Orange Paste
   Influenced by the Pear Paste recipe from the Thermomix Website.

Peel 3 large Navel Oranges, removing as much of the pith as you can.
Quarter them and remove any seeds. Chop in the TM on speed 9 for about 6 seconds. Add 100 grams of water. Cook on 100˚ for 20 minutes speed 2.
   Pour into another container then weigh back into jug and add ¾ of the weight in sugar, (e.g.for 500gm of pulp add 375 grams of sugar).
Cook on 100˚ speed 2 for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Pour into containers and allow to cool.
Store in fridge and keep for as long as you can resist it.

You could remove the zest of the oranges first and chop on speed 8 for 6 seconds, then add it into the mix during the final cooking stage. It does give the paste a tang much like marmalade. I tried this the first time I made it thinking it would be a stronger orange flavour. I’m not a fan of marmalade so I won’t be doing that again.
   
I know one and three quarter hours is a long time but after one hour I did a set test every 15 minutes and this timing had the best results. 
Enjoy.
 Lucyluu

Cheese and Curry biscuits

Ingredients
90 grams parmesan cheese, grated
180 grams plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
90 grams cold butter, diced
2 teaspoons curry powder, home made
3 egg yolks
20 to 30 grams of water (may need more or less depending on flour)

Method
Pre-heat oven to 200˙
Place flour, baking powder, salt and curry powder into bowl. Blitz for 4 seconds on speed 9, instead of sifting.
Add the cold butter and blend on speed 6 for 5 seconds or until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and mix on speed 4 for 4 seconds.
Add the egg yolks and while the TM is running on speed 4 slowly add water, giving the mix plenty of time to form a soft dough.
Turn on to a floured surface and knead gently until quite smooth.
Roll out until fairly thin approx  3mm (1/8 inch). Cut dough into 2 inch squares or use a biscuit cutter or the MC, place on lined baking trays prick all over with a fork then bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The biscuits do shrink a little.

If you have some dried onion flakes brush your biscuits with a little oil and sprinkle the onion on top before baking.

These are very moorish biscuits and are quite yummy by themselves but by all means have them with nice creamy dips or soft cheeses.  

Adapted from two recipes in  “The book of Biscuits” by Pat Alburey

Samosa Pastry
Makes 6

Ingredients
125 grams of plain flour
30 grams of butter
2 tablespoons of milk at room temperature

Method
Put flour into TM and blitz on speed 6 for 4 seconds, this is instead of sifting.
Add the butter and blitz again on speed 6 for 4 seconds or until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Add the milk through the hole in the lid knead for 30 seconds or until a dough forms.
Tip out onto lightly floured board or silicone mat
Gently knead then divide dough into 6 potions, form each portion into a ball and roll out to form a 6” (15cm) round.
Rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
Cut each round in half, then divide filling equally between the semicircles of pastry, covering only half of the semicircle.
Dampen the edges with water then fold over and seal to form triangular shaped pasties which will enclose the filling completely.
Bake at 180´ for 20 minutes.


I have been looking for a recipe for baked samosas for some time and came across this in an old book called, “Hot & Spicy” by Louise Steele. The recipe says they can be fried but I prefer to bake them and they are quite nice. I use the samosa filling from the Indian cook book.

Name of Recipe:
Corn and Red Capsicum Soup

You will need
30 grams EVOO
1 onion quartered
2 garlic cloves bruised
pinch cayenne
two capsicums quartered
kernels from 4 to 6 cobs of corn (medium sized cobs) - approx. 750g of kernels
1 tablespoon of vegetable stock paste
750 grams to a litre of water (this depends on the quantity of kernels you have)
 
MethodPlace onion and cloves into TM and chop on speed 6 for 4 seconds.
Add EVOO and saute 2 minutes on 100 speed 2.
Add the capsicums and chop on speed 6 for 4 seconds, (you need to have some little chunks).
Add the corn kernels the stock paste and water.
Cook for 18 minutes at 100´, reverse, speed 2 ½ .
When finished pour half into a jug and blend remaining soup by slowly bringing up to speed 8 and puree for 30 seconds. Return remaining soup to TM and re heat to 100´ on reverse speed 2 then serve with slices of homemade bread with cheese melted on top. Yumm.

I’ve made this with the kernels of six cobs and adding 1 litre of liquid is not easy but that is what the original recipe called for. So I usually opt for 750 grams in the TM and the add the rest when all the cooking and blending is finished. I have made it with the kernels of 4 cobs but it just doesn’t have the flavour. Maybe I’ve been spoilt.
Anyway I hope you try it and enjoy. It’s a really nice soup for a cold winter,or autumn, day.

This recipe has been adapted from a recipe by Ian Hewitson.

members' comments Delicious

JuliaBalbilla -  I did adapt it slightly by using 2 chillies instead of the cayenne, which I chopped and cooked with the onion and garlic for 10 minutes MC off.  I also increased the garlic quantity.   I used 500g frozen sweetcorn (whole cobs are quite expensive here and would have to travel to get them).  As for red peppers, I used skinned and roasted Romero peppers (the pointy ones) which had been preserved in jars. I have eaten this chilled as well - it was delicious!!

JD - I decided to have a go myself with what I had in the house so here are my changes and it is a delicious soup, sweet but not too sweet,  nice & thick as I like my soups and something you can cook up so quickly for unexpected visitors.  It is really lovely.
I did half quantity of most ingredients but with a higher ratio of corn so these are my quantities and adaptions.
15g EVOO
130g red onion
1/2 tsp garlic paste instead of fresh garlic
pinch cayenne
130g red capsicum
450g corn (canned but some frozen added to make up the quantity)
500g pkt chicken liquid stock instead of veg stock paste & water
1 tsp chicken stock powder
Just a tad S & P

I cooked the onion and garlic paste 5 mins/varoma/reverse/speed 1 then followed the rest of your recipe.

I had roasted capsicums in the freezer but didn't want to waste them in soup.  I was so glad I didn't as the soup is perfect using plain capsicums.

Bonsai - Made a similar soup based on a recipe in the April edition of Gourmet Traveller magazine. Sauté onion and a clove of garlic, add 1/2 cup white wine and a pinch of saffron and cook 100c for 2 mins sp 1 then ad 1 litre chicken stock, 400g tin of crushed tomatoes (or fresh equivalent I suppose) and 450g of roasted red pepper (I bought a jar of these) and 3 sprigs of thyme.  Cook for 15 mins 100 degrees sp 1 then add 1 tbs of red wine/sherry vinegar and 50g of day-old bread (no crusts). Cook 2 mins 100 c sp 1 and allow to cool a bit  then purée speed 10 for 60 secs - careful if it is hot protect your hands near the lid. This is a lovely soup but not thick. I made it for work lunches this week and will take a slice of bread to toast and have on the side. I think next time I'll add smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne. Tastes lovely, a nice summer soup

Red Lentil and Tomato Soup
serves 4 to 5 medium portions or 3 large portions

1 onion cut into quarters
2 cloves garlic
20gm evoo
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 x 400gram can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon HM vegetable stock
200 grams of red lentils
1000 gm water
Method
Chop onion and garlic on speed 7 for 8 seconds.
Add evoo and cook on 100’ for 2 minutes  speed 2.
Add cumin and coriander and cook on 100’ for 2 minutes speed 2.
Now add tomatoes, lentils, stock and water then cook on 100’ for 30 minutes speed 2 reverse, once it starts to boil drop temp to 90’ and continue cooking.
Serve with crusty bread.

We quite often have this as a meal by itself as it is very filling and just the thing for a cold rainy day especially with Isi’s Portuguese bread rolls fresh from the oven.

Adapted from Tracy Rutherford, Burkes Backyard magazine July 2004

members' comments Nice soup

Cuildh - Adding cashew nuts makes a delicious soup as well, just zap at the end if you want it nice and smooth.

JD - Played with this a bit, made as directed but with shorter chopping and longer sauteeing times then added 70g tomato paste, 40g umami paste, 1 tblspn Tenina's chicken stock powder at the end and cooked for another couple of minutes before adding 100g cream and blitzing the soup to a nice puree.

  

    Article about George Calombaris in the Home magazine of Saturdays Herald Sun.
 Back page shows George in his kitchen with the Thermomix on his work bench. It's a great advert, George tells how he uses it everyday.  Just like me, (in the fact that I use mine everyday that is, not that he cooks like me or anything, I would hope he is a better cook than me which I' sure he'd have to be to be famous and all). Sorry,... but it's worth having a look at anyway.

This is a family favourite I thought you might like it can be made for
vegetarians as well as meat lovers I have both at my house so its great to have something versatile.
It was adapted from a recipe from the taste articles in the Herald Sun

Miso and Vegetable soup with noodles
Serves 4
 
For the Miso soup;

Put 1000gm of water into TM add 4 tablespoons of miso paste (or 4 Sachets),
2 teaspoons minced ginger, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and 2 teaspoons of mushroom powder.
 Insert steamer basket and put lid on TM.

Into varoma bowl goes; all sliced
 1 medium carrot one zuchinni, 2 stalks of celery, 4 to 5 mushrooms, 2 spring onions cut into1 centimetre slices and a handful of  cabbage.
Put varoma dish  onto TM and set for 16 to 20 minutes, ( depends if you like your veges crunchy), speed 2 to 3.
Ten minutes before end of cooking time remove Varoma and add 100gm of udon noodles to TM bowl through lid . Replace Varoma and continue cooking.
When Serving  fill each bowl with vegetables then the noodles and pour over the miso soup.

Tip: You could steam some marinated chicken or pork or even some seafood in the varoma tray while the vegetables are cooking. Or this can be served with marinated or fried tofu.
Mushroom powder was made by blitzing some crumbs of shitake mushrooms I had left over from another recipe.