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Messages - farfallina

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16
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




17
Cakes / Re: Halloween Cemetery Cake (with photos)
« on: October 28, 2016, 01:42:46 pm »
Thanks girls..

Happy Halloween to you all  :-*



18
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




19

In fact, I didn't know anything about persimmons until I moved to Italy. It was completely an unknown fruit to me.

I guess persimmons are not so popular because of their particular texture. I remember that the first time I tasted them I didn't like the taste. But given enough time, that tannin taste disappears and they turn very sweet.

I had no idea that they were expensive there though. Here the price is around 2 - 2.5 euro per kg.

20
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







21
Jams and Chutneys / Re: Aquafaba Mayo
« on: October 14, 2016, 09:17:59 am »
I haven't heard about aquafaba mayo either. I would like to try it too. Thank you for the recipe  :-*

To be honest I was very skeptic about aquafaba until very recently.
Last week I cooked some chickpeas. I had some leftover cooking water. (I cook them without oil or salt)
I decided to try just out of curiosity. I couldn't believe my eyes!  :o It looked like whipped egg whites really!
I had some dark chocolate at home. I immediately melted it.
I mixed them gently, added a bit vanilla too.
I transferred the mixture into small cups. Served as mousse!

22
Condiments and Sauces / Re: Rich Tomato Conserve (with photos)
« on: October 14, 2016, 09:02:05 am »
So happy to hear that K Atie, thank you...

23
Condiments and Sauces / Re: Rich Tomato Conserve
« on: September 26, 2016, 03:46:29 pm »

It is so nice to hear from you again too girls ...  :-* :-* :-* :-*

24
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





25
Bread / Re: Long Fermented Whole Wheat Bread (with photos)
« on: February 18, 2016, 06:16:02 pm »
Do I mind? It's an honour cookie! Thank you.

I am happy to hear you'll make it again soon which means you really liked it!
I believe also poppy seeds could be a nice addition this time  ;)



26
Bread / Re: Long Fermented Whole Wheat Bread (with photos)
« on: February 17, 2016, 06:34:41 pm »
Wow cookie, your bread looks great!
Thank you for the photo.  :-*

I make 1 big long bread with this amount.
I place it diagonally on my oven tray as you'll see in the photos.
So it would be about 44 cm long.

P.S. The second bread you see in the photos is long fermented Rye bread. It was my bread baking day that day! :D ;)
I made them to store in the freezer, I find it very practical this way I have bread any instant I need.


27
Condiments and Sauces / Re: My 100% Peanut Butter (with photos)
« on: February 11, 2016, 04:17:45 pm »

I hope this method gives you the peanut butter you wish for ... ;)  :-*

28
Condiments and Sauces / Re: My 100% Peanut Butter (with photos)
« on: February 10, 2016, 11:32:44 am »
Thank you Judy.  :-*

I hope you enjoy the peanut butter you prepare with this recipe..
 

29
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





30
Bread / Re: Long Fermented Whole Wheat Bread (with photos)
« on: February 05, 2016, 02:54:23 pm »
Thank you girls
It is so nice to hear back from you too
 :-* :-* :-*

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