Horchata

Drinkies anyone??? This drink is rumored to be a cure for a hangover and is frequently served at breakfast time. Even though the drink has a milky appearance it is completely dairy-free. It is Mexican in origin and is supposed to be sweet, but if you wish to have it with less sugar, you can add sugar to taste after you have blended it. Served in market places throughout Mexico, it is the perfect answer to a milkshake but of course, being dairy free, has a longer shelf life in the sun! Use lots of ice…and lots of cinnamon…and apparently you can add lime zest to be more traditional as well….us? We LOVED it.

NEED:

350g rice (any variety)

200g raw cashews

700g water for soaking plus some more

100g rapadura sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Ice for serving

DO:

Soak rice and nuts in 700g water overnight or 8 hours.

Place rice mixture, sugar, cinnamon and 1-2 cups extra water into Thermo bowl and blend 2 min/speed 9. Scrape down sides of bowl and lid and repeat for a further 30 sec/speed 9.

Serve over ice sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Add more or less water, sugar, ice to taste. This is meant to be sweet, but refreshing. I actually added it to some brewed Crio Bru instead of milk…it was amazing…if you are really precious about the grainy bits, you can strain it through a fine sieve or piece of muslin….but I personally had no problem. The longer you blend, the smoother the result….now to try is frozen and churned into ice cream. There’s a thought!

Ugly, yet delicious….are you spinning a dinner lately?

No time to cook? Then this is for you. Steam some rice while you marinate the beef strips, and you are eating Fake Away in absolutely no time. (Good on you mum!) If you really want to fire up the wok, go ahead, this works just as well. Use a high heat and pre heat the wok as you do the Thermomix bowl…the key to non stick cooking! Of course in the summer, wokking it is hotting it as well….so think about that first.

This has recently been added to the upgrade of Spin A Dinner, the ever so slightly wonderful iPhone app that is my brainchild…well one of them! So hoping you are all over that like a rash…well, like icing sugar or corn flour or finely grated Parmesan…or something foodie related…

NEED:

1 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp oyster sauce

4 tbsp chicken stock powder (recipe in For Foods Sake)

½ tsp sugar

2 tbsp Fini EVOO

4 cloves garlic

1 red chilli

500g fillet steak, finely sliced

Handful snow peas

Large handful Thai basil

Place fish sauce, oyster sauce, chicken stock, sugar, EVOO, garlic and chilli into Thermomix bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 6. Pour over meat and marinate for 30 minutes.

Preheat Thermomix bowl 5 min/Varoma/speed 2. Add 1 tbsp oil to bowl during last minute.

Drain marinade from beef and fry 5 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 1. Remove from bowl and place into insulated serving bowl.

Add snow peas and basil leaves allowing residual heat in to wilt basil.

Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Morroccan Lamb Braise

I don’t want you being put off by the long list of ingredients on this one…just suck it up, print off the list (note Printer friendly version button now on each post…thank you Luke!) and go for it…you won’t regret it, really. It makes a LOT, so feel free to cut meat, tomtoes, and garnishes as needed…but please don’t alter cooking times.

NEED:

Juice ½ orange
780-800g lamb fillet, cubed
Few sprigs coriander
Bunch mint leaves
1 onion peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic
1 small red chilli
110g red capsicum
20g olive oil
15g ground smoked paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Generous pinch saffron threads
450g Roma tomatoes , quartered
3-4 anchovies, rinsed
6 fresh pitted dates
6 dried apricots , soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
400g tinned chickpeas (around 230 g after draining)
100g black or Kalamata olives
Crumbled fresh feta to garnish
Sliced red chilli to garnish
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

DO:
Marinate lamb in orange juice in non reactive bowl for several hours.
Place coriander and mint into mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 5. Remove from bowl and set aside.
Place onion, garlic, chilli, and capsicum into Thermomix bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 5. Add oil and sauté 5 min/Varoma/speed 1 with MC off.
Add spices, tomatoes, anchovies, dates and apricots and cook 10 min/100ºC/speed 2.
Blend 5 sec/speed 6.
Add lamb (with juice) and cook 10 min/100ºC/Reverse +  speed 1.
Add chickpeas and cook 3 min/100ºC/Reverse + speed 1.
Add chopped herbs and olives and stir through 3 sec/Reverse + speed 1.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
Garnish with crumbled feta, sliced red chilli and additional fresh herb leaves. Serve with steamed couscous or rice.

Tandoori Chicken

GUYS…the Dinner Spinner iPhone, slash iPad App is OUT…its available now…really! SO exciting to get an email on Saturday from our developer with the news that Apple Inc had got their skates on and the app is out! So go check it out; reduced introductory price for the first 30 days, so buckle up and pay the price of a coffee and a cake and have the convenience of your Dinner Dilemma solved where ever you are!

*25 delicious, easy to make dinners

* All using a Thermomix

* 4 brand new, never previously released recipes

* Versatile to suit all tastes

* Includes 8 tasty vegetarian dishes

Solve your Daily Dinner Dilemma now!

Just to peak your interest, here is one of the more popular recipes from Dinner Spinner, yes that would be the BOOK and the APP…hope you enjoy. (OH, and of course, Merry Christmas from me!)

NEED:

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

3 tbsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp turmeric

2 cloves garlic

2 red chilies, deseeded

100g onion

2 tbsp EVOO

15g ginger, peeled

30g lime juice, fresh

70g tomato paste

80g Greek yoghurt

Sea salt to taste

4-6 chicken Maryland (thigh and breast attached, skin on, on the bone)

DO:

Place cumin, coriander, peppercorns, paprika, cayenne & turmeric into Thermomix bowl & dry roast 10 min/Varoma/speed 2.

Cool slightly before milling 1 min/speed 10.

Add all remaining ingredients except chicken and blend 10 sec/speed 4. Scrape down and repeat.

Place chicken into large baking dish & slash the skin in large diagonal strips. Rub tandoori mixture into skin & cover chicken for several hours to marinate.

Heat grill to minimum 200°C (or hotter if available). Grill chicken for around 20-30 minutes until well cooked.

 SERVE:

With steamed rice, Naan bread or oven fries & a garden salad.

Light Lemon Risotto with Garlic Prawns

I was looking for a summer risotto. Not generally associated with summer, risotto is a creamy and sometimes rich rice dish that has varying levels of success depending on your expectations. My expectations are high, and over my formative years at Thermomix in Australia as the recipe developer, I did not enjoy the time I spent with risotto, specifically the mushroom risotto, which ranged from a stodgy lump of rice, to a thick soup with floaties. I literally spent about 3 weeks of my life that I will never get back on that single recipe…and still the complaints roll in.

Can I just mention a few risotto tips and tricks?

• Always use a risotto rice. This would mean arborio or caranoli or nano all of which have excellent asborption properties whilst releasing the necessary starch to make the risotto creamy. Any other variety of rice will just give you a soggy, gluey mess.
• The ratio of liquid to rice should be a minimum 1.5. So, for 300g rice, you should have at least 550g liquid. Personally I enjoy a lot more liquid in my risotto than that, and as we are using the thermomix, and there is no stirring involved, it is easy to add much more. But never go under that ratio.
• Rice is quite bland, so add as much flavour as you deem necessary. Herbs, cheese, prawns, aromatics like garlic, leek, onions, eschalots etc, roasted pumpkin, capsicum, eggplant, pine nuts, lemon zest, butter, more butter, cream (which actually then makes it something called Mantecato) and of course anything else that takes your fancy.
• Don’t be afraid to add more liquid. If the rice seems to be absorbing it all, splash in some more alcohol, stock or water.

NEED:

Handful Italian parsley

zest 2 lemons

60g Parmesan cheese, cubed

2 cloves garlic

2 eschalots (French shallots)

20g Fini EVOO

300g risotto rice of choice

100g white wine

700g stock

40g lemon juice, fresh

40g Umami paste

Sea salt to taste

Cream to taste

Additional finely grated lemon zest to garnish

DO:

Place parsley into Thermomix bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Remove from bowl and set aside.

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

Place garlic, eschalots and EVOO into Thermomix bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl and saute 3 min/Varoma/speed 1.

Add rice and white wine and saute 2 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 1.5. (Not rocket science here folks, find a spot between speed 1 and speed 2 and call it speed 1.5!!)

Add stock, Umami, lemon juice and salt and cook 16 min/100ºC/Reverse + speed 1.5.

Add chopped parsley and a splash of cream if using and stir through 3 sec/Reverse + speed 1.5.

Serve piping hot with grated cheese amd lemon zest sprinkled over.

Fantastic when served with Garlic Prawns for a complete WOW factor.

I think this just might be a summer risotto…what do you think?

Chicken Biryani with Pistachios

From my understanding, Biryani is a recipe that takes all day, (and then some) if done in the traditional manner! It is also a dish cooked with the bone in the meat, which naturally adds flavor as well as nutrition, the variety of spices used is wide and every region/family has its own version! I believe that cooking all day with love for the dish, the flavours and the potential diners is wonderful and there are occasions when I do that, but not tonight! At the risk of offending the true Biryani aficionados, and throwing caution to the winds and WAAAY too busy to spend a whole day on one recipe, armed with a trusty Thermomix…(what else??) this is my version. And damn delicious it is too…if I say so ‘may-self’! You can use brown/red/white or black rice if you wish or a combo and if you are really going out on a limb, how about replacing the rice with quinoa….there are no bones, no layers of rice and chicken, it is simple in the extreme. So perhaps I should call it something else? Suggestions willingly accepted.

NEED:

1/2 cinnamon stick

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp dried chili flakes (or to taste)

1 tsp sea salt

6 cloves garlic

2 eschalots

1 brown onion (80g)

20g piece peeled ginger

20g EVOO

1200g chicken thigh fillet, cut in large pieces

400g liquid chicken stock

400g water

200g rice of choice

50g dried currants

2 bay leaves,

2 tsp cardamom seeds

Pinch saffron threads

50g butter or ghee

Pistachios, almonds or other nuts of choice, toasted

DO:

Place cinnamon, coriander, chili flakes and salt into Thermomix bowl and mill 5 sec/speed 10.

Add garlic, eschalots, onion, ginger and EVOO and chop for 2 sec/speed 6. Saute 8 min/Varoma/speed 2.

Add chicken and stock and cook 6 min/100ºC/Reverse + speed soft.

Preheat oven to fan forced 200ºC.

Pour chicken mixture into large oven proof dish and stir through water, rice, currants, bay leaves, cardamom seeds and saffron threads. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Check liquid and add more water if needed. (Rice will absorb more or less water depending on variety used.)

Taste and adjust seasoning if required. Stir through butter or ghee.

Serve with nuts and sliced chili’s and garnish with fresh bay leaves. A dollop of natural yogurt is also nice.

Baked Lemon Rice Custard

It’s not that I’m in doubt exactly, but crazy busy, heading down south tonight (Albany & Kojonup in Western Australia) for cooking classes and some training, so no leisurely cooking for me this weekend. I made this recipe mid week and the plate was practically licked clean. Lemons never fail me…rice puddings I can live without, but between the lemon custard for me, the bulk of the rice to fill the hollow legs of my 6ft 5 (and still growing) 16 year old and his brother (who is desperately trying to catch him), and the speed of the whole dessert, you really can’t go wrong this winter as the nights get longer and darker…

Lemon Rice Custard

NEED:
140g rice

150g sugar

zest and juice 2 lemons

5 large eggs

2 yolks

200g cream

pinch salt

DO:
Cook rice in Thermomix by placing into basket, covering with water and cooking for 15 minutes at 100°C on speed 3. Set rice aside. Drain water from bowl and dry.

Preheat oven to fan forced 160°C and butter a large shallow baking or pie dish. Set aside. (This would be fabulous baked as individual serves in small ceramic ramekins. Reduce cooking time to suit. And for food styling purposes is what I should have done, but of course, I have only just had a thought about that this morning!)

Place sugar and zest into Thermomix bowl and mill together for 10 seconds on speed 10.

Add juice, eggs, yolks, cream and salt and insert Butterfly.

Cook for 4 minutes at 80°C on speed 4. Remove Butterfly.

Add cooked rice to custard and incorporate for 5-6 seconds on Reverse + speed 3.

Pour into prepared dish (es) making sure rice is distributed evenly throughout the dish, and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden on top and just set in centre.

SERVE:

Dust with icing sugar and garnish with fresh/frozen berries if available…and as you would know by now, a dollop of fresh cream never goes astray in my life!

Chilli Cheesy Scones

I have been completely snowed at work, I mean I am not even Twittering…well not as manically as usual anyway. And might I add it’s a thankless task, insanely cooking day and night, night and day as though every recipe in the world has to be Thermomixed! Sometimes, I just like to cook using something else….(Pick yourself up off the floor, don’t give up on me just yet!)…I DID still use the Thermomix in this recipe, how could I not? Just not the entire recipe! This is really family food at its best; savoury, rustic, easy, loved by all. It is easily tweaked to increase or decrease quantity, and of course wholesome!

A little while ago, I purchased an enormous  Cuisinart slow cooker which has proved very useful on many family occasions. It holds up to 6.5 litres and so therefore this recipe feeds up to 12 adults…but simply halve recipe if not feeding an army. And FYI the Cuisinart mob do smaller slow cookers for those of you who don’t HAVE to feed an army!

So, to the Chunky Chipotle Chilli with Cilantro/Coriander and Chilli Cheesey Scones! I always was a sucker for alliteration…

NEED:

Scones;

1 small dried chilli

170g good quality Parmesan cubed

110g Taleggio (no substitutes please, and yes I know I jumped continents and cuisines…but oh YUM!)

50g unsalted butter

SR flour

Good pinch salt

210g sour cream

DO:

Preheat oven to fan forced 200°C.

Place chilli, cheeses and butter into Thermomix bowl and chop for 8 seconds on speed 8.

Add remaining ingredients and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1 minute on Interval speed or until well combined.

Turn out onto floured Silpat mat and bring together with hands and extra flour if needed. Roll out and cut into scone sized rounds. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Keep warm until service.

NEED:

Chilli;

3-4 onions peeled and halved

5 cloves garlic

2-3 dried chipotle chillies soaked and rehydrated in boiling water or to taste

3tsp each ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and sweet paprika

1tsp ground cinnamon

1kg cubed casserole beef

1kg cubed pork neck

Sea salt to taste

2tbsp rapadura sugar (or brown sugar)

680g tomato puree

140g tomato paste

2x tins kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 tin chick peas drained and rinsed

2tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Fresh coriander (cilantro), oregano, mint to taste

Diced fresh tomatoes, black olives and lime wedges for garnish

Steamed rice to serve

DO:

Place onions, garlic, drained chillies and all ground spices into Thermomix bowl and chop for 5-6 seconds on speed 7. Scrape into Slow Cooker and add meat, tomato puree and paste salt and sugar.

Now this is where you gotta love a Slow Cooker…turn it onto the lowest setting and cook for 24 hours…yes folks, you read it correctly, 24 hours. It smells divine after about 4 hours, and simply mouthwatering any time after that.

During the last hour add the vinegar, beans and chick peas, they really just need to heat through without breaking up. (If you wanted to use dried beans you can add them in with the other ingredients at the beginning of the cooking time.)

SERVE:

Scoop some rice into each bowl, split the scones and top with the chilli. Add fresh chopped herbs, tomatoes, olives and lime wedges to taste.

Jaffa Risotto

Well it IS Easter after all. Slightly healthier than some of the other chocolate options around at the moment, and based on the use of very good ingredients, this should not scare you too much! Risotto is one of the most amazing canvases to which you can add flavour after flavour…and chocolate of course is just a flavour…I have added orange as well as the combination is always fantastic!

If you want to use Cointreau or another dessert wine, simply substitute for other liquid…a spoonful of powdered espresso adds depth of flavour as well. So Hoppy Easter to all, and please, make sure you all eat too much chocolate…cos the next excuse to do so is a looong way away.

NEED:

180g dark chocolate in pieces

zest 1 orange

40g butter

350g Arborio rice

100g Amaretto

1 tsp vanilla essence

1L  milk

1 chopped segmented orange

150g sugar

cream to taste

DO:

Place chocolate and orange zest into Thermomix bowl and mill together for 10 seconds on speed 10. Set aside.

Place butter, rice and Amaretto into Thermomix bowl and saute for 3 minutes at 100°C on Reverse + speed 1.5. (Don’t ask, just find a spot between speed 1 and 2 and relax!)

Add remaining ingredients except chocolate and orange zest, and cream to Thermomix bowl and cook for between 17-19 minutes at 100°C on Reverse + speed 1.5.

Pour in insulated bowl removing any fibrous pieces from the orange, and stir chocolate and cream through. Garnish with white chocolate curls and serve whilst still hot.

SERVE:

In beautiful glasses with mascarpone on the side. Add a few orange zest strips if desired. This serves absolutely heaps of people…Have yet to try half the recipe…if you do, and it works, let me know!

OK, OK, I admit it…I have been asked by so many people to put this up and today my clients asked me again, so I thought I’d better get on it! We had a lunch today and my stock standard to showcase the Induction is the risotto, so I’ve put up a few photos…thanks ladies! Now…remember that this is best done on the Induction…I am not sure it would translate very well to any other cooking medium and of course there are some safety issues involved with using a tea towel on a gas cooktop!

NEED:
dash of olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups combined chicken stock and white wine (Less wine than stock…really!)
1 diced brown onion
5 large field mushrooms chopped
3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped finely
2 teaspoons Garden Gourmet Basil paste (or substitute handfuls of fresh basil torn roughly)
75 grams unsalted butter
zest and juice 1 lemon
75 grams freshly grated parmesan
Cream to taste, but at least 1/4 cup
1 clean tea towel

DO:
Heat oil in Induction friendly pan on ‘max’.
Add garlic and onion, stir briefly.
Add mushrooms and rice and stir until rice takes on a bright white appearance.
Do not let it catch.
Add all of stock and wine and bring to the boil.
Allow to boil madly on ‘max’ until the mixture becomes a ‘slurry’!
Turn Induction down to 2.
Cover pan with the clean towel and THEN the lid, making sure the seal is tight.
Set timer for 12 minutes.
When cooking has finished, add butter and stir as it melts.
Add basil paste, cheese, and lemon zest and juice.
Continue to mix until all the butter has melted.
(If you are using fresh basil, it is now that you should add it.)
Lastly add cream and remember the mix should be quite runny.
Add salt and pepper as desired.
Serve immediately.

USED: