Pasta Carbonara

It was bound to happen. In fact, I am amazed it didn’t happen sooner. Upon announcing that I was making pasta carbonara tonight for dinner, my (16yr old) son was pretty excited…why I wonder did I not do this recipe before?? Its a puzzle, but thanks to Julianne Block for asking the question…and magically, here it is! (Now Julieann, go sing my accolades far and wide!!)

YUMMY, and so easy, it just may become a staple…perhaps we might add it to the Dinner Spinner app…did you buy one yet? If not why not?

Get with the program kids. I mean, really…

NEED:

50g Parmesan, cubed

1 large brown onion, quartered (200g approx)

4 cloves garlic

300g speck bacon, cubed

200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced

620g liquid chicken stock OR equivalent water and stock paste of choice

2 tbsp Umami paste

300-400g long or short pasta of choice (100g per serving is an average!)

200g cream

Sea salt to taste (depends on saltiness of your speck)

Cracked black pepper to taste

Few Italian parsley leaves and or basil leaves to garnish

DO:

Place Parmesan into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 8. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place onion and garlic into Thermomix bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 4.

Scrape down sides of bowl and add speck and mushrooms. Saute 10 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 2.

Add liquid, Umami paste, and pasta and cook for time stated on pasta packet 100ºC/Reverse + speed 1.

Add cream, seasoning and herbs. Serve immediately with grated parmesan over.

Raw Lime Tartlets

I put a little note up on Facebook…not that I am short on ideas, but I did ask what you (the 52,000 + readers of this blog!!) would like me to convert or make in Thermomix. The answers came thick and fast and one of them was this; a Raw Key Lime pie…now this is not quite a Key Lime pie…more of a tart tart and using just plain old limes…Key Limes are a variety with a more tart or acidic flavour. Certainly raw though…made in moments, so easy and so delicious. Happily, also fitting the parameters of my new year mantra, Empty the Pantry (before shopping for more!) I had all the ingredients except the limes. So here you go Chandler…enjoy!

NEED:

Crust;

130g macadamia nuts

70g cashews

Generous pinch sea salt

20g maple syrup

25g coconut oil

Filling;

Finely grated zest 3 limes

60g lime juice, fresh (approx 3 limes)

140g ripe avocado flesh

70g maple syrup

10g coconut oil

Pinch sea salt

DO:

Place all crust ingedients into Thermomix bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 6. Press into 5 tartlet tins or one large. Place into freezer.

To make filling place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and blend 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down and blend 10 sec/speed 4. Check the mixture is smooth and lump free.

Reblend if necessary.

Fill tartlet shells and return to freezer for at least an hour. Garnish with coconut flakes or additional lime zest. Serve straight from the freezer. A great dollop of whipped coconut cream is awesome on these.

Check it out!

This is a recipe free zone, but I guess that is what happens when I’m away and not internet connected! (Have finally sorted my very personal hotspot on my new iphone…not even Apple tech support could help me! Thank goodness my 16 year old son was looking over my shoulder and after some severe mocking, sorted it!)

I admit it, images of almost everything intrigue me and so Pinterest is like scrapbooking interesting stuff without the clutter. As I have been away, I have found it highly relaxing and of course entertaining/educational to start a few new pinboards with images that inspire me or give me ideas for future projects.

So please go join me, and start happily pinning away on your own boards. (Just make sure you pin LOTS and LOTS of http://tenina.com recipe pics OK??)

OH, and by the way, as we face down a new year of excitement, thanks for being a big part of my life. I love having connections from all over the world with people I will probably never meet, but who in some way touch my life (and or blog, food, recipes!) I trust you will all come back and tell your friends throughout 2012 and of course, just to morally support me, buy my app and my books…just as fast as I can get them out there! Its been a great year, lets see what is around the corner….ready, steady, COOK!

xx

Crio Misu

I confess I have more than one Thermomix bowl…in fact I have more than two…but I am not admitting to more than three….hahaha!

This recipe is easier with more than one bowl, but I have tried to write it as though I had only one bowl! So it was easier for me, than it will be if you only have one bowl, but perservere, or phone your local thermomix consultant and order a second bowl and blade set. You will wonder what you did without it before.

As for how many servings this recipe makes, I am thinking around one on a good day and probably up to twelve if you can stop eating it yourself. The trouble with blogging BEFORE Christmas is that I make all this great stuff and we eat it before Christmas is actually here…but I am feeling the Crio Love here and this may just have to be re-made…mascarpone added to the shopping list…again! Merry Crio Christmas all!

NEED:

50g Crio Bru granules

500g water

30g chocolate or coffee liqueur of choice (great home made recipe here)

50g dark chocolate

100g pure icing sugar

3 egg yolks

500g mascarpone cream cheese

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

2 egg whites

18 Italian sponge fingers

400g cream

Icing sugar and premium cocoa to dust

DO:

Make a strong Crio Bru brew. Place crio bru and water into Thermomix bowl and cook 10 min/90ºC/speed 2. Strain and pour into flat lasagne dish or other flat deep sided dish. Add alcohol, if using to this liquid.

Reserve 3 tbsp of the brewed Crio granules.

Place chocolate into dry Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place sugar and yolks into clean, dry Thermomix bowl and whip 4 min/50ºC/speed 3.

Add mascarpone and vanilla bean paste and blend gently 10 sec/speed 4. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Insert Butterfly and place egg whites into clean, dry Thermomix bowl and whip 3 min/50ºC/speed 3. Remove butterfly and add mascarpone mixture back into Thermomix bowl. Blend 10 sec/speed 5.

Assemble Crio Misu by placing the sponge fingers into the cooled Crio Bru liquid. They will soak it up almost immediately. Use the full amount of liquid. Sprinkle the reserved Crio Bru granules across the top of the sponge fingers.

Top with the mascarpone mixture. Spread the milled chocolate across the mascarpone custard.

Insert butterfly into Thermomix bowl (no need to wash) and add cream. Whip until soft peaks form, 10-20 sec/speed 4.

Spread cream on top of custard. Dust generously with cocoa. Make shapes or a pattern with the icing sugar if desired.

Allow to stay in fridge overnight or several hours before serving.

This is easily made in individual serving glasses as well.

Crio Bru Chocolate Truffles

You knew this had to come right? If there is Crio Bru Gelato, and Crio Bru Pavlova then clearly there needed to be Crio Bru Truffles…it was only a matter of time. They are easy enough, but chill the mixture in a flat tray for easier handling…and chill the whole mix inbetween if it gets too hard to work with. Either that, or just eat it out of the tray….skip that pesky rolling it into truffle stage; and go straight to the eating stage!

NEED:

200g cream

50g Vega Reál Crio Bru (you can use other flavors, but this is the strongest chocolate hit!)

40g coconut palm sugar or other sugar of choice

200g Margaret River Origin Chocolate of choice (I used Papua New Guinea, Trinitario beans 64%!)

Bits and pieces for rolling; chopped nuts, extra Crio Bru, and cocoa

DO:

Place cream, Crio Bru and sugar into Thermomix bowl and infuse 10 min/80ºC/speed 2. Allow to cool and infuse for around 10 minutes.

Add chocolate and reheat 5 min/80ºC/speed 2. Whip 30 sec/speed 3. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat if necessary. Spread into a flat tray and chill for several hours. Press a piece of plastic wrap or baking paper down onto the surface of the chocolate to prevent a skin forming.

Use a small ice cream scoop or a melon baller to form small round truffles. Roll in bits of choice. Add an old chocolate box and you’re on your way to the wonderful Crio gift your family are all waiting for!

Rhubarb-ade

With its vibrant colour this drink is great for Christmas, and is one of my mother’s many favoured recipes…she has so many, and I still have to cook/convert them all. My daughter who is moving to Brissy after Christmas has asked me a few cooking questions lately and seriously will need a Thermomix, just to survive of course. I am hoping she will channel her inner Tenina, who is really just channeling her inner Jeanne. Thanks for this beautiful recipe mum.

Christmas Stollen

I cannot believe it; I have blinked and Christmas 2011 is here! Phew, what a year…can I just recap?

• Turned 50, but don’t tell anyone! I went to Phuket with the whole family (and that in itself is a story!)
• Went to Dubai and worked with George Calombaris, as my alter ego Candy Liscious the failed beauty queen.
• Thermomix in Australia launched the Asian cookbook, which I had been working on for a long time.
• Went to Melbourne and spent a couple of days with the amazing Dani Valent on the In the Mix shoot.
• Then went to Germany and Switzerland as part of the International Jury for a beautiful new Vorwerk Cookbook, out soon.
• Completed the recipes and photo shoot for the Thermomix in Australia 2012 Calendar available now.
• My number four child went to the States to study.
• I LEFT THERMOMIX in Australia! (Phew, thats a biggie, so deserved capitals!) July 4th, need I remind you, Independance Day, was my last day at head office and if you thought I was busy thus far, can I just mention…things then went into overdrive.
• Had a 3 part skype interview with Super Helene from SuperKitchen Machine, arguably the most prolific and up to date blogger on all things Thermomix. (Which interview served to press the fast forward button on a number of things! Seriously, if you want the thermomix world to know about something, just mention it to Helene, she probably knows it already, but she can spread the word faster than anyone.)
• Created a Dinner Spinner, a small book consisting of 21 recipes that you can create yourself in a Thermomix, which in one week, sold 700 copies …and many more to go yet!
• I also got all jiggy and wrote, and styled a cookbook called For Food’s Sake which has 160 pages, full colour pictures for every recipe (80 of those) and is so gorgeous, that I can scarcely stand the excitement. It will be available on here really soon, as well as in good bookstores and also online at Hub and Spoke or at my cooking classes!
• Speaking of which; I started running my own advanced cooking classes using Thermomix. These have been held in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Perth and Mandurah to sell out crowds of amazing lovely people. It has been my pleasure to meet some fantastic people who are truly as passionate about the Thermomix and making great food as I am.
• Started importing a chocolate product called Crio Bru to Australia which is the most amazing healthy yummy product around and if I can put it into food or recipes, I will…but perhaps you know that already? I totally love it, and so do thousands of other happy customers. We will be in retail outlets just as soon as I can take a minute to help my very valuable marketing guru business partner more than I am at the moment!
• I opened two online shopping carts…(HUGE! When I say ‘I’, I mean the royal ‘we’…) Thanks honey!
• Have plans in place for another exciting project to be launched hopefully before December 25th…but you never know! Stay tuned…
• Started working for Kleenmaid in Australia, and am truly impressed by their new range of products which are about to get installed into my kitchen Monday. We have already had some successful sales as a result of my running classes in their amazing Sydney showroom, so thank you for that, and for believing that I would not get involved with anything that was less than excellent!
• I have been approached on an almost weekly basis by other appliance companies and I am still considering some offers…when the travel options to Italy and Germany are secured, so will be the deals! (hahaha)
• I have happily welcomed Heilala vanilla, Margaret River Chocolate Factory, Fini Olive Oil, Lighthouse Flour, and fantastic branding from Braincells to the Cooking with Tenina team.
• The other team Tenina members that I have to mention are Hub and Spoke publishing and Scott Print. I just love getting the phone calls from Hub and Spoke and mentioning casually in conversation, ‘just talking to my publisher’ or ‘please hold for a second, my publisher is calling’…you get the idea…still makes me smile/downright grin!
• And last but not least, the guy that got all this web stuff started for me, made me join Twitter when it was still something that only birds did, and now screens my calls because there is always something new I need him to add, remove, fix from any and all of my sites, the very patient, Luke Holder, nephew, son, dad, inspirational Tech guru!

Sorry to put you through all that, but hey, what a year no?

I am looking forward to a great 2012 but before we can get there, we have the little matter of Christmas to attend to…so to the job at hand.

I would like to introduce you to some of the better Christmas recipes I have on here…there are now quite a lot, but here are my picks! (Well for this year anyhoo!)

ONE:

Pistachio Marzipan Christmas Trees

A little sneaky one from this year. Pistachio Marzipan, which I have to say has 100’s of applications and may just start showing up in all sorts of recipes from here on in…If you do not like marzipan, do yourself a favour and give this a go…it is not like any marzipan you have ever tasted.

TWO:

Toblerone Dip

Toblerone Dip…The fruit at Christmas in Australia is fantastic, so joosh it up a bit with this one. Simple enough to whip up in no time, and impressive enough to make your guests come back for more.

THREE:

How about a little tradition? I make this every year and this year I have made it and tweaked it, so essentially, this is a new recipe! Aren’t you lucky? Stollen is buttery, almond and fruit laden with just a hint of in this case, pistachio marzipan…there I go again with that marzipan…its the new Umami…for Christmas this year. All the good recipe blogs are wearing it!

FOUR:

Sugar Roasted Plum Salad

Well its all about sugar plums…so this had to make the cut. For me the lead up to Christmas is about eating yummy light meals that will get me through in between the myriad of parties and eating festivities that dominate the calendar at this time of year, so Sugar Roasted Plum Salad is delish, light and a great mid week lunch or an accompaniment to something more substantial on the weekend.

FIVE: Make a date with these rolls and you won’t be disappointed in love!! I enjoy a little sweetness with savoury from time to time and for some reason at Christmas time, we do that a little more often. (Think glazed ham, cranberry sauce etc) So these Date rolls go extremely well with Christmas Dinner, or lunch, or just after with left over sliced ham, turkey or both.

SIX:  I make these every year, without a doubt. They make the cutest presents ever and of course I can but for a fleeting moment, imagine that I am in Italy…that far away place that I still have never been to…is there anyone out there willing to send me? I pledge to bring back more than just a big smile, recipes and knowledge to share. Siena Cake originates from, well, Siena and  is sticky, fruity, and far nicer than anything you can buy.

SEVEN:

White Chocolate Christmas

When it comes to gifting food, I am not short on ideas and I did a post last year about just this, so not strictly a recipe on its own, but a great post that just may get you thinking about how clever you could be with a little prod, some cellophane, curling ribbon and a Thermomix…Gourmet Gifts couldn’t be easier…go on, go see.

EIGHT: Whilst we’re on the whole giving gifts from the kitchen routine (and white chocolate as well), these Minty White Choc Truffles were an instant hit at our house and I must say, I have had a lot of great feedback about them as well. Easier than running to the shop and fighting the crowds…prettier and more personal.

White Chocolate Minty Truffles

NINE: You can’t go past a great cookie recipe at Christmas and this is a bit of a grown up version of a Choc Chip cookie. Developed way back in my original Kleenmaid days, these are even easier in the Thermomix.

TEN:  Time for a quick salad? Red and Green Salad will always look festive and is so easy, I can barely call it a recipe…it is more of a suggestion. Enjoy on a hot day pre Christmas, throw a steak (or a prawn) on the barbie and you’re away!

ELEVEN and TWELVE: I don’t think Christmas can be complete without a little gingerbread…am I right? So even though these just went up on here, you must agree, they deserve a mention in the twelve recipes of 2011…I am hoping at some point to contruct a gingerbread house out of this cookie recipe, but with the big day fast approaching, I am not confident it will be this year it shows up! The flavored sugar recipe is delish as a Christmas tweak to anything requiring a little sugar, so think whipped cream, coffee, Crio Bru, your partner….you get the idea.

So from me, to you; and from Cookingwithtenina on Facebook, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. May you all have the time to Celebrate and Bake, and to feel the spirit of the season and may you all look forward to a wonderful 2012. (Cue the Christmas carols here….)

 

SuperFood Brekky!

If you have a thermomix or a thermochef (which as you are here I am expecting that is the case!) you will no doubt have heard of CADA, a fresh muesli that takes all of 4 seconds to produce and is delish, nutrish and swish! Well dreaming of more ways to eat Crio Bru, my latest healthy energy craze, I came up with this delicious concotion that has the added benefits of brazil nuts, raspberries, and coconut cream, let alone the Crio Bru, THE superfood of today!

I did roast the brazil nuts, but that is entirely optional as is the sea salt.

NEED:
1 tin coconut cream, refrigerated overnight

Handful brazil nuts

40g Crio Bru dry granules

2 bananas or to taste

Pinch sea salt

Few fresh or frozen raspberries

DO:

Remove the solid portion of the coconut cream and set aside. Reserve the rest for another recipe. (This will only work if you have refrigerated the coconut cream for several hours.)

Place nuts, Crio Bru, bananas and salt into Thermomix bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 4.

Place into serving bowls and top with raspberries and coconut cream.

Pretty, filling, full of all the good stuff for a great start to the day, easily increased in volume, so fast it ain’t funny and I have to say, a touch above average for breakfast. Enjoy!

 

Mums Potato Scones….

I know you all have in the deep recesses of either your mind or your kitchen shelf, a recipe that you would love to be making in your Thermomix…am I right? But for one reason or another, you have never attempted it; Too hard to convert, not sure how to convert, it might not taste the same….you think maybe it cannot be done in the Thermomix….the list of reasons is endless. I personally have a couple of laden bookshelves with recipe books all dying for a ‘quickie’…you know, the Thermomix method to be applied to them. (I am a tad busy with other stuff….but still!)

My mother has provided me with a veritable library of individually typed recipes from her collection over the years and I truly want to get those onto here…and I know you (dear reader) have a few as well. SO: in case you have been missing the chat over on Facebook I am planning a Recipe Conversion service…on here with some Facebook commenting on the Discussion board.

The requirements are;

• The recipe must already work…as in, taste good, be accurate in its recipe-ness as written at present.
• The recipe must be one you have cooked yourself before with or without the help of Thermie.
• The recipe must not include weird and wonderful ingredients from the southern most slopes of Lapland or something. In other words, achievable by the majority…
• You must provide me with a scanned or print version original of the recipe via email (tenina@cookingwithtenina.com), your name, your city and it would be nice to have a little story to go with your recipe if you have one.
• No judgements will be passed, intentionally or unintentionally, regarding ingredients of original recipe, though some changes may take place to keep Thermomix philosophy of healthy food from a good source, from scratch etc.
• I in return promise to uphold the laws of Thermomix recipe-ness and will endeavour to provide a timely result…I will post selected recipes onto here, and hopefully you will go and rave like lunatics over on Facebook about the wonderful, incredible, amazing, awe inspiring service that I have provided….and then tell your Thermomixer friends…who in turn may wish to put a recipe in for conversion.

Tenina’s Thermomix Conversion (or TTC from here on in!)

NEED:

1 potato, peeled and cubed (approx 260g uncooked)

800g water

100g wheat grain

60g butter

1 tbsp sugar

320g SR flour

Pinch sea salt

1 egg

110g milk + a little extra for brushing

DO:

Place potato into simmering basket and pour water over. Cook for 20 min/100ºC/speed 3. Remove simmering basket and cool potato.

Preheat oven to baking setting 200ºC and line a flat baking tray with paper.

Place wheat into clean and dry Thermomix bowl and mill for 1 min/speed 10. Set aside.

Place butter and sugar into Thermomix bowl and blend for a 5 sec/speed 5.

Add remaining ingredients except including cooled potato and mix for 6 sec/speed 6.

Knead for 30 sec/Interval.

Roll dough out on well floured Silpat mat and cut into rounds using floured MC. Brush with milk, and bake for 15 minutes until golden. This is quite a sticky dough, but try to manage it without adding extra flour as this means a beautiful fluffy scone as the end result. (And don’t we all want fluffy in our scone??)

SERVE:

Hot with the obligatory butter, lemon curd, jam, whipped cream or mascarpone…need I go on? Then go to the gym for penance!

Umami Paste

Well, I tried to keep it a secret….but…I am now using this in so many recipes that I couldn’t do it to you all…so it will appear in the book and it is now officially on here for all of you to start using in all sorts of ways…keep me posted. And if you didn’t just notice how I casually slipped it in…you know; like it was nothing, YES, I have a book deal…so exciting, and watch this space. It is not singular…but lets get one out at a time….I am trying to provide value, so not all the recipes you have already seen, with a few exceptions.

If you are new to Umami, it is the fifth flavour and it is amazing how much depth it adds to savory dishes. Try it in anything that is a sauce, soup, braise, curry, you name it, umami it! It is fantatic whipped into fresh butter with parsley and lemon juice, rolled, sliced and plopped on top of cooked fish or steak…you will never look back. SO let your imagination run wild, and get addicted…it is the addictive flavour in all the bad foods you can’t just eat one of. (Think Pringles for example!)

Always remember, you saw this recipe here first folks…there is a gorgeous product on the market available ready made, but this recipe is from scratch, develops more flavour over time and has nothing unknown in it! …oh yes, ‘You’re welcome!’

NEED:

300g Roma tomatoes, cubed

90g Parmesan, cubed

80g toasted walnuts

5g Dulse sea vegetable, flakes (available online here; http://www.seaveg.co.uk/dulse.html)

5g good Balsamic vinegar

2-3 anchovy fillets

DO:

Place tomatoes into Thermomix bowl and cook for 10 min/100°C/Reverse + speed 1.

Press cooled pulp through a fine sieve and separate solids from liquids. (See below for ideas to use solids) Reserve liquid to use in Umami.

Place Parmesan and walnuts into clean, dry Thermomix bowl and mill for 8 sec/speed 9.

Add all remaining ingredients and blend for 30 sec/speed 4, scraping down as necessary.

TASTE:

Serve on crostini, as is.

Add to a cheese platter as a spread.

Stir through hot soups, bolognaise sauce, curries, and any other savoury dishes as needed.

Blend 1-2 tbsp Umami paste through freshly made butter with some flat leaf parsley and lemon juice for a delicious U-Butter to top a grilled steak, fish, or as an alternative to garlic or herb butter.

Add to risotto or stir through hot cooked pasta with chopped herbs and EVOO for a quick and easy meal.

Rub onto uncooked chicken breast, wrap breast in sliced mozzarella and bacon and cook on hot grill.

Dehydrate tomato solids in warm oven on piece of baking paper for as long as it takes for it to become brittle. Mill and add to powdered stock…recipe to come!