Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - farfallina

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 23
1
Desserts / 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pudding
« on: December 15, 2017, 11:18:46 am »
Hi guys,

Christmas is very near... After a long time I am here today to share with you a very sweet, healthy and easy recipe. No refined sugar, no refined oil... Only persimmons and cacao powder... This could be a game changer when you aim to eat healthier but crave for something sweet. ;)

As some of you know I live in a small town in Italy. Our town becomes a persimmon paradise in this time of the year. You can see persimmon trees anywhere you go.

I am lucky enough to have friends with persimmon trees in their garden and some days back I've been given so many of them. So I've decided to prepare this easy peasy dessert.

VERY IMPORTANT TIP: We need only two ingredients for the recipe. Some very RIPE persimmons and unsweetened cacao powder. It is essential to use ripe persimmons in order to obtain the sweetness and the consistency we want in our pudding. Because there is a huge difference between ripe and unripe persimmon fruits in regard to taste and the texture!

As ripe persimmons have darker color, gel-like consistency and are very sweet, unripe fruits are, instead, harder and astringent because of their high tannin content. As they mature the tannin gradually disappears and the fruit gets sweeter and more aromatic.

If your persimmons are not ripe enough you can let them ripen at home. When they are ready the flesh will become completely soft, almost gel-like.
 
 Here comes a tip from my mother in law to speed up the ripening process: Put your persimmons on a plate with their stem side down. Place 2 - 3 apples among persimmons. Put the plate in a bag and place it in a dark place at room temperature, for example inside a cupboard, until the fruits are ripe enough.

I've got this recipe from my dear friend Andrea who told me to use 1 tsp of cacao powder per persimmon.
 I prepared this pudding with 7 persimmons. It was enough for 7 people. Here are the exact ingredients..
 
Ingredients:
7 very RIPE persimmons ==> 1.150 g
7 tsp organic no sugar added cacao powder ==> 50 g

Preparation:

    Wash and gently peel persimmons.

    Place peeled persimmons and cacao powder in TM Bowl and blend until smooth for about 40 seconds, gradually increasing the speed to 10.

    Transfer the mixture into serving cups. Store them in the fridge for at least 3 hours before you serve.

    Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2017/12/2-ingredient-chocolate-pudding.html





2
Breakfast / Oat Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie
« on: February 10, 2017, 10:00:42 am »
Hi everyone

I'd like to share with you guys our "Plan B" breakfast today.
We usually prepare our breakfast the night before.. We often have Mixed Berry Overnight Oats for breakfast.
However, If, for some reason, we skipped preparing our breakfast the night before, our darling Thermomix comes in our aid and we prepare this smoothie in the morning.
It is a sweet and fresh way to start our day, mostly in summer.

I hope you enjoy it. ;)



Ingredients (for 2):
50 g oats
20 g flax seeds
10 g chia seeds
120 g frozen bananas
50 g pomegranate juice (100% fruit, sugar-free)*
50 g frozen or fresh blueberries
10 g raisins
10 g goji berries
20 g walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon
300 g organic sugar-free soy milk or almond milk

Topping:
60 g frozen or fresh blueberries

* We use pomegranate juice ice cubes to be exact. We are lucky enough to have some friends around who have pomegranate trees in their gardens, we are given many when they are in season. We first juice them and then freeze pomegranate juice as ice cubes and store in the freezer for future use.

Preparation:

    Place oats, chia and flaxseeds in TM Bowl and pulverize for 10 seconds on Speed 10.

    Add the remaining smoothie ingredients and blend until smooth for about 30 - 40 seconds, gradually increasing the speed to 9.

    Transfer into bowls.

    Decorate with blueberries and serve.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2017/02/oat-blueberry-breakfast-smoothie.html




3
Vegetarian / Mushroom Tofu Loaf (with photos)
« on: February 07, 2017, 09:22:11 am »
Hi everyone,

I'd like to share the recipe of a non-meat loaf today. I've made it many times. We like it very much.
It could be prepared in advance.. It freezes well too.

Besides vegans/vegetarians, I thought it might interest also those who may want to try something new, low in fat and cholesterol, high in nutrients and plant protein.

I often serve it together with oven baked potatoes and a simple tomato salad.

The recipe is originally from Eat to Live Cookbook. I've made some changes on the original recipe due to our needs. It may include some unfamiliar ingredients (well.. familiarity issue may change from one country to another but they were unfamiliar to me), I've explained how to replace them in case you don't have them.

After trying both ways, with and without Thermomix, I've found that chopping vegetables by hand and sauteing them in non-stick pan more desirable for this particular recipe.

I've used Thermomix as a blender instead.

Here comes the recipe..


Ingredients (for 6):

Non-meat Mushroom Tofu Loaf:
250 g onions
60 g celery stick
400 g mushrooms
1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp salt-free meat loaf spice (*1)
1 Tbsp oregano
50 g water
40 g arrowroot powder (*2)
2 tsps Bragg's Liquid Aminos (*3) or low sodium Soy Sauce or Tamari
400 g organic natural firm tofu (with no added salt, sugar or spice)
100 g chopped walnuts
100 g brown rice
80 g whole wheat bread crumbs

Roasted Potatoes:
1 kg potatoes
A few sprigs of rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper
Very little salt

Tomato salad:
500 g cherry tomatoes
150 g green or red pepper
75 g scallions
Parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice


(*1) You can buy any no-salt added meat loaf mixture of your preferred brand, or you can simply prepare your own special mixture. When I don't have any ready to use meatball spice at home, I prepare one using ground cumin, sweet paprika, black pepper and allspice.

(*2) Arrowroot powder (aka arrowroot starch) is a thickening agent often used to thicken baby formulas, puddings, soups ... etc. It aids digestion, boosts immune function. You can substitute with potato starch or cornstarch.

(*3) Bragg's Liquid Aminos, is an alternative to soy sauce and tamari. It is rich in amino acids, containing 16 of the 20 found in nature. It is not fermented, made of non-GMO soybeans and purified water. It can be substituted with low sodium soy sauce or tamari.


Preparation:

Mushroom Tofu Loaf:

    Cook brown rice for the cooking time specified on the package. It is usually around 30 - 45 minutes according the type of the rice. Drain and let it cool to room temperature.

    Chop onions, celery and mushrooms into small pieces. Transfer all into a non-stick pan.

    Sauté vegetables until they are soft, stir occasionally. If/when needed add 1 - 2 Tbsps of water to prevent them from sticking.

    Add meatball spice and oregano 1 - 2 minutes before turning the heat off.

    Drain tofu. Pat it dry with paper towel.

    Melt arrowroot powder in 50 g of water. Add Bragg's Liquid Aminos and mix all.

    Mix tofu and arrowroot water for 5 seconds on Speed 5-6.

    Add walnuts into TM Bowl and mix for 5 seconds on Speed 5-6.

    Transfer tofu mixture in a large bowl. Add cooked vegetables, rice and bread crumbs.

    Mix all with a spoon or by hand.

    Cover a loaf pan (11 x 30 cm) with baking paper. Add mixture to pan and spread evenly.

    Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

    Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.


Roasted potatoes:

    When the end of cooking time of your non-meat loaf is near, start washing potatoes with a brush. Do not peel them. Cut them into pieces.

    Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and very little salt. Add rosemary leaves and mix all. Transfer into oven tray previously covered with baking paper.

    Cook in preheated oven at 220°C for 25 minutes.


Tomato salad:

    Chop all the ingredients and dress with lemon juice and pepper. Serve at room temperature.


Service:

    Turn loaf out.

    You can place loaf in a serving tray with potatoes.

    Slice and serve with roasted potatoes and tomato salad.


Enjoy.


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2017/01/mushroom-tofu-loaf.html




   

4
Desserts / Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites (with photos)
« on: February 06, 2017, 10:34:08 am »
Hello dear friends,

Today I'd like to share the recipe for some yummy healthy chocolatey bites.
They are super easy to make and very practical to prepare in advance!
I believe they may become one of your go to recipes!

A few tips:

It is very important to have enough ripe bananas to have the right sweetness and flavor. I can't emphasize this enough.
The bananas with some dark spots are usually ideal for this. They shouldn't be neither green nor overripe.

I always prepare my own sugar-free oil-free salt-free chemical-free peanut butter. I use toasted or lightly toasted peanuts. In my recent peanut butter I used very lightly, almost barely toasted peanuts. That's why my butter has a lighter color than usual.

With the given ingredients and having my bananas sliced about 0.7 cm thick, I've got 22 Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites.

Ingredients:
2 enough ripe bananas (I weighed mine to be precise. They came 350 g unpeeled, 225 g peeled in total)
Peanut Butter
150 g dark chocolate (70% cacao)


Preparation:

    Slice bananas. (Mine were around 0.7 cm thick)

    Spread some peanut butter on one slice, cover it with another.

    Place peanut buttered banana slices on a baking paper.

    Put them in freezer for about 1 hour.

    Break chocolate in pieces and put in TM Bowl. Chop for 10 second on Speed 8.

    Clean the sides of TM Bowl with spatula and let chocolate melt for 3 - 4 minutes at 50ºC on Speed 2.

    Transfer melted chocolate into a small cup.

    Remove bites from freezer and dip them in chocolate with help of two toothpicks. Place chocolate dipped bites on baking paper. You should work quickly so they wouldn't thaw. (You may prefer to get some, lets say 5 bites out of freezer, dip in chocolate, put back in freezer and continue with the remaining bites)

    If you are planning to serve them in a house party it may be a nice idea to use some mini cupcake liners.

    Store them in freezer.

    Before you serve let them stay at room temperature for a few minutes.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2017/02/chocolate-peanut-butter-banana-bites.html








5
Desserts / Chocolate Chia Pudding (with photos)
« on: December 29, 2016, 09:49:08 am »
Hi everyone,

I'd like to share a very delicious and healthy recipe today. I do hope you like it.

I prepared it for 4 people. The portion size is very generous.
It could be easily prepared in smaller cups, like shot glasses, to serve as mini desserts in house parties.. A new years eve party maybe ?  ;) ;D

By the way... Let me wish you all a very happy belated Christmas and a happy new year, full of joy, laughter and anything you wish for.








Ingredients:

Pudding:
400 g unsweetened organic soy milk
70 g chia seeds
120 g pitted dates
30 g unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 vanilla pod (scraped pulp and seeds only) or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Top:
2 bananas
1 - 2 Tbsp dark chocolate (minimum 70% cacao), chopped into small pieces


Preparation:

    If your dates are hard, let them soak in warm water until they soften.

    Put all pudding ingredients in TM bowl and blend for 40 seconds by speeding up gradually to Speed 10. If needed, scrape down the sides with spatula and blend some more seconds until you have a smooth, creamy pudding.

    Transfer pudding into serving cups.

    Refrigerate them for at least 2 hours.

    Decorate with banana slices and sprinkle with dark chocolate pieces on the top.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2016/12/chocolate-chia-pudding.html





6
Soups / Rustic Soup with Legumes and Cereals (with photos)
« on: November 18, 2016, 12:14:20 pm »
Hi everyone,

Today I'd like to share a very practical soup recipe with you.

I prepared this soup with one of the cereal-legume mixtures I found in the market here in Italy. There are many assorted blends named as Spring soup, winter soup, four season.. etc. Any of them could be fine too. The cooking time may change a bit so better check what's written on the package before you cook. (I don't buy mixtures with chickpeas and beans though. It would take too long to cook)

In my rustic mix there are farro (spelt), rice, red lentils, split peas and green lentils. You can buy a similar mix, or simply prepare it with the ingredients at home.

I also have some news.
I've created a new blog: Bitkisel Cafe. It literally means something like plant-based cafe. I shared only one recipe so far. Mixed berry overnight oats. Thermomix is an essential tool in my kitchen and I use it every day but this one won't be a Thermomix centered blog so I won't be sharing much about it here not to go out of context. In the new blog I will focus on whole food plant based nutrient dense recipes. Let's see how this will go :D You can check it out in case you are interested.

Here comes the recipe:



Ingredients:
130 g onion, roughly chopped
35 g extra virgin olive oil
30 g tomato paste
200 g rustic soup mix
1300 g water
Thermomix Vegetable stock concentrate (I used 20 g)
Salt (if needed)
1 tbsp dried mint

Preparation:

    Chop onion for 5 seconds on Speed 5.

    Scrape down the sides of TM Bowl with spatula. Add oil and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes at 100°C on Speed 1.

    Add legume-cereal mixture, water and Thermomix concentrate. Cook for 35- 40 minutes at 100°C on Speed 1

    Add mint, adjust the salt if needed. Blend for 1 minute on Speed 10


Enjoy...



Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2016/11/rustic-soup-with-legumes-and-cereals.html




7
Cakes / Halloween Cemetery Cake (with photos)
« on: October 27, 2016, 03:40:59 pm »
Hello friends,

Today I'd like to share a special recipe for Halloween.
I made this cemetery cake 3 years ago and somehow forgot to share.

In fact, it is a combination of various recipes that I had already posted in the forum.
My aim was to achieve a good looking spooky cake without compromising from the taste. So I decided to use a combination of some of my favourite recipes.
You can change the combination using your favourites..

Happy Halloween  :-*




Ingredients:

- Cake dough, syrup and filling cream from Chocolate Mimosa Cake recipe.
- Chocolate sauce for the top
- Biscuits for tombstone decoration
- Melted chocolate for tombstone decoration
- Ground Oreo biscuits for soil decoration
- Chocolate shards as in Devil's Food cake recipe for the edges of our cemetery cake


Preparation:

    Prepare the cake dough as in the Chocolate Mimosa Cake recipe. However, bake in a 20x30 cm cake tin. Let it cool several hours.

    Prepare the syrup as in the Chocolate Mimosa Cake recipe. (Considering our little guests I prepared the syrup without rum this time. Instead I used 150 g water, 50 g sugar and vanilla)

    Prepare the filling cream as in the Chocolate Mimosa Cake recipe..

    Prepare the Chocolate sauce as in the recipe.

    Cut cake in half.

    Brush the bottom layer with the half of the syrup. Spread the most of the filling cream over. (Keep a small amount of the filling cream aside to cover the edges later)

    Carefully place the 2nd layer. Brush with the remaining syrup.

    Spread the Chocolate sauce on the top. Cover the edges with the remaining cream which you previously set aside.

    Decorate some biscuits like tombstones using some melted chocolate.

    Decorate the edges of the cake with chocolate shards which you prepared as in the Devil's Food cake recipe.

    Make small incisions on the cake, where you plan to place the tombstones, and insert them gently.

    Decorate in front of some of the tombstones with ground Oreo biscuits giving a soil like look.

    I have a Halloween themed chocolate mold at home. I melted some white and milk chocolate and decorated my cake additionally with with a ghost, bat, skull and jack-o'-lanterns.

    Let your cake rest and cool in the fridge at least 3 hours before you serve.


Enjoy


Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2016/10/halloween-cemetery-cake.html




8
Hi guys,

Persimmons are in season around here!

I am lucky.. I never buy persimmons. We have a friend who has two big persimmon trees and he is so kind to share some (a lot in fact) with us.
This means when they are in season I end up with many persimmon fruits to consume in a short time.

In time I collected & came up with some ideas not to waste any. I include them all under this post because they are basically very similar as you will see. They have almost the same recipe but used slightly different ways.. Anyhow.. here they come..
 

1) Persimmon Marmalade.

We prepare this recipe with only 3 ingredients: Persimmons, lemon and chia seeds. It doesn't contain any added sugar.

Persimmons are very sweet when they are mature. They are packed with vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.
Our marmalade has also chia seeds which are an excellent source of Omega 3, protein and fiber.

It is absolutely essential to have very ripe persimmons in order to obtain the taste and the texture we desire. I can't emphasize enough.

Under-ripe persimmon fruits are astringent and unpalatable because of their high tannin content. As they mature the tannin gradually disappears and the fruit gets sweeter and more aromatic.
If you have immature fruits you need to allow them to ripe before to use. When they are ready the flesh will become completely soft, almost liquid.

Ingredients:
500 g very ripe persimmons
20 g fresh lemon juice
50 g chia seeds

Preparation:

     Place persimmons and lemon juice in TM Bowl and mix for 10 seconds on Speed 5.

     Add chia seeds. Mix for 10 seconds on Reverse / Speed 2-3.

    Transfer it to jars. Refrigerate for a few hours before you serve. It makes a very nice spread over our toasted Whole Wheat Bread slices.

    If you won't be able to consume all within a couple of days, put your marmalade in small jars and store them in the freezer.

    A more practical solution would be to fill your marmalade into ice trays and store in the freezer as mono portion marmalade cubes.


2) Puree your very ripe persimmons in your Thermomix. You can add some fresh lemon juice if you wish to do so. Fill fruit puree into ice trays and keep them in the freezer. You can use frozen persimmon cubes in your Smoothies . Since persimmon naturally has a high sugar content it will add sweetness in your smoothies without any need of added sugar.


3) If instead you choose to fill your persimmon puree & lemon juice mixture into your ice pop makers and then store them in the freezer, you will have some very delicious and healthy ice pops. If you wish you can even add some chia seeds into the mixture to enrich their nutritional value.

4) This last recipe is for those of you who own a food dryer / dehydrator... We will prepare some Dried Persimmon Rolls with Chocolate ... Besides a dehydrator you will need some very ripe persimmons, dark chocolate 70% and crushed walnuts.. It is hard to give the exact amount of ingredients for this one. We all have different trays of different dryers from different models.. I tried to explain as best as I can. I believe you manage ;)

    Puree persimmons in TM Bowl for 5 - 10 seconds on Speed 5. Cut some baking paper to fit the size of your trays. The paper should cover also the sides of your tray. (1 cm height would be more than enough) Spread persimmon puree evenly over the baking paper. The spread shouldn't be thicker than 5 mm. The one you see in the picture is around 3 mm.

    Let it dry at 45 - 50ºC. I won't be able to tell you for how long. It will vary due to the brand and model of your dryer, the temperature you use, the number of the trays and the thickness of your spread. I'd say it'd be wiser to check every now and then mostly after the first 20 hours passed. It may take even 48 hours according to the thickness.

    Cut dried persimmon puree into desired length and width of strips and gently remove the paper. I own quite a basic model round shaped dehydrator. So I obtain 12 almost triangle looking strips out of each tray instead of rectangular ones.

    Place roughly broken chocolate pieces in TM Bowl and chop for 7 seconds on Speed 7. Clean the sides of TM Bowl with spatula and then warm at 50ºC on Speed 2-3 until it melts.

    Spread melted chocolate over the strips. Place some crushed walnuts.

    Roll and transfer into serving tray. (You may need to wait a little before you roll them as melted chocolate tends to leak out since it has a more liquid form when it is newly melted).

Enjoy



Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2016/10/persimmon-marmalade.html







9
Condiments and Sauces / Rich Tomato Conserve (with photos)
« on: September 19, 2016, 11:40:50 am »
Hello everyone..

I've been absent for a very long time..

This is mostly because I am in transition to whole food plant based diet / nutritarian diet. It requires to unlearn what you already know and re-learn things again with a different approach.. Well.. did I make sense? I hope so :)
I felt kind of stuck and lost in this new world. I didn't know what and how to cook anymore. I guess I am starting to get a grasp of things now, little by little..

Today I would like to share my latest version to Tomato Conserve. I once shared with you guys the conserve recipe from my Italian Thermomix cookbook. In past years I've made several changes, added more veggies but more importantly I stopped draining tomatoes. I use them entirely including juice, peel, seeds and all. I was never a fan of this draining business, it always felt like a waste..

Anyway...

Here is the recipe...

Oh.. Before I forget... IMPORTANT NOTE
If you are new to homemade conserve process, please read a more detailed article/post on sterilization and pasteurization methods. In the recipe I explain how I do it, nevertheless, I am not an expert. Food safety is an important and a very sensitive issue so please get informed better if you are not already.



Ingredients:
1100 g ripe tomatoes
100 g red bell pepper
70 g onion
70 g carrot
50 g celery stick
1 clove of garlic
5 basil leaves
A few sprigs of parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano or thyme


Preparation:

   - Wash all the vegetables and cut them into mid sized pieces.

   - Put all the ingredients in TM Bowl. Mix for 1 minute increasing the speed gradually from 1 to 10. (If you think that TM Bowl gets too full you can do this stage in two steps. First put half of the ingredients into TM Bowl and chop for 10 seconds on Speed 5. Second, add the remaining half and mix for 1 minute increasing the speed gradually to 10).

   - Close the lid of TM Bowl. Place Steaming Basket on the top. Place a piece of paper towel over it. Cook for 35 minutes at Varoma Temperature on Speed 3 - 4. (This way we let water boil away avoiding splashes)

   - Transfer tomato sauce into the sterilized jars. (There are several ways to sterilize. I am using microwave method. I rinse the jars and then microwave them for 2 minutes).

   - Close the lids. Place a tea towel in a large pot. Put in the jars and wrap the towel on the top. Fill with water to cover the jars completely. Bring it to boil, and then pasteurize by boiling them for 20 minutes on low heat..

   - Turn off the heat. Let them cool inside the pot. (I use lids like those of Quattro Stagioni jars to be sure if the pasteurization worked. If the center of the lid is lowered it means that pasteurization worked.)

Store in a cool dry place.


Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2016/09/rich-tomato-conserve.html





10
Condiments and Sauces / My 100% Peanut Butter (with photos)
« on: February 10, 2016, 10:08:01 am »
Hello everyone,
Today I'd like to share my peanut butter recipe with you. Well... calling it as a recipe may be an overstatement.
I make it with dry roasted peanuts only! No oil, no sugar, no nothing!  :D
We often enjoy it as a lovely spread on a slice of toasted whole wheat bread together with some banana slices.

Ingredients:

400 g dry roasted unsalted peanuts



Preparation:

    Place shelled peanuts in TM Bowl. Chop for 30 - 60 seconds on Speed 7.

    Scrape down the sides with spatula. Mix for 20 - 30 seconds on Speed 5-6,  increasing the speed gradually from 1 to 5-6.

    Scrape down the sides with spatula. Repeat the previous step until it reaches the smoothness you desire. (I've repeated 4 times)

    Transfer it in a glass jar, close the lid and store in the fridge.


Enjoy...


Photos:
http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2016/02/peanut-butter.html





11
Bread / Long Fermented Whole Wheat Bread (with photos)
« on: February 03, 2016, 02:16:37 pm »
Hello Dear Friends,

I haven't shared anything with you for a very long time. The main reason for that is I kind of stopped trying fancy new recipes.  :o
My husband and I have made some changes to our diet and it took some time to adjust.

All started with the idea whether it was possible to stop using statins.
Since then we'd been trying to get Stefano, my husband, off cholesterol medication. And we've finally managed to do that!!! Of course we've consulted with a doctor, endocrinologist, before to stop. Stefano is very happy about it. I hope he remains statin-free forever.

We've read very different approaches, watched several documentaries as well. The books of Dr Joel Fuhrman, "The End of Dieting" and "Eat to Live", were an eye-opener for us. A nutrition based diet was just what I'd been looking for.
Dr Fuhrman says type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol are not inevitable consequences of aging. He talks about how to prevent and reverse them and how to get off medicine by simply changing your diet and daily habits.
I've just wanted to share with you guys in case someone is interested. You may have already heard of him and his nutritarian way of eating. If not, well.. I've made my contribution to the society by word of mouth!  :D ;D

Let me note that I don't follow nutritarian diet 100% to the letter but like 90% let's say. (well... let's keep this between us !  :-)) ;D ) It has surely become my guide book.

As a second note let me say that we enjoyed watching the documentaries like "Fed-Up", "Food Inc" and "Forks over Knives".

Let me come to the recipe finally.  :-))

Today I'd like to share the latest version of an older recipe. Some time ago I posted in the forum Mixed Seed Bread recipe. It is my go to recipe when I want some delicious whole wheat bread.
In time I've made some changes such as longer fermentation time. I don't use sour dough. I simply keep it in the fridge for 24 hours. I started doing this after using a whole wheat pizza dough recipe by King Arthur Flour. I am hardly an expert in fermentation but this method worked for me many times so I've decided to use it for this bread too.

Here is the new version.

I hope you enjoy it




Ingredients:
400 g water
60 g grape molasses
5 g fresh yeast
350 g stone ground whole wheat flour
200 g stone ground whole wheat rye flour
12 g salt
20 g water at room temperature
100 g sunflower seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds*
50 g sesame seeds
50 g poppy seeds
Oil

* Do not mistake cumin seeds in the recipe with ground cumin (!). You can replace cumin seeds with caraway seeds if you wish.


Preparation:


    Put 400 g water in TM Bowl and warm for 1 minute at 37 ºC on Speed 1.   

    Add molasses and yeast, mix for 10 seconds on Speed 4.

    Add flours and salt. Knead for 3 minutes. (I sift in flours as this aerates the flour. I add the bran remained in the sifter back with flour).

    Add 20 g water at room temperature, sunflower, cumin, sesame and poppy seeds. Knead for 40-60 seconds.   

    Give it a ball shape and transfer into an oiled large bowl.

    Cover with plastic film, let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

    Place it in the fridge for 24 hours.
    The day after remove it from the fridge and let it rise for 2 - 3 hours at room temperature.
    Fold dough into four.

    Sprinkle very little flour onto working surface. Give dough a loaf shape.

    Press in the center with the palm of your hand as in the picture. 

    Fold and roll into a loaf.

    Transfer it onto an oven tray with seam side down. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for other 60 - 90 minutes. 

    Gently make diagonal cuts on the top with a sharp knife.

    Bake in preheated oven at 220ºC for 35 minutes.   

    After removing from the oven let it cool on the wire racks for a minimum of 30 minutes.

    Once cooled cut into slices and serve.


Enjoy



Note: After sliced, I freeze all leftover bread. This way I always have some whole wheat bread ready to serve. When I need bread I simply warm the right amount in the oven before I serve. It is so delicious also when toasted.

Photos: thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2016/02/long-fermented-whole-wheat-bread.html





12
Soups / Borlotti Bean and Buckwheat Soup (with photo)
« on: May 19, 2015, 02:15:47 pm »
Hi everyone,

It's been a few days I couldn't connect to forum thermomix. :'( I don't know why. Because I saw that on facebook you've been posting things but I failed to open any links from forum's page.
I hope the issue is solved now for good.

Today I'd like to share with you guys this delicious soup recipe. I make it almost as often as once a week recently.

I hope you enjoy it..



Ingredients:
1 - 2 cloves of garlic
2 - 3 sprigs of rosemary (leaves only)
25 g extra virgin olive oil
500 g cooked borlotti beans or 2 cans of borlotti beans (1 can = 400g; drained amount is 240g)*
200 g canned tomato puree (or canned diced tomatoes)
120 g buckwheat
1000 g boiling water**
1 tsp Thermomix vegetable or meat concentrate***

Optional;
Freshly ground black pepper
Hot pepper sauce
Grated parmesan


* I often cook my borlotti beans myself in my pressure cooker by boiling 250 g dry beans with 1 litre of water and 1 tbsp olive oil addition.

** If I boiled my beans, I use the remaining cooking water in the soup. I first add and weigh in the cooking water from the beans, then I add boiling water to reach to 1000 g.

*** As you know Thermomix concentrate contains quite a bit salt. If you are using canned products, since they also contain salt, 1 tsp of Thermomix concentrate will be enough. You can add more concentrate or salt if needed. Since I boil my beans with no salt addition, I use about 30 - 35 g of Thermomix concentrate in the soup.


Preparation:

    Chop garlic and rosemary leaves for 10 seconds on Speed 7. Scrape down the sides with spatula and repeat if needed. 

    Clean down the sides with spatula, add oil and cook for 3 minutes at 100ºC on Speed 1.

    Add half of your cooked borlotti beans (or 1 can of drained beans) and tomato puree. Purea for 5 seconds on Speed 5.

    Add rinsed buckwheat and Thermomix concentrate. Add and weigh in the remaining boiling water from the beans if you have any. Add boiling water to reach to 1000 g. Cook for 35 - 40 minutes at 100ºC on Reverse / Soft Speed.

    Add your remaining cooked beans (or 1 can of drained beans). Cook for 5 more minutes at 100ºC on Reverse / Soft Speed.


    Let it rest in TM Bowl for 10 minutes and serve.



If you wish you can add black pepper, hot pepper sauce and / or grated parmesan.


Enjoy.


Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2015/05/borlotti-bean-and-buckwheat-soup.html




13
Condiments and Sauces / Sun Dried Tomato Pate (with photos)
« on: April 17, 2015, 04:44:11 pm »
Hi guys,

Today I'd like to share with you this easy peasy sun dried tomato pate recipe. It is from Italian EDC book.
This pate has been a nice addition to our Turkish brunches. ( One day, when I prepare such a brunch I take a picture and share with you guys. As a matter of fact I had promised some friends to organize a Turkish brunch after I was back from Istanbul... well.. I am back...  so hopefully soon I share some pictures  ;) )

This pate goes great with bruschetta and sandwiches.

I hope you enjoy it...


Ingredients:
600 g water
250 g sun-dried tomatoes
Salt, if needed* (My dried tomatoes were already salted so I didn't add any.)

25 g basil leaves
1 clove of garlic
180 g extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

    * Wash basil leaves gently. Drain and transfer on to a tea towel. Wipe gently with a paper towel or tea towel.

    * Put water in TM Bowl. Add salt if needed. Bring it to boil for 6 - 7 minutes at 100ºC on Speed 1.

    * Add dried tomatoes. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes at 100ºC on Reverse / Speed 1.

    * Drain tomatoes in steaming basket.
 
    * Wipe tomatoes gently by pressing with a paper towel.

    *  Wash and wipe TM Bowl. Place tomatoes, basil and clove of garlic. Blend for 10 seconds on Speed 5-6.

    * Scrape down the sides of TM Bowl with spatula. Blend for 5 seconds on Speed 6-7. If needed, scrape down again and blend for other 5 seconds on Speed 7.

    * Add olive oil and mix for 20 seconds on Speed 4 and then for 1 minute on Speed 8.

Suggestions: You can spread your pate on your bruschetta and sandwiches.
You can use it as pasta sauce by adding some grated parmesan.
I like to use it with rice as well. (I mix it with cooked brown rice, add some olives, capers and pecorino cheese)

Note: If you don't plan to use your pate right away, put it in a jar, cover with olive oil, close the lid tight and store in the refrigerator.

Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2015/04/sun-dried-tomato-pate.html



14
Desserts / Chocolate Hazelnut Torrone (with photo)
« on: December 19, 2014, 08:58:54 am »

Hello everyone

This is the chocolate hazelnut torrone recipe I've got from Italian Bimby RC, very easy to prepare with our thermomix.
It makes 3 nougats.

They are super yummy!


Ingredients:

300 g dark chocolate, roughly broken into pieces
200 g Gianduja chocolate or milk chocolate, roughly broken into pieces
200 g Nutella
500 g toasted hazelnuts


Preparation:

    Put dark and Gianduja chocolate in TM Bowl. Chop for 5 seconds on Turbo Speed.

    Clean down the sides of TM Bowl. Add Nutella. Melt for 5 minutes at 70ºC on Speed 3.

    Add toasted hazelnuts and continue for 5 minutes at 70ºC on Reverse/ Speed 1.

    Cover a 20 x 30 cm rectangular pan with baking paper. Transfer chocolate mixture into the pan and distribute it evenly and flatten by pressing with a spatula or spoon.

    Cover with foil and refrigerate until the chocolate sets.

    Using a sharp knife cut it lengthwise into three pieces. Cover them with foil and store in the fridge.

    We prefer to serve them at room temperature although they are just as good also right out of the fridge.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2014/12/chocolate-hazelnut-torrone.html



15
Desserts / White Torrone with Nuts and Fruits (with photos)
« on: December 18, 2014, 09:47:14 am »

Hi everyone

There are two things that you see more and more in Italian shops when Christmas is getting closer. Panettone and Torrone!

Today I am sharing a white torrone recipe. I've got it from Thermomix Australia recipe community web page. I saw almost the same recipe also in Italian sources. I don't know which one is the main source. Nevertheless, whoever created it and contributed to its last version did a great job.
We loved it!

I made a very few modifications on it as well.
The thing is I couldn't find any "host" sheets (ostia in italian) or rice sheets around here
My brother in law gave me the greatest and also the simplest idea.  His suggestion was to coat torrone with a thin layer of melted white chocolate to prevent stickiness. Well.. it worked great.

With a simple transparent packaging and ribbon they would make very pretty Christmas gifts.


Ingredients:
1 egg white
400 g honey

Contents of Torrone:
200 g toasted nuts and dried fruits of your choice*(1)
Optional: 50 g white chocolate*(2)

Top:
Confectionary rice paper or "host" sheets aka ostia in Italian, or 100 g white chocolate*(3)

Notes
(1)
To be precise, I used 60 g of almonds, 60 g of pistachios, 60 g of peanuts and 30 g of dried cranberry & blueberry mixture.

(2) We prefer soft torrone so I added 50 g of white chocolate together with nuts to make it chewy.

(3) I couldn't find any rice paper around here. I had to order online and I didn't have time to wait for to be delivered. You need rice paper or ostia for such confectionery recipes so that it wouldn't stick to your hands while eating. Domenico, my brother in law, gave me the greatest idea. Thanks to his suggestion I coated my white torrone with a thin layer of melted white chocolate. This way I prevented stickiness issue and added also a delicate chocolate touch to the formula.

Preparation:

    Beat egg white for 2 seconds on Speed 2.

    Add honey. Insert the Butterfly. Cook for 60 minutes at 100ºC on Speed 2, with MC off.

    Remove the Butterfly. Immediately add broken pieces of chocolate, toasted nuts and dried fruits. Stir in with Spatula.

    Place a piece of baking paper on worktop. Place rice paper over baking paper if you have any. Spoon torrone mixture over. (I added a some extra nuts and fruits on the top)

    Place another piece of rice paper on top if you have any. Cover with another piece of baking paper. Roll out with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape. (I rolled mine approximately about 18 x 26 cm. I didn't use rice paper. If you will be using it, you may need to consider the size of your rice paper before rolling out your torrone)

    With a sharp knife cut it lengthwise into 3 pieces. Trim the edges if you wish.

    If you are not using rice paper proceed as follows: Chop 50 g of white chocolate for 5 seconds on Speed 7. Clean down the sides with Spatula. Melt it for a few minutes at 50ºC on Speed 2-3. Coat torrone on the top with melted chocolate. Refrigerate it until it sets.

    After it sets, melt other 50 g of chocolate as explained before, coat the bottom of torrone. Store in the refrigerator.

    Serve them at room temperature.


Enjoy...



Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2014/12/white-torrone-with-nuts-and-fruits.html







Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 23