Winter Season's Soups for Thought

If you lisp the title is totally alliteration!

I love Chowder, so today's test recipe is from the Seafood Bounty cookbook. It's probably safe to say I didn't follow the recipe.

What I used:

250g of mixed seafood (you can just buy the generic marinara mix from Coles/Woolies)

150g of snapper fillet (chopped to approx same size as fish in marinara mix. I like fish so I put more in, could've used salmon... or any other white fish)

1 small brown onion
30g butter
300g milk (low fat)
100g thickened cream or double cream
1/2 tblspn of TM Vegetable paste
2 medium carrots (cubed/roughly chopped - can do in TM or hand chop)
3 baby potatoes (cubed, ensure larger than chopped carrot size)
Pepper & fresh Parsley (garnish/taste)

Method to my madness:
1. Add Onion to bowl, chop Speed 5, 5 seconds.

2. Add chopped carrots, and butter. Fry on 100C, Speed1 for 3 minutes.

3. Add cubed potato, TMstock paste & milk. Cook on Varoma temperature, Speed 1 reverse, for 10 minutes.

4. Place seafood in steaming basket. Varoma temperature, Speed 1 reverse, 6 minutes.
5. Use spatula to remove basket ingredients into Thermoserver. Pour on soup.

Serve: Add hand chopped fresh parsley for garnish, and a dash of cracked pepper upon serving to bowls. If you made breadrolls - perfect. If you had left over bread? grill / bake it a bit and have homemade croutons! I put garlic butter on mine and oven bake it bit before adding to soups.

You can also cook shell pasta al dente in the mix - I'd recommend add extra milk (100g-200g) Add your pasta in the bowl and steam your seafood in the Varoma (like the cookbook suggests). Pasat measure, 100g is plenty! Your chowder already has potatoes and carrots to buff it up.

Taste test - I used penne pasta (gluten free for it) - absorbs the soup better. It's not as thick as restaurant chowder but then again I didn't use flour or anything that contained gluten to thicken it. To thicken can also use the garlic croutons I mentioned? make that into crumbs and add to soup in Step 5.

I used low fat milk because I had it on hand and also thougth if I used 200g of cream I'd have to declog my arteries afterwards.

This recipe made me nearly 5 bowls of soup. Imagine what the full recipe in the Seafood Bounty cookbook makes?

Naming my Thermomix and ... outfitting.

Ok after reading entries on Facebook about naming Thermomix for a prize, I read through the comments and couldn't believe all the names that came up. I won't provide a link you all can search for yourselves. I think it was either Tenina's or the Quirky Cooking facebook page that ran it.

I then realized, I haven't named mine. It's been 1 year and 2 months (in 5 days) since I purchased my Thermomix. It's almost as bad as not naming your child within the first month... I do tend to talk to mine quite a bit while testing receipes or just randomly cleaning it. Maybe I should name it.

I'm sure someone has alrady thought of "MoMo". And I actually had a childhood friend with that nickname... so I feel odd using it. "Thermie" is the official Thermomix rep name on facebook... and I think Theo is too masculine for my TM... although the continual beeping sound does sound like: "is it ready, yeah I think it's ready, yup ready! Aren't going to get that, it's ready" in a male-ish sort of voice.

What dya all think of "MoMi"? a play on the name and play on the "mini-me" concept.

People always ask if there's other accessories for the Thermomix... This leads me to the concept of "dressing up" your Thermomix. A customer mentioned it does look plain, and they hoped it came in stainless steel to match all their shiny kitchen. So a quick google search (and knowledge my eBay account has this already 'favourited') revealed:
ThermoDress ThermoStickers for your Thermomix
ThermoSkins on Facebook or their website.
DecoTMX and many more...

There's also additional (non-official) cleaning brushes for the Thermomix, such as this.

I really like this one.

Winter Exploration: Pineapple, Red Capsicum & Gochujang Pork Ribs.

Receipe I worked on is here.

Ingredient sources: 

• Gochujang (Korea Chilli Paste, can be found in your local Asian grocers along William St, Northbridge, or Korean grocers on either/both Newcastle St, Northbridge or Pier St in city.)
• Kecap manis (again, local Asian grocers, such as Viet Thien/Lucky/Kongs etc all will stock this).

You can choose to not add pineapple. But I like think the fruit/fructose taste is a more natural a sweetener . Apple pieces work too! Pick the golden delicious apples, they're sweeter. (yeah I know there's already 30 grams of sugar and kecap manis... that is enough).

I did use a Pemberton Lost Lakes, Honey Merlot as my wine of choice. I'm thinking sweet sherry or dolcetto syrah will do. The dish tastes sweeter the next day.

I'm thinking this will work with beef ribs. But I haven't tested that yet. I will soon.

I have also had a request to do "Coca cola sticky ribs". Not really sure that's healthy... but then again, I'm in it for the food not the health benefits.

Want to make this a 1 pot, 1 hour all done deal?

Follow below steps:

1. chop 1 glove of garlic in TM bowl, Speed 3-4 is sufficent for a few seconds.

2. Stir fry in 30 g of olive oil, Varoma, 3 minutes, Speed soft.

3. Toss in roughly chopped greens (bak choy or kailan), do a 10 second, Reverse Speed 2 stir to coat in garlic/oils.

4. Remove and set aside in Varoma receptacle/tray.  

5. Follow receipe to cook the ribs.

6. But at Step 3, pop on the Varoma receptacle/tray as well.

7. Pour all into Thermoserver.

8. Soak / wash rice.

9. Steam rice on Varoma temperature (120g/16minutes or 400g/25minutes) Speed 2-4. Time depends on how much rice you used, and how soft you want your rice. I find anything under 20 minutes is too chewy for me personally.

10. Leave it in the bowl to rest for 2-5 minutes with MC on to 'soak in the steam'!

Note: I used medium grained Jasmine rice. For bismati/wild/brown, you may need more time or liquid.

For presentation (other than chucking it in a bowl like I did). Scoop rice into a round mug, tip over to form a nice dome shaped rice mound on plate, place pieces of ribs and then vegetables on. Looks pretty when you bring over to table.

Chilli Mussels - Variation

EDC recipe with adjustments: I doubled it (some stuff) & substituted a few fresh items from pantry.

Step 1 - Additional whole onion, halved. 4 pcs garlic & 2 medium red chillis (1 with seeds inclusive). Basil leaves, two sticks of rosemary. Choppe on Speed 5, 5 seconds.
Step 2 - Add 2 cans of tomatoes (I purchased the one with pre mixed basil & oregano - adds extra flavor). Add 1 Tbspn of TM vegetable paste. Add 1 Tbspn of pizza base tomato paste.
Step 3 - Then place Varoma receptacle filled with cleaned mussels (2kg) on top of locked in lid).
Step 4 - Add 200 mL of white wine by drizzling it over mussels.
Step 5 - Cook for 20 mins on Varoma temp, at Speed 1.
Step 6 - At 16 mins, pick out the opened mussels, keep cooking the rest.
Step 7 - most mussels will have opens by 20 mins mark. Serve with sauce poured on top, garnish with chopped parsley / lemon rind / finely chopped spring onions.

Note: upon testing different branded & variation (diced, whole) cans of tomatoes. Coles or the generic brand canned vegetables will be more watery. So reduce the wine accordingly.

Asian Meal for 4 (Pt2) - Miso & Tofu Soup & Steamed Kailan

You should have plenty of spare Tofu left from the Tofu & Mince dish in Pt1.

To make Miso Soup:

Add in 1 Ltr of water

Add 2 Tbspn fo Miso Paste (white or brown)

Add some wakame or dried seaweed (you can find this at local Asian grocers)

Add your left over tofu.

Stack your cleaned kailan on the Varoma Tray. You can spread the vegetables out onto Varoma Receptacle as well.

Turn on your TM for Varoma, Speed 2 for 15 mins. For a nice soup.

Pour a dash of oyster sauce & a sprinkle of sesame oil over your kailain to serve!

Even better if you have left over spring onions from your previous dish, sprinkle some on for garnish.

Ok, so I sort of threw it altogether and the timing ... and steps will need further refinement. But this is pretty much the way to serve 4 dishes in under an hour. I use my rice cooker on the side to make rice at the same time.

Dessert: See my Hei zhi ma hu (黑芝麻糊), my final recipe version is here on teh Recipe Community: Black Sesame Paste/Soup

If you already prepped this, just add into a clean TM bowl and cook for 7 mins with the appropriate amoutn of liquid.

Asian Meal for 4 (Pt1) - Kecap Manis Pork Belly & Tofu with Minced Pork

This is essentially a variation of my braised pork ribs made easy using pork belly and substituting 1/2 the sugar with kecap manis - which brings out the sweet flavours. I add 1/2 a tbspn of the TM Vegetable paste instead of using soy sauce as the salt content. Brings in extra depth in flavour.

While this is cooking on the bottom you can make Tofu with Minced Pork. In order to demonstrate this for friends or customers, I general use a strip of the frozen pork belly skin removed and mince this myself in the TM. You can just use a lean pork mince for this.

The recipe is available on teh Recipe Community so I won't repeat unnecessary info here. I've added a few photos to whet your appetite.

The pork belly takes about 20 - 30 mins, but your tofu dish takes longer. When combined, go for 35 - 40 mins at Varoma, Speed 1. Trust me the meat will not get tougher, it will only become more tender and melt-in-your-mouth!

 

Fundraiser for August :)

The cause is a really good one.

I'm baking up a storm for Australian Red Cross, a cause that is close to my heart and I would welcome any contribution, great or small, that you could make!

Please visit my Fundraising Page: http://bigcakebake.gofundraise.com.au/page/nekoTMbakeoff

All donations to this site are electronically wired to Australian Red Cross and an automatic receipt is emailed to you immediately.

Help me bake the world a better place by making a donation - every little bit helps to reach my modest target of $200.

My promise to sponsors: Donations above $50, will receive a cake order or cupcake order at a date of your choice! Contact me to arrange!

Thank you for your support!