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Topics - djinni373

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1
Cakes / Healthier Pumpkin Fruit Cake
« on: August 30, 2022, 06:29:29 am »
This is the best pumpkin fruit cake, easy to make, fairly healthy and tasty too. It has no fat so you can smear a bit of butter on it with a clear conscience :) I’ve tried other recipes over the years but I always come back to this one. It’s based on the Pumpkin Fruit Cake recipe in my vintage “NMAA Cooks” cookbook.

275g cooked, mashed pumpkin (steamed, boiled or baked then cooled)
500g mixed dried fruit (I used sultanas, craisins, sliced dates and sliced apricots)
125g raw sugar (I used rapadura)
1 T golden syrup (this is optional in my opinion)
1 C water
1 t bicarb soda
2 eggs
125g wholemeal plain flour
125g wholemeal SR flour

Put dried fruit, sugar, syrup and water into tmx bowl and bring to the boil. I boiled the kettle first then put ingredients into the bowl and cooked on sp 1/100 degrees/reverse until temp reached 100 degrees. Only took a few minutes. Pour this mix into a large bowl to cool.
Heat oven to 160 degrees C.
Grease a round 20cm tin.
Beat eggs in a small bowl.
Add eggs and pumpkin to cooled fruit mix and beat by hand until smooth.
Stir in the flour.
Bake for 90 minutes.

Notes
To steam pumpkin, put 500g of water into TM bowl & pumpkin pieces into the basket then steam 10mins/Varoma/sp 2 or until pumpkin is soft (time varies depending on type of pumpkin and size of pieces).

2
Questions? Technical Issues? The Survival Guide / Cleaning an old bread tin
« on: December 13, 2017, 11:05:15 am »
I was given a starter for a Danish Black Bread. It's 12 years old and looks and smells lovely. My first attempt at making this bread was very ordinary and not nearly as nice as I know it should be. The oven does need repairs, but I also think the tins I used were too small and too light weight. So I'm going to try using my old bread tin for the next loaf. I think the tin's about 30 years old, it's big and it's heavy. I haven't used it for ages and it has some marks that won't come off with normal washing. Any suggestions on how to clean this tin without damaging it? Or am I going to have to buy a new one? Thanks, Gayle

3
Jams and Chutneys / Kiwi fruit and apple jam
« on: November 02, 2017, 02:07:23 am »
Kiwi fruit and apple jam

I couldn’t find a recipe for kiwi fruit jam here, actually I couldn’t find a “quick and easy” recipe anywhere, so I thought I’d wing it and create one. To my surprise, the jam turned out beautifully. I thought it might be “seedy” but it’s not, it’s delicious, and easy to make... So easy that I'm not sure if it's a recipe at all. Here’s what I did.

Ingredients
-approx 600 grams kiwi fruit (about a dozen)
-a green apple, cored and roughly chopped
-juice of a lemon
-200 grams sugar*

Method
1.   Cut the kiwi fruit (across) in half, scoop out the flesh with a dessert spoon and put into tmx bowl.
2.   Add the other ingredients to the tmx bowl.
3.   Cook 30 mins 100C/speed 1.
4.   Cook 10 mins Varoma/speed 1.
5.   Pour into sterilised jars and seal. (Makes two small Mason jars)
6.   Cool, then refrigerate.

Notes
*My kiwi fruit were sweet, so I decreased the sugar to fruit ratio. You could increase the sugar to taste.
Because I reduced the sugar by so much I have shortened the jam’s shelf life. I’ll keep it in the fridge and use within a month or so. Shouldn’t be a problem here  :)
You could puree the fruit on speed 9 for a few seconds before cooking. I like texture so I didn’t.

4
Jams and Chutneys / Bread and Butter Pickle
« on: November 15, 2016, 10:11:24 am »
from Womens Weekly Preserves

I'm not a fan of cucumber but I do love this pickle, especially with nibbles or a salad.

3-4 (500g) Lebanese cucumbers thinly sliced
1 large brown onion thinly sliced (about 200g)
1/4 C (70g) coarse cooking salt
1 C (250ml) white vinegar or ACV
1 C (220g) white sugar
2 t mustard seeds
1/2 t dried chilli flakes
1/4 t ground turmeric

1 Night before: Combine cucumber and onion in non-metallic bowl, sprinkle with salt. Mix well, cover and stand overnight.
2 Next morning: Rinse and drain cucumber mix, and spoon in sterilised jars.
3 While cucumber is draining, put rest of ingredients in tmx and cook about 2 minutes/Varoma/speed 2. Mix should have just boiled.
4 Pour over cucumber, mix and seal and label jars.
Store in cool dark place for 3 weeks before opening. Store in fridge after opening.
Serve on hamburgers, sandwiches, in salads or with cheese and crackers.

Notes
I only use a few dried chilli flakes (I don’t like “heat” much) and add a little extra tumeric.
Use a mandolin to slice the cucumber and onion.
Add some finely sliced red capsicum for extra colour.

5
Chit Chat / Food for thought
« on: March 16, 2015, 09:58:59 pm »
Good morning all

I saw this blog post and had to share it. Take the time to read the article referred to in the second paragraph of the  "It just happens to be cheaper" post here. It's scary stuff. The bits about the "rosemary extract" and the "fresh" foods are particularly insidious.

Thank goodness we have our thermies, backyard gardens, and farmers markets. Hopefully they're going to be enough...

6
Main Dishes / One pot penne bolgnaise
« on: February 21, 2015, 02:04:17 am »
This has become one of our quick and easy favourites. Good when travelling too. Based on this recipe
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/29967/one+pot+penne+bolognaise+with+spinach?ref=collections,one-pot-recipes

Name of Recipe:One pot penne bolgnaise
Number of People:4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled, roughly chopped
1 zucchini, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
500g beef mince
2T tomato paste
Large (700g) bottle tomato passata
few dried chilli flakes (optional)
500ml (2 C) water with 1t to 1T stock concentrate (I only use a teaspoon but others may like more)
2t dried herbs leaves eg marjoram, oregano, parsley or mix of all three or add a handful of your favourite fresh herbs with the spinach at the end of cooking.
400g dried penne pasta
120g (approx) baby spinach
Shaved or grated parmesan to serve

Preparation:
Put onion, carrot, zucchini and garlic in tmx and chop 3-4 seconds speed 5 or until evenly chopped (not too fine though).
Heat oil in a large saucepan.
With the heat on high, cook mince until it begins to brown. Add the chopped vegetables and stir a few minutes until the mince is browned and the vegies are softened.
Stir in the tomato paste (One of the TV chefs used to "cook off" tomato paste before adding liquids (to improve the flavour I think he said) so I have always done this)
Add the passata, chilli flakes, stock and dried herbs (if using) and bring to the boil.
Stir in pasta, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is al dente and stock has absorbed. You’ll need to stir it a few times while it’s simmering.
Add the spinach and fresh herbs (if using) and stir until it just wilts.
Serve with parmesan.

Photos:

Taste's pic is so much prettier than mine, so that's it below ;D

Tips/Hints:

Wasn't sure where to post this as this recipe is too big for the tmx 31. I prep in the thermie and cook on the stove top. You could try to halve it in the tmx.
The original recipe uses bottled pasta sauce. I never use this as I prefer plain passata.

7
Condiments and Sauces / Gravy
« on: December 11, 2014, 10:30:26 pm »
I thought I had posted this gravy recipe but couldn’t find it, so hope I am not duplicating it. The original recipe came from a TV show a long time ago–Burkes Backyard maybe?

Gravy
This is a tasty, quick and easy gravy that's great for leftover roast meats. Vary ingredients to taste and the preferred thickness of the gravy.

Ingredients
1 small onion
2 heaped T wholemeal flour
1 heaped T tomato paste
1 T soy sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1T fresh herbs or 1 t dried herbs
¼ t vege stock concentrate or to taste
ground black pepper to taste
500 ml water

Directions
1.   Chop onion for 3-4 sec speed 5.
2.   Add rest of ingredients.
3.   Cook 5 min Varoma temp speed 3. This should bring the gravy to the boil.
4.   Whizz speed 7 or 8 for 10 sec to get rid of most lumps.
5.   Cook 20 min 90 degrees speed 3 with MC off or until it is the desired thickness. Time and temp here depend on how much time you have. I have cooked this on Varoma temp in a big hurry, but it’s best done a bit slower on a lower heat.

Tip: Make a thick gravy and freeze in small containers. To reheat, add to thermie, saucepan or microwave with water or stock to thin.

8
Non Thermomix Recipes / Sausage casserole
« on: August 19, 2014, 11:55:33 pm »
Sausage casserole

This is my contribution to the comfort food challenge.
I have been cooking this casserole since my children were small (and it’s still a favourite with DS almost 17 and DS almost 21). There was a hand-written recipe somewhere but cannot find it. It’s a one pot dish that’s very quick and easy to prepare (less than 15 minutes), then into the oven while you do something else. The vegetables vary depending on what I have. This is what I used this time, but peas and beans are nice too.

Serves 4-6 (fills a round casserole dish about 27 cm across and 7 cm high)

Ingredients
¼ cup rice
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 large carrots thinly sliced
2 large potatoes thinly sliced
handful each of cauliflower and broccoli flowerettes
8 thick beef sausages (very good quality and I skin them)
700g bottle of diced tomatoes or passata
other flavourings to taste eg garlic clove, or handful of herbs, or a few chilli flakes
grated cheese for topping (about ¾ cup)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Put rice in the bottom of a large casserole dish, layer the vegetables on top, then put sausages on top of the vegetables.
3. Pour passata (with flavourings) over the sausages, cover and bake for an hour.
4. Remove lid and top with grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes more or until the cheese browns a little.
5. Enjoy.

Notes
The sausages should be browned, the vegetables tender, and most of the liquid absorbed by the rice. Use a mandolin to make the preparation super quick (thin slice).


9
Recipe Requests / Recipes that use lots of eggs
« on: June 05, 2014, 12:43:54 am »
Egg production is outpacing egg demand here so I am looking for recipes that use loads of eggs. I have 3 dozen in the fridge (even after giveaways).

Some one mentioned a cake that uses 10 eggs? Would love that recipe please and any other favourites that use lots of eggs.

TIA
Gayle

10
Recipe Requests / Help please!
« on: April 21, 2014, 12:15:51 am »
I ordered a cabbage in the F&V order before Easter and I swear it is the biggest cabbage I have seen in my entire life :o :o :o

So far we have had Chelsea's Chow mien, coleslaw, corned beef and cabbage, minestrone and more coleslaw. There is just under half left. Tonight will be fried rice (with cabbage of course)  ;D

It is a a beautiful cabbage and I don't want to waste it so would love your favourite cabbage recipes please  :)

TIA
Gayle xx

11
Seafood and Fish / Mediterranean tuna & rice pie
« on: April 19, 2014, 07:25:12 am »
I like this recipe so much I thought I'd share. It's so easy, versatile and so forgiving. I like it because it's not too milky/cheesy. The pie is perfect for the lunch box, a picnic or a Good Friday fish dish. Best served just warm or cold with a salad.

Ingredients:
1 brown onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup basmati or jasmine rice, rinsed
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
425g can tuna in oil, drained, flaked
1/2 cup (125g) sun-dried tomatoes, drained, finely chopped
200g baby bocconcini cheese, drained, roughly chopped
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated
100g baby spinach leaves, shredded
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:
Step 1
Chop onion and garlic about 3 seconds, speed 5.
Add olive oil and saute 100 degrees, 3 mins, speed 1
Add rice and saute Varoma, 1 min, speed 1 reverse
Add stock and cook 80 degrees, 10 mins, speed 3 reverse.
Let it sit in tmx for 10 minutes then put mix into a large bowl.

(Original instructions: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 7 to 8 minutes or until onion is soft. Increase heat to high and add rice. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in stock. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.)

Step 2
Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease and line base of a 6cm deep, 20cm (base) springform pan. Add tuna, tomato, bocconcini, parmesan, spinach and egg to cooled rice mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
   .   
Step 3
Press rice mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until set and crisp around the edges. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen pie.

Step 4
Cut pie into wedges and serve warm.

Notes
Swap ingredients as you like, eg mozzarella for bocconcini, semi dried tomatoes for sun dried tomatoes, or flavoured tuna for plain tuna. You can also add ingredients such as more eggs, chopped capsicum, corn, sliced beans or even a little chilli. This time I used all purpose medium grain rice, a splash of verjuice in water instead of chicken stock, no tomato, mozarella instead of the mouldy fetta (which was to be instead of the bocconcini) and silverbeet instead of baby spinach. Oh and drained tuna in springwater. The result was great pie which all went in minutes except for this one piece (and there was only four of us). Nice with a simple salad.

Source: www.taste.com.au/recipes/1254/mediterranean+tuna+and+rice+pie

Members' comments
Sugar&Spice - I've made this before, without my Thermomix and it's fantastic. Thanks for converting.

CC - I made this for dinner tonight. We loved it Gayle, thank you - it's a great recipe.  My fussy lot don't like sun-dried tomatoes so used fresh baby tomatoes instead.

Aussie Brenda - Thanks for the recipe Gayle, I made this tonight, used some tinned tomatoes and silver beet leaves and added some scallops too - it's a delicious tasty dish.


12
Chit Chat / 1.5 L slow cooker recipes
« on: March 28, 2014, 03:56:09 am »
Household is a bit of shambles ATM as DD just found out she has accommodation on campus instead of a 3-4 hour commute each day. Moves in Tuesday  :) :'( :) :'( I'm thinking of buying a baby slow cooker for her to take but can't find any decent recipes (except for halving recipes for 3.5 L ones). Any suggestions?
Thanks
Gayle

13
Jams and Chutneys / Easy Fig Jam
« on: January 27, 2014, 10:39:16 pm »
Easy Fig Jam

Since I discovered figs, I have made quite a few fig jams looking for one I liked. Well I don’t just like this one I love it! And it’s easy.
I halved the original recipe and got one largish jar of beautiful jam with soft fig pieces through it. I think this is what I did (forgot to make notes - still getting used to cooking with my iPad ;D)

Ingredients
500g ripe figs
250g rapadura (changed from 450g)

1 small vanilla bean, split
half a cinnamon quill

Pared rind (all in one piece if you can) and juice of 1 small lemon

Method
Place all ingredients in a glass bowl, cover and stand overnight at room temperature.
Next day put in tmx and bring to the boil. 4 min/varoma/speed 1/reverse MC off.
Scrape down sides and cook for about 40 min/80 degrees/speed 1/reverse MC off.
Take out the vanilla bean, cinnamon quill and lemon rind and seal in sterilised jars.

Notes
  • This jam is thinnish so if you like it thicker you may need to cook longer.
  • Since I needed just one jar I sterilized it in the microwave: Half fill clean jar with water, zap on high for 2 mins, rest the lid on top and let sit for a few minutes. Remove hot jar and lid (I use silicon gloves to avoid burns) empty, then fill with jam.

Original recipe is from Taste


14
Recipe Book Recipe Reviews / Five Seed Bread (EDC)
« on: December 28, 2013, 03:23:38 am »
If you like a light, white bread stop reading now  :D

This bread has substance but is lighter than I thought (even though I substituted 100g milled wheat and some rye flour for white flour). The dough was definitely the stickiest, wettest, messiest dough I have ever seen  ;D

I used two small loaf pans this time but has anyone tried this as one "normal" loaf? I thought about it but the dough is so moist and dense that I thought the centre of a large loaf may not cook properly.

Probably not for everyone but I loved this bread. For me it is another way to use seeds that I buy in bulk and it's delicious with homemade jams (apricot on the left and fig on the right)  5/5
Linked CC

15
Recipe Requests / Sunbutter
« on: December 05, 2013, 11:52:04 am »
Anyone got a tried and true tmx recipe for sunbutter, or a spread that uses mostly sunflower seeds? I have tried a couple of recipes and have not had much luck. I have nut butter recipes but sunflower seeds seem to be very different to work with  ???
Any advice would also be appreciated :)
TIA

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