When you were introduced to Thermomix you will have been warned NEVER to leave your Thermomix to knead unattended because it might just "walk" off the counter top and end up spread across the kitchen floor.

Well one tip I came across is that if you really do need to leave the kitchen while your Thermomix is kneading, just pop it in the sink (make sure the sink's empty and dry of course!) and off you go. If your Thermomix then tries to go walkabout, the sides of the sink will keep him/her firmly in one place.

Sorry everyone, I missed that bit. The mushrooms are added back after step 3 as cookie said (I've now amended the recipe). And no, KarenH, you don't rinse the mushrooms add everything to the bowl at step 4 (as amended). The salt helps to preserve the sauce together with the vinegar. As I mentioned it's like a cross between worcestershire sauce and soy sauce and both of those are pretty salty as well. And thanks for the link JudyDawn, the stuff in the jar looks just like mine does.

Hope you all enjoy it.

Waitrose had drastically reduced the price of a heap of mushrooms so on a whim I headed home with a couple of kilos. Then what to do with them  . After a bit of researching and some experimenting, I have finally come up with this delicious sauce based on the popular sauce from the 1800s. It's packed with LOADS of umami character (think of a cross between worcestershire sauce and soy sauce) and great for adding extra punch and flavour to all stews, casseroles, stir-frys, in fact just about anything (try spreading thinly on toast, top with cheese and pop under the grill till bubbling - deeelicious).

Mushroom Ketchup
Ingredients:
1 kg Mushrooms, quartered if large Portobello type (any type will do but open-cap makes a darker sauce)
2 tablespoons Salt
1 large Onion, quartered
3 large cloves Garlic
5 cm piece Ginger root, sliced across into discs
4 Bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 Nutmeg, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
250 gm Cider vinegar
50 gm soft brown Muscovado Sugar

Method:
1. Chop mushrooms in two or three batches at speed 4 for about 5 seconds
2. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the salt then cover and leave for about 24 hours at room temperature, mixing occasionally.
3. Add onion, garlic, ginger and spices to the bowl and chop at speed 5 about 5 seconds then scrape down.
4. Add all of the salty mushroom mixture (do not rinse)
5. Add the vinegar and sugar and cook at speed 2, 100°C for 60 minutes, MC off and basket inverted on the lid to allow the mix to reduce.
6. Process at speed 10 for at least 2 minutes until very smooth - it should be gloopy, like tomato ketchup.
7. Transfer to warmed sterilised jars/bottles and seal (you could also use ziploc bags and freeze once cooled).

I'm not sure what the shelf-life is but with the salt and the vinegar, I guess it should be about six months, much longer if frozen.

ENJOY  

DD (19) is in Spain on first all girls (6) trip away from home and DS (18) is in Kavos, Corfu on his first all boys (9) trip away from home. Would love to be a fly on the wall. But then maybe not.....  . Watched "Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents" on UK TV and it made my hair (what I have of it) stand on end 

I always give a quick spin at speed 3 until everything comes together and then go to the kneading.

If the dial's definitely in the unlocked position as Faffa suggests, then instead of just pushing on the tab on the front of the lid, I would use both hands, one on either side of the lid, to rotate it. The rotational force will therefore be more evenly distributed and less likely to do any major damage.

Thermomixes are tough little bu88ers and can take quite a bit of abuse - you should see the amount of battering they get in professional kitchens without complaining.

Good luck.

I've found the best thing is to score the dough before bunging in the oven and then break them into individual crackers before finally drying them out. I'll try to amend my original post to make this more explicit.

Rob's Seriously Seedy Crackers

Great way to bump up your Omega 3 intake. Delicious on their own or with your favourite spread or dip. Converted (with some tweaking) from an ingredients list on the side of a packet of crackers. Warning: very moreish  

Ingredients:
250 g Strong white bread flour
25 g Sunflower seeds
25 g Pumpkin seeds
15 g Brown linseeds
15 g Golden linseeds
15 g Sesame seeds
5 g Poppy seeds
50 g Olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
100 g Water

Method:
1.   Add all ingredients to the TMX bowl and mix 15 secs / speed 3
2.   Knead on dough setting 1½ minutes
3.   Tip out of bowl and press the mass together into two balls
4.   Roll out very thinly between two sheets of parchment paper (2-3mm thick)
5.   Score the dough with a knife or pizza wheel to the size crackers you prefer (I like about 2x5cm)
6.   Bake on a sheet at 170°C (fan) for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
7.   Break up into individual crackers and then dry out completely in a low oven before storing in an air-tight container

Variations: Make up your own blend of seeds or try adding nuts and/or dried fruit.