One of the things I had hoped for my new Thermomix was chopping onions without that liquid in the bottom of the bowl that made me stop doing in it my food processor.  But 4 minutes at speed 4, for 1 1/2 large onions cut in eighths did not chop them finely enough and there was some liquid.  Is there some secret to doing this, or must I go back to doing it the old-fashioned way with a knife?

This is the first bread recipe I've attempted to convert for the Thermomix.  It's a Swedish rye bread.  There are many versions, this one, based on a recipe by James Beard is my favorite.  A Swedish deli in Brooklyn, New York where I used to live, would make this bread. At Christmas, they added candied fruits.  My kids and I loved it. 

Swedish Limpa

338 gr. rye flour
398 gr. bread flour (strong flour)
1 tsp. coriander seeds (removed from pod)
3/4 tsp. anise seeds
1 medium orange
30 gr. butter (unsalted)
486 gr. beer
96 to 110 gr. honey
2 tsp. sea salt
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast

1.   Mix rye and bread flour, set aside.
2.   Peel orange (avoid the white pith). (Set the orange aside, or eat it.)
3.   Grind coriander and anise seeds 45 seconds, speed 10
4.   Add orange peel, grind 30 seconds, speed 10. Scrape down sides with spatula
5.   Add butter, process 2 minutes 100, soft stir (or until melted)
6.   Add beer and honey. Process 1 minute soft stir 50 reverse
7.   Add 398 gr. of flour mixture, salt, yeast  stir 30 seconds, reverse speed 4
8.   Scrape down sides and let mixture rise 1 hour
9.   Add the rest of the flour and knead 5 minutes on bread dough setting
10.    Turn out on lightly floured silpat mat. Dough will be very sticky and somewhat hard to remove.  Sprinkle with a little flour to make it easier to handle, and form into a ball.
11.   Place in lightly oiled bowl (I use non-stick spray), turn ball to cover with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap or shower cap, and let rise for about an hour, until dough is doubled.
12.   Shape into a ball, and place in a banneton or two greased and lightly floured tins. (I use a cloth-lined banneton, that has been sprinkled heavily with rice flour) If you use a banneton, place the smooth side of the loaf down.
13.   Put banneton or tins in a large plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
14.   The next morning remove bread from refrigerator and heat oven to 375 f (190 celsius).
15.   I place a clay romertopf in the oven to heat, you can use a covered casserole, or cast iron pot (if you use a banneton, it should be the same rough shape as the pot).  Remove heated pot from the oven, turn the bread into the pot, make diagonal slashes with a razor, cover and replace in oven. (Or place tins in oven)
16.   Bake large loaf 45 minutes, remove the top from the pot and replace in the oven for 15 minutes more.  (You can tell it's done if it measures 200 to 205 with an instant read thermometer. I find that's a lot simpler than seeing if it makes a hollow sound when knocked.). Two tins will be done in about 45 minutes.
17.   Remove from pot or tins and cool on a rack before slicing.

This is my first effort at translating a favorite recipe to the Thermomix.  I followed an Internet recipe for this soup, but changed it to reflect the way I've always made this.  The soup makes an entire, and delicious, meal.


Portugese Kale and Sausage Soup
4 portions
Ingredients:
450-500g baking potatoes, peeled, cut in small cubes
230-250g brown onion
1 clove garlic
200g kale
450-500g chorizo or linguica sausage, in 2 cm slices
500g water
1 tsp. chicken stock paste
3 Roma tomatoes, stem end removed, cut in small pieces
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste



Preparation:
Peel garlic and drop onto TM blades speed 6. scrape down sides of bowl.
Cut onion into chunks, place in TM bowl, 5 sec/speed 5
Add sausage, saute 5 min/90/soft stir with TM cap off.
Add water, chicken stock paste, potatoes, balsamic vinegar and salt.  Place kale in steamer. Cook 25min/Varoma/speed1.
Add pepper to taste, cut kale into fine strips and place in TM bowl with tomatoes, and cook 5 min,100/speed1.



Photos:

Tips/Hints:
If the sausage has a casing, remove it before adding it to the soup.

Opened the package yesterday and set up the new Thermomix.  Today I made vegetable soup concentrate, mixing several recipes I found online.  Ended up with far too much, 2 pint jars (almost a liter).  That's okay, I can give one jar to a friend who will love it for risotto.  But now I can't turn the dial from the little open image to closed  *:or on.  It just won't turn.  I don't want to force it, but I need help.  What am I doing wrong, and how can I coax the machine to turn on.  I am also having trouble with the weighing image. When I press it nothing happens.  I suspect it's me, with newbie difficulties, not the machine, but I sure do need advice.