilst in the pursuit of making another dish?  Do tell.

Spaghetti Marinara

When I make Spaghetti Marinara I like to make up my own mix of seafood.  We prefer to have it loaded up with salmon and prawns in particular, however, feel free to change the amounts or varieties to suit yourself!!

Spaghetti Marinara

Serves 6

2 squid tubes (approx. weight 500g)
2 x salmon portions (approx. weight 500g)
1 x barramundi fillet (approx. weight 240g), cut into 2cm chunks
500g green prawns (with shell weight), shelled
2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes
250g fresh cherry tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
20g butter
1/2 cup shredded basil
500g angel hair pasta, cooked according to packet directions

Cut squid hoods in half, and gently score the inside.

Cut into 2cm wide ribbons.

Heat half the butter and a small amount of olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and fry gently until just starting to turn golden.  Add the fresh cherry tomatoes, and cook stirring constantly until they start to soften.  Add the canned tomatoes and gently simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until you are able to gently "pop" the tomatoes by pressing a spoon on the tomato.  Add the wine and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken.

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a second frying pan gently heat the remaining butter with a little olive oil.  Cook the salmon pieces for 2-3 minutes each side, or until just lightly browned.  You want the fish to be still pink in the middle.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the prawns, squid and barramundi to the pan and gently cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the prawns are just starting to change colour.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Gently flake the salmon into chunks.

Add the seafood to the sauce, and mix gently.  Simmer for a minute, then add the basil.  Combine well.

Add the seafood mix to the cooked pasta. Toss gently to combine.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side.

So what goes with a good pasta dish???  Garlic Bread of course!!!

I was inspired by a post I saw recently on Sunday's Kitchen - while mine is not the same as hers - I did use the fontina cheese, as I have not tried it before!

Killer Garlic Cheese Bread

530g Bakers Flour
2tsp yeast
300ml warm water
1 tsp salt
1tsp sugar

Knead in the TM for 4 minutes.  Remove from TM bowl place in a lightly greased bowl, and allow to sit in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Then into the Thermomix I popped:

8 cloves of garlic

I blitzed the garlic for 4 seconds on speed 7.

Then I added:

150g fontina cheese, broken into small pieces
1 egg yolk (reserve the white)
140g butter, cubed

I blitzed these together for 6 seconds on speed 6.

Spread this mixture out over the rolled out bread dough.

Now roll up, using the baking paper as a guide, in a jelly roll fashion.  Make sure you secure all the edges well - or you will have garlic cheese butter everywhere!!!

Place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper, and sprinkled with a little polenta.  Allow to rise again in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg white, and then brush the loaf all over with the egg white.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

and voila!!!!

Isn't that a beautiful loaf of bread????

You know we have no problems with vampires in this house - what with all the garlic we eat!!!!!

So tell me Dear Readers how do you like you garlic bread?  With cheese, with roasted garlic - or with both!!!! Do tell.

Pork and Pasta Bake

"The Darlings" gave me an Italian Cookbook for my birthday, and on first glance I didn't think there was anything in there that jumped out at me and said "make me!"  So what I did was turn the book on them, and ask them to pick a dish that they would like me to make.  

This is the dish that they picked.  On closer inspection I  saw that there were vegetables in there - they of course hadn't read the ingredients - just looked at the picture!

I thought to myself - just another pasta dish.  Boring!!!  But, boy was I wrong - this dish was great - so much flavour, and it pleased everyone because it had the best of both worlds in there.  The creamy sauce, and the meat sauce!!

Pork and Pasta Bake
Adapted from Best Ever Italian Cookbook

Serves 6

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely diced *
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped *
2 carrots, finely diced *
100g pancetta, chopped *
200g mushrooms, chopped *
1kg pork mince
1 cup dry white wine
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbs fresh sage, finely chopped
500g penne pasta
240g mozzarella cheese
8 tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 cups Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce
From EDC Thermomix Cookbook

1000g milk
100g flour
100g butter
1 tsp salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the onion, garlic and carrots and cook stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.  Add the pancetta and cook for a 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the pork and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until all the meat is browned all over.  Add the wine, tomatoes and the sage.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by about 1/2.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

* I used the Thermomix to cut up all the vegetables - simply processed the onion and garlic for 3 seconds on speed. 7.  Then did the same for the carrots, and then the mushrooms, and then the sage.  Made it all too easy!!!!

While the meat is cooking, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.  Cook pasta for 8-10 minutes, or until still al dente.  Drain well.

Bechamel Sauce

TM Method:
Place all the ingredients in the TM bowl and cook for 12 minutes at 90 degrees on speed 4.

Once the sauce is cooked add the mozzarella cheese, and 4 tbs of the parmesan cheese to the sauce, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Mix on speed 5 for 5 seconds.



(I did not make this recipe - I used the TM version above!)
Conventional Method:
110g unsalted butter
110g (3/4) cup all purpose flour
1000ml (4 cups) milk
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium - low heat.  Add the flour, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Remove the pan from the heat and gradually stir in the milk.  Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth.  Add the bay leaf and let simmer gently for 2 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and season to taste with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.


Spoon the pork mixture in a large ovenproof dish.  Add the bechamel sauce to the drained pasta.  Mix well.  Spoon the pasta and sauce mixture over the pork mixture.  Sprinkle the top of the sauce with the reserved 4 tbs of parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with additional parmesan cheese on the side.

I must say this was one of the nicest pasta dishes I have had in a long time.  The flavours were great, and a big bonus for me was that there vegetables in there - and "The Darlings" had no clue!!!  Just gobbled it all down!!

This was a big winner in my books - and there was sufficient left over that I have put some in the freezer for another night for "The Darlings".  Everyone is a winner now!!!  Got to love that!!!

So Dear Readers tell me what is your favourite pasta dish?  Is it creamy, meat, seafood, vegetarian?? Do tell.

Prawn Bisque with Spaghetti and Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

Mother's Day has been and gone. I am a happy girl - I got my cookbooks - but really haven't had too much time to devour them completely yet - I have had a quick flick through, and there are some lovely recipes that I want to make. The Macaron book certainly has me interested, and after a quick trip to Manly yesterday I am more than anxious to try my hand at macarons again.

I decided to take my mum on a "Post Mother's Day" treat down to Adriano Zumbo's Patissier - she lives about an hour and a half away and this would be a bit of an adventure for her.

I will let you in on a little bit of a secret - don't go after Mother's Day!!! We walked into the store and were greeted by empty cabinets!!! I said - oh, hasn't the truck arrived yet? (remember last time??) - and they replied - we totally sold out of all the cakes yesterday (Mother's Day!!) 

Imagine BIG sad faces now!!!

What???? This can't be!!! They did however have some macarons. We were going to have lunch, then come back and get some macarons - but we were quietly told - no, this is all they had!! Better buy up quick - here is the selection they had yesterday

Left to right Satay, Vanilla, Caramelised Palm Sugar, Strawberries and Cream, Ginger and Kaffir Lime, Mint and Chestnut, Honeycomb and Gingerbread, and Pandan!

Clutching our macarons we headed out to find some lunch - we had intended to have a pie and eat it in the sun on the pier - but unfortunately yesterday, Manly was hit with gale force icy cold winds - this was not going to be an option today!

As we headed back to the car after lunch, we decided to take one last look into Zumbo land - and luckily we did - as joy of joys, somehow, from somewhere, they had procured a few cakes!!! Unfortunately I did not get to take any photos - but I did take a photo of the one cake I bought - can't remember it's name - but think it was Cocoa Bombe - we have not cut into it yet - but I will let you know when we do!!  There are certainly some eclectic choices in the collection at the moment!  There was one called Enter the Dragon - but I thought that was a little too out there for my lot!!!

So back to the real topic of the post. In the latest edition of MasterChef there is a section called MasterClass - this edition's is about European Classics. One of the dishes that caught my eye was Lobster Bisque. I certainly couldn't afford Lobster - but in the tip section it said for a more economical version to make it with green prawns. I set out to get the ingredients - but somewhere along the way I missed a couple - so this is what eventuated - and I must say it was pretty good!!

Prawn Bisque with Spaghetti and Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

Adapted from MasterChef Magazine - May edition

Serves 4

1 kg green prawns, shelled, reserve shells

3 french eschalots, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 small bulb fennel, roughly chopped, fronds reserved
1 tsp peppercorns
3 bay leaves
5 sprigs lemon thyme
1/3 cup brandy
3 cups chicken stock
3 vine ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
250 ml cooking cream
small bunch of parsley

I simply blitzed all the vegetables, individually, in the thermomix on Turbo twice - to chop them up.

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add 2 tbs oil to the pan. Add the prawn shells and heads, and cook stirring for 5 minutes. Add the eschalots, garlic, carrot and fennel and cook stirring for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme and cook stirring for an additional 2 minutes. Add the brandy, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until almost all evaporated. Add the reserved fennel fronds, stock, and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 35 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by 1/3.

Add the cream and the parsley, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours into the cream.

Strain the bisque through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, by pressing down on the solids. Discard the solids. Bring the bisque to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced by 1/3. Season with salt.

During the time that the bisque is reducing, make the roasted garlic tomatoes.

Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

1 punnet (400g) tomato medley

4 cloves crushed garlic

olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Line a baking tray with foil. Cut the tomatoes into into halves or quarters (depending on size) sprinkle with the garlic and olive oil. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lovely and golden.

While the tomatoes are roasting and the bisque is reducing put your pasta on to cook.  Cook according to directions on packet.

As all the components come to their final stages - it is time to cook the prawns - simply heat a large frypan over medium high heat.  Add a splash or olive oil, 2-3 cloves crushed gar;lic and quickly pan fry the prawns until they change colour and are cooked through.

To plate up place some pasta in the bottom of a serving bowl, top with the prawns, then ladle over some bisque.  Top the whole lot with a little of the roasted tomatoes!

What a wonderful "posh" dish.  May not be exactly as printed in MasterChef Magazine - but we enjoyed it never the less!!!

Dear Readers as a post script - I have had so many problems entering this post - so I apologise if there are any errors that I have missed - I have had enough of this post!!!! - Let's publish and be done!!

Surimi Pasta

Call me crazy - but on my last night of freedom before the marauding hordes came home I didn't feel like eating leftovers.  I really should have been taking advantage of the quiet - no one asking for dinner - no pressure to perform in the kitchen - but no - I just couldn't sit still in front of the TV and relax (I wish I had - they were back home for I swear 5 minutes, and I was threatening to send them back from wence they came!!!)

Unfortunately I did not have anything defrosted (I had planned on making a Malaysian Chicken Curry - but had put the chicken in the freezer thinking I was going to have the leftovers from my Pasta
e Fagioli from the other night).  No, that wasn't what I felt like - I felt like something seafoody - it was after all Good Friday isn't that what we are supposed to eat??!!  What should I make?  I did have some green prawns in the freezer - no too much fiddling around.  Then it hit me,  I remembered seeing a bag of "seafood extender" "fake crab" - Surimi - call it what you will -   when I had cleaned out the freezer recently -  this was going to be dinner!!  Easy to defrost (simply place on a plate over the air conditioning register for a few minutes - and voila - ready to prepare!!!)

image credit

This is kind of an old standby from days gone by - you could do this with prawns if you like - but the sweetness of the basil really lends itself well to the surimi!  I love how quick and easy this is!

Surimi Pasta

Serves 3 - 4


300g Surimi
3 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded basil (cut into ribbons using scissors)
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp sugar
200ml cooking cream
salt and pepper
200g pasta of choice (I used spaghetti)
grated parmesan to serve

Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until cooked.  Drain well.

Heat a frypan over medium high heat.  Add a  splash of olive oil, fry the garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, and the tomato pasea  cook for 2-3 minutes, or until starting to thicken.  Add the white wine, salt and papper to taste, and the  sugar, simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened.

Add the surimi, basil and cream.  Simmer gently for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.  Adjust seasonings if needed.

Toss through the pasta.

Serve in a bowl topped with parmesan cheese.

I can hear you saying - but doesn't this serve 3-4??  Yes - and yes I have more leftovers!  I really must learn to cook for one!!!  Too used to cooking for a crowd!!!

Pasta e Fagioli

This dish was one of the presentation dishes at a Thermomix demonstration I attended recently.  It was definitely my kind of dish - sort of like a minestrone - but not really.  All the comfort elements though - pasta, beans, cheese, and hint of chilli and tomato.  You could also make it more soupy or pasta"y" depending on your mood.

One of the beautiful things I love about life with Thermie is that if I am not in the mood to cook - simple dishes like this are a breeze.  Simply add the ingredients and sit down to watch the news!  Can't get much better than that can you?

Last night even though I am eating alone again - (sent "The Darlings" and Mr. CCC on a little vacation without me - and am I loving the peace and quiet????  What do you think????   Unfortunately though all good things must come to an end - and they are due back early tomorrow morning)  So even though this meal makes enough for 4-6 I thought why not whip up a potful and have some leftovers for another night.

Pasta e Fagioli
Adapted from Thermomix EDC Cookbook

Serves 4-6

100g parmesan cheese, cubed (to serve if desired?!)
1-2 red chillies (to taste)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 onion
50g olive oil
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped, including leaves
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
2-3 fresh tomatoes (depending on size)
2 tbs TM concentrated vegetable stock
900g water
300g macaroni pasta
wild rocket to serve

Place the parmesan cheese into the TM bowl and grate for 10 seconds on speed 9.  Set aside.

Place the chilli, garlic and onion into the TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7.

Scrape from the sides of the bowl using a spatula.

Add the olive oil and saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Add the celery, 1 can of the beans, the tomatoes and the stock, then pulverise for 15 seconds on speed 6.

Add the water and cook for 10 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Add the pasta and the remaining can of beans and cook for 10 minutes at 100 degrees on reverse and soft speed.

While the pasta is cooking heat your Thermoserver by filling with boiling water, allow to sie for 10 minutes while the final stages of cooking are happening.  Remove water and wipe dry.

Place the wild rocket in the base of the Thermoserver.  Top with the cooked pasta mixture and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.  Stir the rocket through the pasta, and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the pasta in a bowl, topped with the reserved grated parmesan cheese.

Pure comfort food in a bowl!!!  Yummmmm!  Might just have the leftovers tonight!!!

Now don't be daunted by the fact that this was made in the Thermomix - this can just as "easily" (well perhaps not!!) be made using conventional methods - and of course replacing the TM stock concentrate with liquid chicken stock.  Chop by hand, and boil - you know the drill!!!

So what have I been doing with all my spare time with "The Darlings" away you may ask?  Today I spent the day in the kitchen - made some yummy pull apart hot cross buns/bread - and then "precious" and I experimented and had our very first go at making macarons!!!!  Were they a success you ask - well you will just have to wait and see - we were a little adventurous - we made Fruit Tingle Fizz Macarons!!!!  Stay tuned...........

This is what is known as a teaser!!!

You will have to come back again to find out about these!!!!!

Pasta to feed a small army and Pumpkin Soup

I know there are those of you out there (yet again - who won't leave comments here - but make their voices known!) that think that we are not eating.  Well let me set the record straight.  Yes, we are, but life is back into full swing, and what can I say, yes I often take short cuts - make meals that are going to provide the least resistance - meals that I can make in seconds flat - and you know what that means - UNBLOGGABLE!!!  Sorry!!

So in order to make amends,  I will share with you my day in the kitchen yesterday.

A dear friend of mine was having surgery, and I wanted to make life a little easier on her family while she tried (if that is at all possible in a hospital!) get a bit of a rest.  So I set about making a meal for them, and some soup for her for when she got home.  Oh, and I did think I would also make our family's dinner in there as well (sadly misguided I know - always attempting more than is actually achievable!!) - better not tell you that I also wanted to make a cake, and a slice to send to my friend's as well - (you guessed it - ran out of time!!!  As I am starting to make the dinner I decide why not just increase the amounts and feed two families at one - and hence the name Pasta to Feed a Small Army!!!

This is just a variation on my my 4 ingredient pasta - but there was a definite thumbs up from both camps after sampling!

Pasta to feed a small army!

750g dried macaroni pasta
800g can chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g tomato soup
approx 1 - 1.5kg sausages (around 36 sausages)
2 x red capsicums
250g cherry tomatoes
6 cloves garlic crushed
2 onions, finely diced
250g cheddar cheese, grated
100g parmesan cheese, grated

Cut the red capsicums in half.  Lay on a baking tray that has been lined with foil.  Place the cherry tomatoes on the tray as well.  Spray liberally with olive oil spray.  Grill under a hot grill for 10-15 minutes, or until skin blisters and blackens.  Allow to cool.  When cool enough to handle remove the blackened skin from the capsicum, chop into small pieces.  Leave the cherry tomatoes - they will do their own stuff!!

Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Drain and reserve.

Cut a small hole in the end of the sausages, squeeze small amounts (mini meatballs size) into a heated frying pan.  Cook in batches until all sausages (meatballs are cooked).  Drain on paper towels.

Remove the fat from the sausages from the pan with paper towels.  Add a small amount of olive oil and cook the onions and garlic for 5 minutes, or until softened.

In a large saucepan combine the macaroni, meatballs, canned tomatoes, tomato soup, chopped capsicums, roasted cherry tomatoes, onion, and garlic (everything except the cheese!!)

Place the combined mixture into baking trays (disposable ones if you are giving the meal away, or freezing for later!!)  Top with the combined cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese.

Now if you are cooking right away - heat the oven to 180C.  Cook for 15-30 minutes - or until the top is golden, and the cheese melted.  Serve with additional grated parmesan cheese.

There were lots of happy faces around the place after this one!!!  Now you might like to vary it slightly - alter the sausages - use spicy, or chicken - you may like to add some chilli to the mix - but this is a great base that pleases everyone - and is also very thrifty on the budget!!!  Give it a go - it will become a dinner winner!

So in addition to the pasta I made a Pumpkin Soup, as Miss Twinkles was having surgery to her throat, and needed to eat soft food for a while.  Of course the Thermomix came in very handy for this!  I did alter the recipe slightly though.....

Pumpkin Soup
adapted from EDC - Thermomix Cookbook

1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 tbs oil
500g butternut pumpkin, peeled, roughly cubed
1 carrot, peeled, roughly chopped
1 granny smith apple, peeled, core removed
1 tbs TM Stock concentrate (or 500ml chicken stock)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs greek style yoghurt
2 tbs sour cream (this was because this was all I had!!!)
coriander

Place the onion into the TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.

Add the oil and saute for 3 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Add the pumpkin, carrot and apple.  Chop for 15 seconds on speed 7.

Add the stock and cook for 20 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Blend for 20 seconds by slowly going from speed 1 to speed 9.

Scrape down the bowl, and repeat.

Add the sour cream, and yoghurt, season to taste, and combine for 10 seconds on speed 5.

So there you have it Dear Readers - I have been cooking - and as you can see - very simple, easy to please meals!!!

I must go now ..... off to a Thermomix Cooking Class - will tell all about it later.

Have a good weekend!!

Stuffed Squid in Napolitana Sauce

I guess by now you have all figured out that I have a little bit of a cooking magazine obsession.  Yesterday I had to have a bit of a cleanup and move the pile that has been accumulating on the kitchen bench down to the bookcase that groans under the weight of all that I have collected over the years.

The trouble with cookbook magazines is that when they arrive you flick through them and get entranced by all the lovely shiny photos.  Then if you are like me, you put little flags on the pages of the recipes that you want to make, but the problem is that then another magazine arrives and you get distracted by those recipes and forget to go back to the ones that were so interesting in the first one.  This is a never ending cycle with me!!  So it was good to revisit a book from last year this week - and I have now in fact made three recipes from this old magazine that I never got around to making a year ago!!

Finally last night I made the Stuffed Squid that I had vowed to make back in August last year.

Look how beautiful this looks - very festive looking (we have had a bit of a red and green theme happening her this week haven't we??)

I have made another recipe for stuffed squid before - but this was by far the best.  If you have ever made stuffed quid before you will know (as I do - but I still did it again!) - don't overstuff the squid - it all just bursts out during the cooking process.  This time it wasn't too bad as the risoni was precooked so it didn't expand too much.  * The recipe states 4 squid hoods - but depending on the size of the hoods I think you can probably fill 5 hoods with this amount of filling.

Stuffed Squid in Napolitana Sauce
Adapted from a recipe found in Woolworth's Fresh Magazine dated August 2009

Serves 4

1 cup risoni pasta
1/2 red onion, finely diced
200g peeled green prawns, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tbs currants
1/4 cup continental parsley, finely chopped
4-5 squid hoods *
1 tbs olive oil
700ml passata


Cook risoni in plenty of boiling salted water for 9 minutes.  Drain well.

Combine the risoni with the onion, prawns, pine nuts, currants and parsley.  Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Stuff the squid with the risoni misture. (Don't overstuff!!!)  Close the tops of the squid and use toothpicks to secure.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the squid tubes, and brown well all over.  Pour over the tomato passata, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with a rocket, asparagus and cherry tomato salad topped with shavings of parmesan cheese.  I dressed this salad with my Special Balsamic Sauce (scroll down - it is with the Parmesan Chicken!!)

How Festive looking is that???

This was a lovely light meal - just a perfect summer's night!  It was really quite easy too - I know I say that about everything - but it really was.

So Dear Readers do you collect cookbook magazines like me?  If so do you remove the recipes you like, and discard the magazine, or are you like me and have a mountain of them??

Pastitsio

I guess by now you have figured out that I am a food magazine junkie!!  Yes, I tend to buy most of them.  I justify it to myself that if I make at least one recipe from the magazine then it was worth buying it!!  I seem to be on a bit of a roll with this months Good Taste Magazine - this is the 3rd recipe I have made from it (well worth the investment I'd say!!)

The recipe I made last night was for Pastitsio.  Kind of the Greek relative of lasagne!!  Only not as time consuming to make!  This recipe was even better because they had replaced the bechamel sauce with greek yoghurt - so that makes it a little healthier!

Pastitsio


Serves 6 -8

1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp allspice
1 kg lamb mince
1/2 cup red wine
670ml bottle tomato passata (tomato pasta sauce)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 dried bay leaves
300g dried macaroni pasta
1/4 cup chopped continental parsley
500g Greek style natural yoghurt
200g feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, lightly whisked
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Cook the onion, stirring for 4 minutes or until golden.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.  Add the allspice and stir to coat.  Increase the heat to high.  Add the mince and cook, stirring for 6-8 minutes, or until the mince has all changed colour.   Making sure to break up any lumps.  Add the wine and cook until the liquid reduced by half.  Add the passata, stock, cinnamon, oregano and bay leaves.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 50 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet.  Drain well.

Add the cooked pasta and parsely  to the mince mixture.

Combine the yoghurt, feta, egg and nutmeg in a bowl.  Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Lightly grease a 3L (12 cup) capacity ovenproof dish.

Pour the mince mixture into the prepared pan.  Top with the yoghurt mixture.  Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly before serving - this makes it easier to serve!

So tell me Dear Readers do you have a regular purchase that you have to justify in some way to yourself?