Menu plan #2

 Mincing the meat

 2 layers of sausages in the varoma 

 Served with pasta

Greek-Style Sausages in Tomato Sauce (Recipe from Devil of a Cookbook)

Sausage Ingredients:

800g beef cubed (I find about 3cm cubes and semi frozen given best texture)

1 onion, quartered

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp fresh or 1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried mint leaves

1 tsp ground cumin 

70g bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sea salt to taste

1 tsp black pepper to taste

Method:

Place 1/2 of the beef into mixing bowl and mince 4 times/1 sec/closed lid/turbo. Repeat with remaining beef and set aside with first batch.

Place onion, garlic, herbs and cumin into mixing bowl and chop 2-3 sec/sp 7. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add all remaining sausage ingredients, including reserved mince and mix for 2-3 sec/closed lid/turbo.

Roll 2 tablespoons of mixture into a small sausage shape, repeating with the remaining mixture. Place sausages into the varoma bowl and tray and set aside until required.

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

1 onion, quartered

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

120g red wine

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

80g tomato paste

3 tsp Thermomix vegetable stock concentrate

1 tsp sugar

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Few sprigs of thyme and oregano to garnish

Method:

Place onion, garlic and oregano into mixing bowl and chop 2-3 sec/sp 7. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add oil and saute 2 min/varoma/reverse/sp1.

Ass wine and cook for 2 min/varoma/reverse/sp 1.

Add all remaining sauce ingredients except garnish. Set varoma into position and cook for 20-25 min/varoma/reverse/sp 1.

Place sauce and sausages into Thermoserver, top with sprigs of thyme and oregano and stand for 5-10 mins before serving.

Serve with mashed potato or pasta, yum!!

Spinach Fettuccine with Vegetable Pasta Sauce

I used the pasta dough recipe from the EDC and blitzed a handful of uncooked baby spinach 

with the flour before proceeding with the recipe. 

Heaps of hidden veggies in this dish!

Vegetable Pasta Sauce (Recipe from Louise Fulton Keats Baby & Toddler Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 brown onion, peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 carrot, roughly chopped

150g pumpkin, roughly chopped (no need to peel if using butternut pumpkin)

2 zucchini, roughly chopped

100g button mushrooms

4 tomatoes quartered

1 tbsp tomato paste

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

1 tsp brown sugar

3 sprigs of fresh basil or oregano leaves

(Personally I feel this recipe needs a little salt added if for the whole family, so I added 2 tbsp of vegetable stock concentrate also)

Method:

Place onion and garlic into mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/sp 7. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Add oil and saute 2 min/100C/sp 2.

Add carrot, pumpkin, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes and chop 5 sec/sp7. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.

Add tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, sugar (and stock concentrate if using) and cook 15 min/100C/sp2 with MC removed and TM basket on lid to prevent splatter.

Add herbs, replace MC, and blend 1 min/sp 7, gradually increasing from speed 1 to speed 7.

This recipe makes about 1.5L and freezes well.

Chicken Enchiladas:

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/chicken-enchiladas/47050

These were and absolute hit at my house! Next time I will add some vegetable stock concentrate to the enchilada sauce, I also added in a tin of red kidney beans, and only needed 1 avocado, not 2 as per the recipe.

I had time to make my own tortillas from scratch which is worth the extra effort if you have time. I got the recipe from the Robogourmet iPad app:

320g plain flour

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp baking powder

180g warm water

Put all ingredients in thermomix bowl and mix for 10 sec/sp 7 to combine.

Knead for 3 min/interval setting.

Remove dough and place in oiled bowl (or wrap in thermomat)  and place in warm place to rest. 

Divide dough into 10-12 pieces and roll out flat into rounds.

Fry in a lightly oiled frying pan until they start to brown.

Turn over and cook other side.

I made these as my enchilada sauce was cooking, and kept them warm in the thermoserver.

Pumpkin, Feta and Caramelised Onion Tart: (Recipe from Devil of a Cookbook)

This was the first time I have every made a tart (I've made plenty of quiches and pies, but never a tart!), and it was divine! It was delicious hot and cold, and would be a great one to take along for a picnic etc.

Ingredients: 

500g pumpkin, cut into 4cm cubes

30g olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt, plus extra to sprinkle on pumpkin

2 large onions sliced into rings

1 tbsp sugar

1 quantity short crust pastry (recipe in EDC)

100g Persian feta (I just used a smooth feta)

100g full-cream milk (I used hi-lo)

100g pouring cream min 30% fat (I used light pouring cream)

2 eggs

Method:

(I made my short crust pastry while my pumpkin was roasting, before caramelising the onions, and wrapped in my thermomat and put it into the fridge to cool before rolling out)

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Grease a 23cm pie tin and set aside.

Place pumpkin into a heavy based roasting pan, drizzle with 1/2 the oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20-30 min, until soft and slightly coloured on the edges. Set aside.

Place onion, sugar and remaining oil into mixing bowl and saute for 30min/varoma/reverse/sp 2. Set aside.

Line prepared tin with pastry and blind bake until golden brown (approx 30 min). Spread reserved caramelised onion over cooked pastry shell, crumble over feta and top with reserved pumpkin.

Place milk, cream, eggs and remaining salt into mixing bowl and mix for 10 sec/sp 3.

Carefully pour over pumpkin base and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until just set.

We ate it served with steamed broccolini :)

Steamed Trevalla with Lime and Coconut Sauce: (Recipe from Devil of a Cookbook)

We had this on a Friday night as an at-home "date night" meal after the kids had gone to bed. It is a delicious example of using the Thermomix to it's full potential, and enjoying a restaurant quality meal in only 20 minutes!

Ingredients:

2 tsp sugar

4 kaffir lime leaves

1 red chilli (deseeded if preferred)

1 clove garlic

2cm piece of ginger, peeled

Flesh 2 limes

2 tsp fish sauce

600g skinless, boneless trevalla (or other white fish of choice), cut into serving portions

400g full-cream coconut milk (I used light and it was fine)

350g basmati rice

2 bunches bok choy, washed and drained

coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Place sugar and lime leaved into mixing bowl and mill 10 sec/sp 9.

Add chilli, garlic, ginger, lime and fish sauce and chop 10 sec/sp 9.

Add coconut milk to mixing bowl and heat for 4 min/100C/sp1. Pour sauce into thermoserver to keep warm.

Without washing bowl, place 1L water into mixing bowl. Place rice into basket, rinse and insert. Place fish into varoma dish and bok choy onto varoma tray. Set varoma into position and steam for 13-16min/varoma/sp 4.

Serve rice topped with fish and bok choy. Pour over reserved lime and coconut sauce and garnish with coriander.

Enjoy with a glass of wine!