Thermomix

Thermomix Savoury Quinoa Muffins

0 · Jul 28, 2014 · Leave a Comment

According to the photos of these Thermomix Savoury Quinoa Muffins I first made them on July 2nd 2013 so I am “only” a year late sharing this recipe. Nuts, isn’t it? Or it isn’t if you look at just how much a working mum has to get done each week. I was really hoping to make them again but then time kept running away with me (I’ll never understand that expression, it feels like it’s running away from me, all the time, fast!).

Now I have realised that I have a fantastic bunch of testers in my Thermomix Owners UK group so I am hoping to try to get a whole lot of recipes-in-waiting published in the next few weeks. Thank you Denise for testing these for me!

If you don’t have a Thermomix you can still make these, you just need to chop and mix things by hand or in your food processor.

Savoury quinoa muffins
Makes 12 – Total prep time: 5 minutes – Total cooking time: 50-55 minutes

Shopping list

– 120 g quinoa

– Chunk of mature cheddar (50-55 g), you can use any cheese you prefer, add more to make it extra cheesy
– Chunk of Gruyère (50-55 g)

– 50 g cooked ham (or bacon, or pancetta, or serrano ham, or ham hock or, of course, chorizo). Check out my homecooked ham recipe.

– 1 onion
– 1 medium carrot
– 1 smallish courgette
– 1 handful of parsley (or coriander)
– 1 red pepper (or pepper of the colour of your choice, optional)

– 2 whole eggs
– 2 egg whites (make it four eggs in total if you want it eggier)
– Salt
– Black pepper

Method

1. Start by cooking the quinoa, 120 g quinoa, rinsed, then soaked for a few hours (even if pack says there is no need), then rinsed again and cooked in the basket with 800 g of stock (feel free to add a whole garlic for flavour): 19 mins, Varoma, speed 2.5. If it is still too crispy, increase by about 4 minutes. Reserve.

2. Preheat oven to 200ºC

3. Wash and dry bowl and grate chunk mature cheddar + chunk gruyere (or cheeses of your choice if you like milder cheeses): speed 8 until you hear a change of sound. Reserve.

4. Chop ham (a good thick slice or a few smaller ones, to your taste): 3 seconds, speed 4.

5. Chop 1 onion + medium carrot + 1 smallish courgette + 1 handful parsley (or coriander) + (optional) pepper of your choice: 7 seconds speed 5. Reserve.

6. Add the eggs (2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites, but if you want it more eggy just add 4 whole eggs in total, forget about separating), a bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper: 10 seconds, speed 5.

7. Add the reserved ingredients (vegetable mix + quinoa + cheese + ham): 10 seconds, speed 3 (I can’t remember if I did this in reverse). Make sure it’s all well mixed with the spatula, pour into individual holes of greased muffin tin. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. You may need more or less depending on the oven. Cool, remove and eat. They keep well for 1-2 days and I bet they would freeze for lunch boxes.

Thermomix Spanish potato omelette (Tortilla de Patatas)

0 · Jul 10, 2014 · Leave a Comment

It took me ages but I finally have the perfect recipe for Tortilla de patatas, Potato omelette, Spanish omelette… whatever you may call it, it’s delicious! And, because you can prepare most of it in your Thermomix… it’s easy peasy.

Now, you don’t have to make this with onion, you really don’t so leave it out if you don’t like it. Both the smaller omelette and the larger one use the same amount of water and oil. Traditionally the potatoes are fried in a lot of olive oil but the good thing of the Thermomix is that you can safely fry them in a combination of water and olive oil, making it a lighter omelette.

I give you size options: for 2-4 people (depending on appetites) or for 4-6 people. For the larger omelette I would personally increase the amount of salt a bit for flavour, this is a treat! But try it as it is and perhaps add more next time! I got the recipe from the La Juani de Ana Sevilla Spanish blog, it’s her Tortilla de patatas casi sin aceite and have adapted a few things such as the potato times and the mixing of the potatoes and egg as you have to be careful with those.

Before you go check whether you have all the ingredients in the house to make this right now, let me tell you that you can find more tapas ideas here. And, if you’re based in the UK with your Thermomix or thinking about buying one, come join my Thermo Cooking UK with Feisty Tapas Facebook group, lots of friendly chat, tips and advice there.

Thermomix Spanish potato omelette (Tortilla de Patatas)

Ingredients

– 100 g onion, quartered (200 g if making a bigger tortilla)
– 50 g olive oil

– 375 g potatoes “chascadas” (this is the peeled weight, 750 g if doubling up). This basically means that you hold the potato in one hand and, brandishing a knife in the other hand, slice the potato but don’t slice it all the way, instead snap it. Slice and snap. Slice and snap (have I got you thinking about Legally Blonde yet?). For the tortilla you don’t want the potato slices to be too big nor too small. This video shows you how. This technique is really good for thickening stews too.

– 220 g hot water
– 4 large eggs

– Salt
– Pepper

Equipment

You will need a frying pan and a dish to flip the tortilla over or, if you’re clumsy like me, this Ibili Venus Double Frying Pan from Amazon is handy. The two frying pans easily clip together to flip the tortilla over. That’s my Amazon affiliate link by the way which means I get a few pennies if you buy through that link, it won’t cost you a penny extra.

Method

1. Add the onion to the bowl: 5 seconds, speed 4. Lower anything that has climbed up the walls.

2. Add the 50 g olive oil and sautée: 10 min Varoma, speed 1.

3. Butterfly on: add the potatoes, hot water and a tsp of salt: 15 minutes, Varoma, soft speed. This time my potatoes were done by 12 minutes so make sure you check from minute 10 perhaps. Move the potatoes to a bowl (as they are, don’t drain them), reserve.

4. Do not wash bowl, remove the butterfly and add the 4 eggs, half a teaspoon of salt and freshly milled black pepper: 10 seconds, speed 4.

5. Return the potatoes to the bowl: 3 seconds, speed 3 (watch it, you don’t want to end up with mashed potatoes)

6. Drizzle a medium pan with olive oil and heat over a high heat, add the mixture and turn the heat right down, give it a gentle shake so that it all distributes well. Now, the key is to do this first part over a low heat, when it’s looking like the egg is setting, it’s time to turn it over. Grab a plate big enough to sit steadily over the frying pan, place it over it and, holding tight to the whole ensemble, flip the omelette over onto the plate, then carefully move the omelette carefully back to the pan. It will only need one minute on this side (I like it juicy), you may need a bit longer if making a larger omelette. Just don’t let it go too dry, remember the egg keeps cooking for a little while when off the heat.

To serve: cut it in wedges as if it was a cake and enjoy with a lovely mixed salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives or cut into small squares, have cocktail sticks nearby or stick them into each square so that people can help themselves. Perfect for barbeques and tapas parties. It’s also perfect for elevenses with a cup of coffee or for a quick bite to eat with friends with a glass of red wine or a chilled beer.

You can of course just get a big chunk of crusty bread, slice it open, stick a good slice of tortilla in and have a classic Spanish sandwich: bocadillo de tortilla.

Serve with Spanish flair!

Thermomix Spanish potato omelette (tortilla de patatas). Bocadillo de tortilla

Thermomix Lemony Chorizo and Prawn Pasta / Pasta al limón con chorizo y langostinos

0 · Jun 20, 2014 · Leave a Comment

With linguine / Con linguine

*Pasta al limón con chorizo y langostinos: en español más abajo* It’s no secret that I love chorizo, you can even say that I am a bit chorizo obsessed. No, seriously, you can, I give you permission! I also love seafood and my Thermomix so it was only a matter of time before I published a recipe like this Thermomix Lemony Chorizo and Prawn Pasta.

For a gluten free version, this will work really well with quinoa.

By the way, if you still don’t know what on earth a Thermomix is, this post
will tell you all about it. If you live in the UK and you already have a
Thermomix or are considering buying one, I run the fantastic Thermomix Owners UK Facebook group. Come join the Thermie chat and, while at it, find me on Instagram (I do go on about it a lot on there).

Lemony Chorizo and Prawn pasta

Ingredients
Serves 2 or 4 people and anything in between, add a third tin of tomatoes and make more pasta for more people

– 1 big garlic clove or 2 normal sized ones
– Half a big onion or one small one
– 1 small red chilli (optional, I used chilli olives so I didn’t use it this time)
– A chorizo sausage (you can use spicy if not adding chilli, quartered lengthways and then cubed), you can add more chorizo if you are going to use 2 tomato tins
– Large handful of raw king prawns, more if using 2 tomato tins
– 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (2 if for more than 2 people), if you can get your hands on good fresh tomatoes, even better
– Juice of a lemon
– A few sliced olives
– Handful of fresh coriander
– Extra virgin olive oil
– Black pepper

– Linguine or spelt spaghetti (or whichever pasta takes your fancy, long pasta works really well), 150 g and two tins of tomatoes will serve 4 people

Method

1. Put plenty of water to boil.
2. Add garlic, onion and chilli (if using) to bowl: 5 seconds, speed 5.
3. Add the chorizo and small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil: 100ºC, 5 minutes, speed 1.
4. Add prawns and lemon juice: Varoma, 3 minutes, REVERSE, soft speed (gentle stir, the spoon symbol).
5. Add chopped tomatoes (if they are very liquidy, place them in a sieve or the inner basket over a bowl first, if using two tins only sieve one tin) and a few twists of the black pepper mill: Varoma, 15 minutes, REVERSE, soft speed (spoon symbol).
6. Add the pasta to the boiling water so that it finishes cooking at the same time as the sauce.
7. Half way through add the coriander and half the olives (saving some for decoration if you want). When the sauce is ready, add the cooked pasta to the Thermie bowl and mix well with the spatula. It’s ready to serve, enjoy!!

*Español*

Pasta al limón con chorizo y langostinos
Para 2 o 4 personas, si añadís 3 latas de tomate triturado en total y coceis más pasta, os dará para 6

Ingredientes

With spelt spaghetti / Con espaguetis de espelta

– 1 diente de ajo grande o 2 normales
– Media cebolla (si es grande) o una pequeña
– Una guindilla roja pequeña (opcional, si se usa chorizo picante no hace falta)
– Un chorizo (se puede utilizar picante pero mejor no utilizar chorizo picante y guindilla, una cosa o la otra), se puede añadir un poco más si se van a utilizar dos latas de tomate
– Un buen puñado de langostinos grandes congelados, ya sean cocidos o crudos, si los teneis frescos aun mejor. También quedará rico con gambas o camarones pelados.
– 1 lata de tomate triturado de 400g (2 latas si es para más de dos personas), si teneis tomates frescos aun mejor
– Zumo de un limón
– Un puñado de aceitunas en rodajas
– Un puñado de cilantro fresco
– Aceite de oliva virgen extra
– Pimienta negra

– Linguine normales o espagueti de espelta (o la pasta que os apetezca), 150 g de linguine con la salsa preparada con 2 botes de tomate dan para 4 personas.

Método

1. Ponemos abundante agua a hervir para la pasta
2. Añadimos el ajo, la cebolla y la guindilla (si se va a utilizar) en el vaso: 5 segundos, velocidad 5.
3. Añadimos el chorizo y un poquitín de AOVE: 100ºC, 5 minutos, velocidad 1.
4. Añadimos los langostinos y el zumo de limón: Varoma, 3 minutos, GIRO A LA IZQUIERDA, velocidad cuchara.
5. Añadimos el tomate (si hay mucho líquido en las latas lo colamos primero y nos hacemos un zumito de tomate o un bloody mary) y un par de giros del molinillo de pimienta negra: Varoma, 15 minutos, GIRO A LA IZQUIERDA, velocidad cuchara.
6. Añadimos la pasta al agua hirviendo para que acabe a la vez que la salsa.
7. Cuando hayan pasado 7 minutos y medio añadimos el cilantro fresco y las aceitunas (nos guardamos unas cuantas rodajitas para decorar). Cuando la salsa esté lista, añadimos la pasta cocida a la Thermomix, con la ayuda de la espátula mezclamos bien y listo.

With spelt spaghetti / Con espaguetis de espelta

Garlic and Serrano Ham Mushrooms (Thermomix and conventional recipe)

0 · Jun 13, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Back when I wrote this was a new deli in town, Allgoods of Ely, it actually opened a while ago but I only got a chance to visit it last weekend (I know, I know). It is full of delicious stuff: white asparagus, squid ink pasta, cheeses and meats: fabulous lomo and serrano ham. Let’s talk about that serrano ham today and what you can do to turn it into speedy Garlic and Serrano Ham Mushrooms.

As soon as I saw the serrano ham I knew I had to ask for a big chunk as well as slices. You see, if you ask for a very thick slice of it you can then dice it at home and do things like these mushrooms in no time at all.

This makes the perfect tapa or, if you need a bigger lunch, toss it with some cooked pasta at the end, or cooked noodles, or cooked rice, or cooked quinoa… You get my drift, right? For more tapas ideas check out my Easy guide to Spanish Tapas.

I had the mushrooms with a milk roll that I made the day before following the recipe in page 174 of the Fast and Easy cookbook that comes as standard in the Thermomix in the UK.

Don’t know what a Thermomix is? This post
will tell you all about it. If you live in the UK and you already have a
Thermomix or are considering buying one, I run the
really friendly and supportive Thermomix Owners UK Facebook group. Come join the Thermie chat.

¿Listos? Feel free to proportionally increase the quantities as needed (be careful not to do the olive oil though), this time it was just me and the weather is too hot for anything else so I kept it small.

Garlic and serrano ham mushrooms

Shopping list:

5 garlic cloves
15 g olive oil
A thick slice of serrano ham (just under a centimetre), diced. If there is any yellowy/orangey rind left, make sure you remove it, leave the fat on though!
130 g grey oyster mushrooms (I got them from Ocado but use any mushrooms you can find, the standard mushrooms will do very nicely too)
Parmesan or Manchego cheese
Good crusty bread for dipping (essential!)

Thermomix

1. 5 garlic cloves: 5 seconds, speed 7, push down bits with spatula

2. 15 g olive oil + handful diced Serrano ham: 3 mins, Varoma, speed 1

3. 130 g grey oyster mushrooms – Varoma, reverse, 5 minutes, soft speed.

4. Grate Parmesan of manchego cheese over the top and serve with good crusty bread to dip in the sauce OR perfect if you toss it with cooked pasta or add cooked noodles

Tadah!

Conventional cooking

If you are making this on the stove top it’s very easy, same ingredients as above:

1. Chop the garlic finely.
2. Heat up the oil in a frying pan, medium-high.
3. Add the garlic and the serrano ham, careful that the garlic doesn’t burn, stir regularly.
4. When the serrano ham is looking goldeny (technical term there), add the mushrooms. Stir well to coat them in all the juices, turn the heat down a tiny bit until the mushrooms look ready, 5 minutes or so.

5. Serve with grated cheese over the top and a nice bit of good bread, grab a good chunk of said bread and dip it in the sauce. No, I insist, you must do this first! OR, for a bigger meal, you can just add cooked pasta, noodles, rice, mix well and serve.

Disclosure: I paid everything full price, I just like to blog about tasty things.

Garlic and serrano ham mushrooms tossed with cooked pasta

Featured Recipe: Sweet Natured Kitchen’s Thermomix Chocolate Sandwich Slice

0 · May 10, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Today I have a treat for all of you. Tots100 in the UK has teamed up with Digital Parents in Australia to do a blog swap, thanks to which I have discovered a fabulous blog full of sweet recipes: Sweet Natured Kitchen. Madison has written a lovely recipe to feature on here: Thermomix Chocolate Sandwich Slice.

Sweet Natured Kitchen's Thermomix Chocolate Sandwich Slice

Hello to all of the Feisty Tapas and Tots100 followers! I am really looking forward to sharing a recipe with you as part of International Blog Swap Day.

My blog is all about the sweet stuff, everything from traditional baked goods all the way to raw vegan treats. However, I must admit that I have been tending towards the natural treats most recently as they are guilt free and instead of making you feel sluggish, they just make you feel good all over! Nuts and coconut oil are great for your skin and hair as well as your insides and using dried fruit and rice malt syrup as natural sweeteners mean you avoid all the nasties of processed sugar without losing any of the flavour. Win, win!

Now you may be wondering how the pairing of Feisty Tapas and Sweet Natured Kitchen came about…Well it had to be due to one wonderful piece of kitchen equipment, the Thermomix! I have had my Thermomix for around 7 months now and I use it almost everyday, most days 3 or 4 times! I don’t always post recipes with Thermomix instructions but to tell you the truth, I have probably used it somewhere along the way in all recipes. I use it as my food processor, beater or even to melt chocolate! Like Maria, I am not affiliated in any way with the company, I just enjoy creating and sharing recipes.

Here is a recipe I created just yesterday for my husband to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I call it Chocolate Sandwich Slice.

This recipe is no-bake and is 3 different layers.

Bottom layer – (biscuit consistency)
75g almonds
100g cashews
Speed 10, 12 seconds

Then add…

100g rolled oats
30g cocoa
50g rice malt syrup
50g coconut oil
20g chia seeds
Speed 10, 5 seconds
Scrape down sides, add 20g water and mix again speed 3, 10 seconds.

Scrape down side and place mixture into the bottom of a slice tin (I actually prefer to use a loaf tin as you get a nice tall slice and it is easy to cut), spread it out evenly over the bottom. Refrigerate.

Chocolate centre –
100g cocoa
70g rice malt syrup
70g coconut oil
Speed 2, 50 degrees, 2 minutes
Scrape down sides and give another quick mix if necessary.
Bring slice out of fridge and pour the chocolate on top. Spread it over the bottom layer evenly and place back in the fridge.

Top layer – (fudge layer)
50g almonds
100g cashews
50g cranberries
100g rolled oats
70g rice malt syrup
70g coconut oil

30g cocoa
20g chia seeds
Speed 10, 10 seconds. Scrape down sides, repeat if you still have lots of large nut chunks (although if you like this texture feel free to leave the large chunks – personal preference!).

Then whizz it up again Speed 4, 15 seconds.
Pour onto the top of the slice and spread out evenly. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove, cut and serve. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Patatas Bravas in the Thermomix (Recipe)

0 · Mar 27, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Easy Patatas Bravas with Thermomix or Bimby - Spanish Tapas made easy

Presentation is overrated anyway, no?

As you may have noticed, I seem to be struggling to post on this my blog more than ever at the moment. I started the year full of good intentions and armed with more time, all I have achieved though is to build a list of draft recipes as long as my arm that I never get to share because I am waiting to have enough time to make them as perfect as I can or because I don’t like the photos I took in a hurry. “In a hurry” describes my cooking rather well lately (so does “hit and miss”), with these Patatas Bravas I missed half of the recipe but they were a hit (see what I did there?). They make the perfect quick(ish) tapas dish!

And how am I? I shall keep this short and sweet: I’m good, I have work coming out of my ears and I miss having lots of time to spend with my Thermie and sharing recipes with you. This being self-employed malarkee can be such hard work! You can usually catch me giving you mini updates on my Instagram account and, of course, if you are UK based you should definitely come join us at the Thermo Cooking UK with Feisty Tapas Facebook group for local inspiration.

But enough about me, how have you been?

Patatas Bravas (a la”hit and miss”)

For the potatoes (traditionally they are peeled diced potatoes, fried in olive oil but I went for the healthy option)

For the potatoes
– 4 medium potatoes, not peeled, whole (mine were about 600g in total)

1. Place in big pan, cover with cold water. When they start boiling add 1 tbsp (I probably added a bit less) of sea salt.

2. Boil for 30 minutes or so, check that they are soft in the middle by pricking them with a skewer

3. Remove from the heat, but leave in the pan, I took the lid off. Cool like that for 30 minutes, peel, dice.

For the sauce (make the sauce while the potatoes cool)

Patatas Bravas in the Thermomix or Bimby

¡Deliciosas!

– One and a half tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 1 tbsp sweet paprika
– Half red chilli, sliced
– Half tsp tabasco
– 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
– One small/medium onion
– 150 g chopped tomatoes, making sure you grab the pulp, not so much the liquid

1. Place oil, paprika, chilli, tabasco and red wine vinegar in bowl: 2 min, 100ºC, speed 2.

2. Add onion: 7 seconds speed 7. Add chopped tomatoes: 10 minutes, 100ºC, speed 1 with inner basket on top of lid instead of measuring cup

3. Blend: 1 minute 30 at speed 8. I did 1 minute, checked and wanted it smoother so I blended for another 30 seconds.

Tip: Add less tabasco/chilli if you don’t want it very hot or you could just add more chopped tomatoes so that it is not as spicy and you get more quantity.

Thermomix watercress soup recipe / Receta de crema de berros con Thermomix

0 · Jan 20, 2014 · Leave a Comment

We often fly to Portugal when we go to Spain to visit my family. It sounds nuts, doesn’t it? But the nearest airports to my hometown with flights to London are Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain) or Porto (Portugal). Flying back from Porto a couple of weeks ago I picked up a copy of the official Portuguese Bimby magazine (yep, the Thermomix is called Bimby in Portugal, not in Spain though). There I found the recipe this Watercress soup (well, I have adapted it “slightly”, you know me, can’t follow a recipe to the letter… ever).

The flavour is light and delicate and I fully recommend it as a variation on heavier soups.

Thermomix Watercress soup

Ingredients

100 g watercress, washed
250 g leek, washed and cut in small chunks
30 g unsalted butter (for the next one I reckon I will use 20 g olive oil)
100 g potato, peeled and cubed in smallish chunks
500 g water (I added it straight from the tap and it was fine)
150 g semi-skimmed milk (or milk of your choice)
Pinch of salt (I didn’t add any as I thought the veg stock would be enough)
A few twists of pepper (I think I forgot to add it)
1 tsp vegetable stock powder
A dollop of light cream cheese (the recipe calls for 50 single cream but I didn’t have any)

Method

Place the watercress in the bowl: 3 seconds, speed 7. Remove and reserve.
Place butter and leek in bowl: 5 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.
Add the potato, water, milk, salt, pepper and vegetable stock: 20 minutes, 100ºC, speed 1.
Add the watercress and the dollop of cream cheese: 1 minute at progressive speed 5-10.

*En español*

Cuando vamos a Vigo a ver a mi family siempre volamos a Santiago de Compostela o a Oporto, esta vez tocó a Oporto porque nos salía muchísimo más barato que Santiago. A la vuelta me pasé por el Relay del aeropuerto a ver si tenían la revista oficial de la Bimby portuguesa (así se llama la Thermomix allí) con la gran suerte de que sí y de que estaba fenomenal de precio. En ella encontré esta Crema de berros (o Vichysoisse de berros como la llaman en la revista). Así la he adaptado yo a mi gusto. Espero que os guste a vosotros también.

Crema de berros con Thermomix

Ingredientes

100 g de berros, lavados
250 g de puerro, lavado y cortado en trozos no muy grandes
30 g mantequilla sin sal (yo creo que la próxima vez le pondré 20 g de aceite de oliva)
100 g de patata, pelada y troceada en pedacitos más bien pequeños
500 g de agua (yo la puse fría, directamente del grifo)
150 g de leche semidesnatada
Una pizca de sal (yo no le puse sal la verdad, no suelo salar mucho las cosas y ya lleva el caldo de verduras)
Pimienta molida (yo creo que ni se la puse)
1 cta. de caldo de verdura en polvo
Una cucharada de queso de untar tipo Philadelphia light (la receta original portuguesa dice que 50 gramos de nata pero yo no tenía en casa)

Método

Ponemos los berros en el vaso: 3 segundos, velocidad 7. Retiramos y reservamos.
Colocamos la mantequilla y el puerro en el vaso: 5 minutos, Varoma, velocidad 1.
Añadir la patata, el agua, la leche, la sal, la pimienta y el caldo de verduras: 20 minutos, 100ºC, velocidad 1.
Añadimos los berros y la cucharada de queso de untar: 1 minuto a velocidad progresiva 5-10.

Thermomix bolognese (perfect for spaghetti bolognese or lasagna)

0 · Jan 11, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Hello and happy new year! Yes, 2014 is upon us and I haven’t posted for ages… so I have promised myself to be less of a perfectionist this year and publish more recipes on here. The main reason is that my permanent lack of time has turned me into my grandmother and I now more than ever scribble recipes (and my never-ending lists) on the back of envelopes or scraps of paper and then lose them, and then find them and make some more notes, and then lose them again… The perfect example is this Thermomix Bolognese which I have now lost many times despite also cooking it many times as it is so easy with the Thermie. So, before I lose it again, here it goes.

Because publishing a photo of my scribbles on the back of an envelope doesn’t count, does it?

So, it’s going on here as a point of reference for me and so that you can tell me: how do you make your bolognese? What do you add that I don’t? Do you have a “secret ingredient”?

Don’t know what a Thermomix is? This post will tell you all about it. If you live in the UK and you already have a Thermomix or are considering buying one, don’t forget we now have a really friendly and supportive Thermo Cooking UK with Feisty Tapas Facebook group. Come join the Thermie chat.

Thermomix bolognese (perfect for spaghetti bolognese or lasagna)

Ingredients

140 g onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves
120 g carrot, in chunks
100 g courgette, in chunks (optional)
20 g celery, in chunks (optional, you can add none or you can add more to taste)
1 red, in chunks, orange or yellow pepper or a mixture of them
20 g olive oil
500 g beef mince or pork mince (or 250 g of each)
Red wine to taste (optional), I tend to add a good glug
1 tbsp (more or less) Worcestershire sauce, the not-so-secret ingredient
800 g chopped tomatoes (2 tins). Obviously if you live in a land with good quality fresh tomatoes that actually taste of something… use them!
Squirt of tomato purée
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 bay leaf

The magic ingredient for Feisty Tapas' Thermomix bolognese (perfect for spaghetti bolognese or lasagna)

The “secret” ingredient (really not a secret)

3 biggish mushrooms

Method

Add onion, garlic cloves, carrot and celery to Thermomix bowl: 5 seconds, speed 5.
Add the courgette and pepper: 2 seconds, speed 5.
Add 20 g olive oil: 5 minutes, 100ºC, speed 1.
Add the mince (if it’s in a block, don’t break it up, leave it whole): 10 minutes, 100ºC, reverse, soft speed.
Drain (you can insert the inner basket and tip the liquid) or just hold off the meat with a wide spatula while you drain, it should be fairly easy either way.
Add the wine and/or 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce: 3 minutes, 100ºC, reverse, soft speed.
Add 800 g chopped tomatoes, a good squirt of tomato purée, the teaspoon of mixed herbs (you can add more if you like it herby) and the bay leaf, place the inner basket on top instead of the measuring cup: 45 minutes, Varoma, reverse, soft speed.
In the last 15 minutes, lift the measuring cup and add the mushrooms (that way you don’t have to stop your Thermie).

If you need it a bit faster, try placing the basket on top of the lid instead of the measuring cup.

If you want to serve it as a lasagna you just need to preheat the oven to 180ºC, some fresh lasagna sheets (it’s faster with them) and a Quick bechamel (slightly adapted from the Spanish Imprescindible book), it turns out perfectly smooth every time!

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
50 g butter
110 g flour
800 g whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
A few twists of the black pepper mill
1 pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Place all ingredients in bowl: 8 minutes, 100º, speed 4.

Make the lasagna in a Pyrex/ceramic dish with one layer of bolognese, one layer of lasagna sheets, one layer of bolognese, one layer of lasagna sheets… until you are near the top, then top with the bechamel and sprinkle with your choice of cheese.

Bake it in the oven until the lasagna sheets are soft and the top golden. Just stick a fork in to check.

Leave it to rest for a little while, serve. It makes great leftovers too.

Feisty Tapas' Thermomix bolognese (perfect for spaghetti bolognese or lasagna)

Thermomix: Thai prawn noodle soup / Sopa tailandesa de camarones y tallarines (recipe/receta)

0 · Nov 20, 2013 · Leave a Comment

*Receta Thermomix: Sopa tailandesa de camarones y tallarines, en español más abajo*

It is no secret that I love noodles. I also adore seafood. I am a huge fan of coriander. And at this time of the year, in the cold British winter, I could survive on soups… The other day I had in mind a very specific flavour that had to have all of the above and I came across a Nigel Slater recipe, I read it and filed it away in my brain. Here is the result: an easy peasy Thermomix recipe to make a delicious Thai prawn noodle soup.

A few days later I decided to be extremely organised (for me) and wrote down how I would go about achieving the flavour I wanted with the Thermomix. The result was better than I anticipated and it proved one thing, even when I have it all written down and quite clear in my head: I still can’t follow a recipe to save my life.

The result was absolutely delicious and the colours just amazing.

This recipe uses prawns but I bet it would be just as gorgeous with salmon, white fish or even chicken. But also without any seafood or meat additions at all as the flavour is lovely and strong.

Make sure you join my Thermo Cooking UK with Feisty Tapas Facebook group.

Thermomix Thai prawn noodle soup
Ready in about 25 minutes

Ingredients

3 cm piece of fresh ginger (more or less)
1 red chilli, deseeded (unless you like it really really hot)
1 stalk of lemongrass (here is another recipe that uses lemongrass, a green curry)
2 garlic cloves
1 handful fresh coriander

5 g olive oil

1/4 tsp turmeric (that is one quarter)

120 g cold water

1 tsp vegetable stock powder (I just used the usual Bouillon one I have in the cupboard, one day I will get round to doing Thermie stock)

100 g rice noodles, I used fresh (that’s all I had, you may need to add more if you want a thicker soup)

400 g tin of coconut milk

Half a lime

2 handfuls of raw peeled king prawns (you can used previously cooked prawns if you can’t find raw)

1 tsp fish sauce

Method

1. Place the ginger, chilli, lemongrass, garlic and coriander in the Thermomix bowl and chop: 10 seconds, speed 7.

2. Use a spatula to lower down any bits that may have climbed up the walls of the bowl. Add the 5 g olive oil and chop another 5 seconds, speed 7.

3. Add the one quarter teaspoon of turmeric and about 120 g cold water and the teaspoon of vegetable stock: 7 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.

4. If you are not using fresh noodles and they need preparing, this is the moment to do it, follow packet instructions.

5. Add the coconut milk then fill the tin with a bit of water, swirl it around to make sure you catch all the milk then fill it up and pour enough water in the bowl to cover the whole blade unit (including the top): 7 minutes, Varoma, speed 1. While it’s doing that, juice the half lime into the measuring cup, this way any bits that shoot away will fall in the lid and go down anyway, empty it into the bowl while the Thermomix is running.

6. Add the prawns and fish sauce (I had planned on adding the noodles here too but I forgot): 3 minutes, Varoma, reverse, soft speed.

7. Add the noodles: 3 minutes, Varoma, reverse, soft speed.

Did you know that you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook for micro posts? And my particular favourite: Instagram.
Or of course you can subscribe to receive updates by email by scrolling
back up and looking at the top of the right hand column (no spam,
promise). Also, if you and your Thermie live in the UK, we now have a private Thermomix Owners UK group, fantastic for local tips and recommendations and to chat with lovely like-minded people.

*En español después de la foto*

Feisty Tapas: Thermomix recipe - Thai Prawn noodle soup / Receta - Sopa tailandesa de camarones y tallarines

Los inviernos británicos son duros, y lo digo yo que soy gallega. La humedad cala los huesos y cuando hace sol el frío corta la respiración. Y lo digo muerta de frío en otoño.

Yo soy muy sopera, me van las sopas de fideos, las cremas de verduras, la sopa de puerro y patata de mi marido (un día os cuento la receta) y, desde hace unos años, me van los platos picantes (yo creo que fue culpa del embarazo).

A esta sopa tailandesa se le pueden rebajar el picante, basta con que el chile o guindilla sea más bien pequeño y que le quiteis las semillas.

Yo os digo camarones pero es que el marisco británico deja mucho que desear (repito, soy gallega), así que utilizad lo que os apetezca, tengais a mano o simplemente esté de oferta en el mercado. Yo creo que quedaría riquísima también con salmón troceado o hasta pollo.

Sopa tailandesa de camarones en la Thermomix

Ingredientes

Jengibre fresco, una pieza de unos 3 cm
1 guindilla roja, sin semilla (a no ser que apetezca muy picante)
1 ramita de lemon grass (hierba limón, y para que aprovecheis el resto aquí teneis un curry riquísimo)
2 dientes de ajo
1 buen puñado de cilantro fresco

5 g aceite de oliva

1/4 de cucharilla de cúrcuma

120 g agua fría, tal cual sale del grifo

1 cucharadita de caldo de verduras en polvo (o un poquito de lo que tengais en casa)

100 g tallarines de arroz, yo los usé frescos (100 g es lo que tenía en casa, si apetece una sopa más espesa añadid más)

400 g de leche de coco en lata

Media lima

2 puñados de camarones crudos pelados

1 cucharadita de salsa de pescado o nam pla

Method

1. Pon el jengibre, la guindilla, el lemon grass, el ajo y el cilantro en el vaso: 10 segundos, velocidad 7.

2. Con una espátula baja lo que haya subido por las paredes, añade los 5 g de aceite de oliva: 5 segundos, velocidad 7.

3. Añade el cuarto de cucharadita de cúrcuma (es decir un par de pizcas y un poquito más para que dé suerte) y unos 120 g de agua y una cucharilla de caldo de verduras en polvo: 7 minutos, Varoma, velocidad 1.

4. Si vas a utilizar tallarines que necesiten preparación, este es el momento de leer las instrucciones y seguirlas para tenerlos listos.

5. Añade la leche de coco y llena la lata con un poco de agua, dale unas vueltitas para aprovechar todos los restos de leche y verterla en el vaso, cubriendo la cuchilla entera (la parte de arriba incluida): 7 minutos, Varoma, velocidad 1. Prepara el zumo de la media lima, yo la exprimo con la mano directamente al cubilete colocado en la tapa de la Thermomix, así si sale el líquido disparado cae a la tapa y de ahí al interior del vaso y no perdemos sabor.

6. Añade los camarones (yo iba a poner los tallarines a la vez pero se me olvidó y aún así quedó bien): 3 minutos, Varoma, giro a la izquierda, velocidad cuchara.

7. Añade los tallarines: 3 minutos, Varoma, giro a la izquierda, velocidad cuchara.

Si la preparais, mandadme fotos o etiquetadme y contadme los resultados y
cómo habeis adaptado vosotros esta receta. Ya sabeis que
me teneis en Facebook, en Twitter y en Instagram.

Thermomix Caldo (Spanish Chicken Broth with Kale, Chickpeas and Chorizo)

0 · Oct 31, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Thermomix recipe: Caldo (Spanish chicken broth with kale, chickpeas and chorizo)

Hello! It has been so long since I last blogged that I would rather not look at the date of my last post. Work has been extremely busy this year which I have to confess makes me very happy but I miss my little blog. I keep jotting and drafting recipes but I never seem to have the time to finish them or make sure the photos are good enough and, as I don’t like to hit publish until I am happy with the post, the
blog doesn’t get updated and then I find myself missing it.

I also find myself losing the recipes I wrote down on the back of envelopes, tiny bits of paper and random notebooks because, let’s face it, they are not the most reliable method of record keeping. If I don’t write down what they were for, I sometimes even forget and have to remind myself from the ingredients I wrote down.

So, here we go, this is me letting go of “it doesn’t look good enough” and instead remembering that I am likely to forget my creations if I don’t write them on here.

It’s Autumn in the UK now and at this time of the year I could easily survive on soups. I also love roast chicken, not only do we get to have a fantastic roast dinner (English style) but we get to have lots of leftovers and then I can make chicken stock which means I can then make a nice caldo or a delicious pasta soup.

Caldo is typical from my area of Spain (Galicia), it is traditionally made with grelos, berzas or nabizas. The closest thing I have found here in the UK is kale but, to be honest, good grelos are not even easy to find in the rest of Spain, they are a little Galician luxury which is amazing for such a basic vegetable. Every week at home there would be a huge pot (no, really they are huge) boiling meat, vegetables, etc. at home to make stock, a lot of the stock would be frozen to make sopas de fideos for nice quick dinners.

Feisty Tapas: Thermomix Caldo cooked from scratch in the Thermomix, with kale, carrots and chorizo

This recipe takes you straight from roast chicken leftovers to stock to caldo or broth with even extra caldo to keep for a pasta soup or to use in your recipes (or freeze). Even better, when you finish you can start again with the other half of the chicken.

If you have a larger family you can add an extra chorizo sausage in the basket and steam carrots and potatoes in the Varoma for a filling meal.

If you don’t like kale but you like leek, replace it with leek, just not too much. Leek is also really nice steamed in the Varoma. Of course you could use spinach but that is not a traditional caldo option!

You can cook this ahead by a day or two, it’s actually even nicer when the flavours develop.

Thermomix Caldo (Spanish Chicken Broth with Kale, Chickpeas and Chorizo)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and a half

Ingredients

Half a roast chicken carcass or bones, this is my favourite roast chicken recipe: Maple Glazed chicken with sesame seeds

1 onion
1-2 carrots (use 2 if they are not too big, cut in chunks). You could also add tomatoes.
Handful of coriander

2 bay leaves (or 1 if you have a large leave)

1500 g water (I actually measured one litre and a half with a measuring jug)

1 chorizo sausage (whole but peeled)

A nice bunch of kale (washed), see comment above to substitute this with leek if you don’t like kale
Salt

1 tin of chickpeas (rinsed and drained, you could also use butter beans, or cannellini)

Method

1. Start by removing any bits of meat left on the bone, you can make Spanish bechamel croquetas with them) or add them to the finished caldo (or both!). Place the bones in the inner basket.

2. Place the onion, the carrots and the coriander in the Thermomix bowl: 15 seconds, speed 5. Push down any bits that may have flown up the walls.

3. Place the basket with the bones inside the bowl, place the bay leaves on top and fill with the water (1 litre and a half): 45 minutes, 100ºC, speed 2.5.

4. Top up with 250 g more water (hot if you can): 15 minutes, 100ºC, speed 2.5. This is me trying to be thrifty and get us much stock as I can. You can skip this step if you want.

5. Place the chorizo sausage in the basket: 15 minutes, 100ºC, speed 2.5.

6. Take out the basket and place it on top of a bowl big enough so that the liquid doesn’t go anywhere other than inside it, reserve the chorizo, and press down on the bones to remove as much liquid as you can. Discard the bones and add the liquid you just extracted back to the TMX bowl.

7. Place the basket inside the TMX bowl again, add the chorizo and fit as much kale as you can in it (but not too much), top up with water (imagine where the II mark is) and add a pinch of salt: 15 minutes, 100ºC, speed 2.5. If you are adding carrots and potatoes to the Varoma, this is the moment to do it. Make sure they are cut in bite size chunks, not too small but not too big.

8. Add the rinsed chickpeas, top with water so that they are just covered: 10 minutes, 100ºC, speed 2.5. Make sure the chickpeas are nice and tender, mine were.

9. Tip the basket into a big bowl (or a Thermoserver if you are lucky enough to have one) and add enough of the stock to cover it, slice the chorizo and it’s all ready to serve in big steamy bowls. I like my caldo quite thick and not too watery. You should be left with lots of stock, if you have cooked extra you will need it, otherwise save it for a pasta soup or for cooking (fancy a chorizo risotto?).

Note: You can bulk this up with some pasta soup (little stars or orzo), you can then call it “sopicaldo”. Or, for a gluten free alternative, add cooked quinoa, I like to cook my quinoa, after soaking and rinsing it well (even if the packet doesn’t say so) in the Thermomix in vegetable or chicken stock, I just follow the same recipe as for white rice.

Thermomix recipe: Chicken Fajitas with the help of the Thermomix, food processor, blender or hand

0 · Aug 25, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Last year I published my old fajita recipe (without the Thermomix), the one that I had been cooking for a decade and a half, and then in recent months I changed it… But I only changed it because I can now do a bunch of things in the Thermomix and so I started experimenting a little. I haven’t changed it massively and you can totally do this at home too without a Thermomix, either by hand or with your food processor or blender.

I know a few of you really liked the original and have been making it ever since but I encourage you to play with it. Ok, ok, so you have your parents and grandparents voice firmly stuck in your mind saying: “don’t play with your food young man/lady!”. Remember, that is only when the food is on the plate; when you are cooking it, it’s a totally different matter!

A tip: I tend to squeeze the lemon into the measuring cup of the Thermomix, that way I can pick out any seeds with a spoon before pouring it into the TMX bowl. Do the same with a small cup. Have you ever bitten through a lemon seed by mistake? It really isn’t a nice flavour.

Chicken Fajitas with the help of the Thermomix, food processor, blender or hand
Serves: 4-6 people
Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients

400 g chicken breasts cut in strips (or mini chicken fillets if you don’t want to be slicing meat or need to get food on the table within 30 minutes)
1 red chilli, seeds in, cut in chunks (I used a large one last time and it was lovely, just go with your own spiciness resistance on this one though)
Juice of half lemon, if you like lemon quite a bit, use a whole one (you can also use lime)
A good handful of fresh coriander (it’s important that it is fresh)
Olive oil (about 1 tablespoon, probably less)
1 big onion or 2 medium onions, sliced
1 and a half red pepper, sliced (or pepper of the colour of your choice)
1 packet of tortilla wraps (the photos in this post use corn tortillas but wheat ones tend to wrap better
1 tub of soured cream (try to get half-fat to make the dish lighter)
1 tub of guacamole (I now make my own in the Thermomix but I haven’t quite perfected it enough to share)
Grated cheese, optional (we use cheddar most of the time)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200º (fan) / Gas mark 7.
2. Chop the red chilli in Thermomix bowl: 4 seconds, speed 5. Or in your blender or food processor or, of course, by hand (just be careful to wash yoru hands thoroughly afterwards)
3. Add the coriander and the lemon juice to the Thermomix bowl: 2 seconds, speed 7 or chop by other means. Have a quick peek to check that the chilli is small enough for your taste.
4. Drizzle, spray or brush a bit of olive oil over the bottom of the oven tray, add the chicken, pour the chilli, coriander and lemon mixture over it, mixing well. Then add the sliced vegetables (onion and red pepper) and mix well again, making sure it’s all well coated.
5. Place in the middle of the preheated oven for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, give it a good stir and return to the oven turning the heat up to about 220º (fan) / to give it that sizzling slightly-burnt-without-tasting-burnt look. Make sure that the chicken is cooked through and remember that every oven is different.

WRAPS: Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tortillas at a time, they only need a few seconds (30 or so) on each side. Don’t get the heat too high as they will blister, burn and get hard. I tend to either cover them with a lid (you can cover them with an upside down plate) or leave some in the warm pan with the heat off while we eat.

The construction of the fajita is best done by each diner: place a tortilla on a plate, add the chicken, garnish with cheese, guacamole, soured cream, wrap it and fold the bottom to hold everything in. It gets messy but it’s good fun.

Here you have a step-by-step photographic guide:

How to wrap a Mexican fajita - step by step

TIP: To save time, you can get the sliced chicken into the oven as soon as you have mixed it with the coriander, chilli and lemon and then start slicing the vegetables (onion and pepper) and then in they go with the chicken, mixing everything well, if you have all the vegetables sliced up just mix it all well with the chicken and into the oven.

HINT: You can increase the quantities to your heart’s content, just make sure you increase amounts evenly across all ingredients so not to lose the flavour. This is a perfect dish for parties with family or friends as it is fun food and you are not chained to the hob, leaving you time to mingle from the time it goes in the oven until the timer beeps.

Thermomix: Quick Thai green chicken curry recipe / Receta rápida de pollo al curry verde tailandés

0 · Jul 27, 2013 · Leave a Comment

*La receta de este Pollo rápido al curry tailandés para la Thermomix la teneis en español más abajo*

I am new to cooking curries and it’s all down to the Thermomix, it would have never occurred to me to cook curry from scratch pre-Thermomix. Needless to say, my very
English husband is thrilled. I have cooked this Quick Thai Green Chicken Curry
several times now, adapting it from this Thai Green Curry in a Hurry recipe from the Recipe community and I finally got it exactly how we like it.

I have been working on finding meals that are diabetic friendly and husband likes, it’s hard work I tell you. This one had brilliant effects on husband’s blood sugar, i.e. it didn’t raise it much so it’s a keeper (with wholegrain basmati rice). He had presumed that coconut milk would be very high in sugar but it really isn’t, 0.7% per 100 g it said on the tin. The original recipe calls for non-diabetic friendly ingredients such as sugar though so I have had to remove those and it works just as well.

You can totally cook this without a Thermomix, you will need your trusted food processor and you’re set. You will just have a bit of extra washing up (try to delegate that part and you’re sorted!).

I would recommend trying this with prawns too or even with white fish. I bet it’s delicious.
Quick Thai green chicken curry recipe
Total time: 20 minutes approx.

Ingredients

70 g cashew nuts
3 spring onions, you will cook the white part and slice finely the green part for the garnish. It also works with half a small onion (just don’t keep any of it for decoration)
1 large fresh green chilli
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1 stalk lemon grass
2-3 Kaffir lime leaves
400 g tin of coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 red pepper/capsicum, cut in strips
650 g chicken breasts, cut in strips half cm thick
25 g olive oil or coconut oil
A handful of chopped fresh coriander to garnish

Method

Place cashews (70 g) in the Thermomix bowl: 5 seconds, speed 9. Reserve in a bowl.
Add the spring onions, the green chili, the 3 garlic cloves, the stalk of lemon grass and the 2 or 3 kaffir lime leaves to the Thermomix bowl: 10 seconds, speed 7.
Add olive oil or coconut oil (25 g): 2 minutes, Varoma, soft speed.
Add the coconut milk (400 g tin): 4 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.
Then to create a smooth sauce, get to speed 9 gradually over a 20 second period, then count 20 more seconds once you’re at speed 9.
Add the chicken strips: 9 minutes, Varoma, reverse, soft speed.
Add the fish sauce (2 tbsp), the ground nuts and the red sliced red pepper, using the spatula of your choice to mix it all well: 2 minutes, Varoma, reverse, soft speed.

Serve with Spanish flair by sprinkling the spring onion and the coriander over the top. And, if you make it, make sure to send me photos or tag me and let me know how you have adapted it, if at all.

Did you know that you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook for micro posts? And my particular favourite: Instagram.
Or of course you can subscribe to receive updates by email by scrolling
back up and looking at the top of the right hand column (no spam,
promise).

*En español*

Esta receta la adapté de una del Recetario Thermomix australiano, es un curry verde tailandés
súper fácil, está listo en menos de media hora y sale de vicio. Lo mejor: a mi marido (diabético) le fue muy bien para el nivel de azúcar en sangre, para conseguirlo rebajé y quité algunos de los ingredientes de la receta original y lo adapté un poco a nuestro gusto; además de servirlo con arroz basmati integral.

Yo en mi vida había cocinado curries hasta tener la Thermomix. Vamos, que ni se me hubiese ocurrido.

Puede que tengáis que rebuscar para encontrar el “lemon grass” y las “hojas de lima Kaffir” pero la marca Bart las suele comercializar. Si resultan difíciles de conseguir y sabeis dónde comprarlos, contádmelo ¿vale? Para intentar ayudar que es que está divino y quiero que lo probeis.

Pollo rápido al curry verde tailandés en la Thermomix
Listo en 20 minutos

Ingredientes

70 gramos de anacardos crudos
3 cebolletas, la parte blanca va a la Thermomix y la verde la cortamos en rodajas finitas para decorar. A falta de cebolleta se puede utilizar media cebolla normal y corriente (lo he probado). *Ojo* lo que yo uso como cebolleta son “spring onions” (Allium fistulosum) una variedad de la cebolleta alargada y casi sin bulbo. Si utilizáis la típica cebolleta de bulbo grande recomiendo quizá utilizar solo una, dos como máximo
1 guindilla verde grande, semillas y todo (aunque esto va a depender de cuánto os guste el picante)
3 dientes de ajo, pelados
1 palito de lemon grass (hierba limón)
2-3 hojas de lima Kaffir
400 gramos de leche de coco (en lata)
2 cucharadas de salsa de pescado o nam pla (es decir, 30 ml, en total)
1 pimiento rojo, cortado en tiras largas
650 gramos de pechuga de pollo sin piel, cortada en tiras finas (como de medio centímetro)
25 gramos de aceite de oliva
Un puñado de cilantro fresco picado para adornar (que además le va muy bien al sabor)

Método

Pon los anacardos (70 g) en el vaso de la Thermomix: 5 segundos, velocidad 9. Resérvalo en un cuenco.
Pica las cebolletas, el ajo, la guindilla, el lemon grass y las hojas de lima kaffir: 10 segundos, velocidad 7.
Añade el aceite de oliva (25 g): 2 minutos, Varoma, velocidad cuchara.
Añade la leche de coco: 4 minutos, Varoma, velocidad 1.
Vamos a hacer una salsa cremosita: 20 segundos, velocidad 9 girando poquito a poquito, al llegar a la velocidad 9 contamos 20 segundos.
Añade las tiras de pollo: 9 minutos, Varoma, giro a la izquierda, velocidad cuchara (tengo entendido que en la TM21 esto es velocidad 1 con la mariposa puesta).
Añade la salsa de pescado, las nueces molidas que tenemos reservadas y el pimiento, ayudándote de la espátula para incorporarlo todo bien y mezclarlo con la salsa: 2 minutos, Varoma, giro a la izquierda, velocidad cuchara.

Una vez emplatado lo adornamos con cilantro (que además le queda riquísimo) y con las rodajitas de cebolleta que teníamos reservadas. Queda perfecto con arroz basmati, yo suelo preparar el curry primero y meterlo en un recipiente que me lo conserve calentito mientras preparo el arroz (en la Thermomix por supuesto), así el sabor del curry es aún mejor tras reposar esa media horita.

Si lo preparais, mandadme fotos o etiquetadme y contadme los resultados y cómo habeis adaptado vosotros mi versión de esta receta. Ya sabeis que me teneis en Facebook, en Twitter y en Instagram.

Para acabar una fotito más, por si acaso eran pocas.

Thermomix: Quick Thai green chicken curry recipe / Receta rápida de pollo al curry verde tailandés TM31

Mixed Potato Salad with Red Chilli, Coriander and Feta Recipe / Receta de ensalada de boniato y patata con guindilla roja y feta (Thermomix)

1 · Jul 24, 2013 · Leave a Comment

*La Receta de ensalada de boniato y patata con guindilla roja y feta está en español más abajo*

This potato salad with red chilli, coriander and feta is based on a Jamie Oliver recipe from his 30 minute book, that recipe uses the microwave and suffice to say that, since I hav
e the Thermomix, the microwave only warms milk and reheats food, along with the endless coffees that I leave to go cold.

So I have adapted it to the Thermomix which also allows me to make something in the bowl, where I in fact made a Vichyssoise (cold leek soup) for the next day while the potatoes steam in the Varoma. I also made a Gazpacho before starting on this, that’s two cold soups in the fridge for today. Did I tell you the UK is in the middle of a very unusual several weeks long heat wave?

This salad is really nice warm straight away or cold after having a nice stay in the fridge (husband took the leftovers to work today). We had it with thin turkey breast fillets fried in very little olive oil in the griddle pan, just seasoned with a few twists of the black pepper mill and a tiny bit of salt.

If you don’t have a Thermomix you can still prepare it of course!
Sweet potato, potato, chilli and coriander salad (warm or cold Thermomix recipe)

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, washed, with any tough bits removed but with the rest of the skin on, halved lengthways, then sliced in big chunks
2 medium sized potatoes (halved)
Half lemon
1 red chilli, seeds in
Big bunch of fresh coriander
50 g feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Parchment/baking paper

Method

Line the bottom of the Varoma with baking paper by wetting it under a cold tap, scrunching it up and then spreading it over the bottom of the Varoma (no need to use the Varoma tray, middle insert, for this recipe).
Add one litre of water to the Thermomix bowl, place the potatoes in the lined Varoma together with the half lemon and cover with the lid (no need to use the tray): 30 minutes, Varoma, speed 2 and a half. Check that they are done and place them in a large salad bowl. Squeeze the lemon over them and discard it, also make sure any of the lovely citric juices left in the parchment paper are tipped into the salad bowl with the spuds.
Dry Thermomix bowl, add chilli and coriander: 4 seconds, speed 5. Add the 50 g feta: 2 seconds, speed 5 (keep going if you would like it all chopped quite small). You could of course make this mix as step one and reserve (I just didn’t want an extra bowl to wash).
Many thanks to The 4 Blades for the addition of this step: add the potatoes,
lemon juices, extra virgin olive oil to the bowl: 5 seconds, reverse, speed
4 (being careful not to turn it to mush!). My previous option was to just drizzle the potatoes with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and add the chopped coriander, chilli and feta directly from the TM bowl and mix well. Either option is very easy as you can see. Ready in a jiffy.

Serve with Spanish flair

En español:

Esta receta se basa en una receta de Jamie Oliver, de su libro de Comidas en 30 minutos. Esa receta utiliza el microondas y, como os podeis imaginar los que teneis Thermomix, el micro hoy en día lo reservo para calentar la leche, la comida y los cafés que se me van quedando fríos a lo largo del día (si es que no paro, es verdad).

Así que la he adaptado a la Thermomix, ayer aproveché para hacer una Vichyssoise para la comida de hoy. Bueno, y un gazpacho antes de ponerme, que estamos con mucho calor en Inglaterra.

Esta ensalada de patatas está riquísima calentita tal cual se prepara o fría el día siguiente después de reposar en la nevera (mi marido se ha llevado las sobras al trabajo hoy). Ayer acompañó a unos filetitos de pechuga de pavo que hice a la plancha.

Ensalada de boniato, patata, guindilla roja y cilantro (caliente o fría)

Ingredientes

2 boniatos (batatas, como prefirais llamarlo) grandecitos, lavados, con las durezas quitadas y cortados en dos longitudinalmente y después en trozos más bien gordos
2 patatas medianas, lavadas y cortadas por la mitad
Medio limón
1 guindilla roja, con las semillas (si os gusta el picante)
Cilantro fresco, un buen ramillete (quitándole los tallos) pero adaptarlo a vuestro gusto
50 g de queso feta
Aceite de oliva extra virgen (AOVE)
Papel de horno

Método

Mojar el papel de horno con agua fría del grifo, estrujarlo y estirarlo para tapar la base del Varoma, con cuidado para no tapar todos los agujeros.
Llenar el vaso de la Thermomix con un litro de agua, colocar las patatas sobre el papel de horno con el medio limón: 30 minutos, Varoma, velocidad 2 y medio. Comprobar que están bien hechas y colocarlas en una ensaladera. Exprimir el limón con las manos o unas pinzas (va a estar muy caliente) y echar a la ensaladera el jugo que pueda haber recogido el papel.
Secar el vaso de la Thermomix y añadir la guindilla y el cilantro: 4 segundos, velocidad 5. Añadir los 50 g de feta: 2 segundos, velocidad 5 (seguir hasta que se haya troceado a vuestro gusto). Esta mezcla también se puede triturar como paso uno pero no me apetecía manchar un cuenco para reservarla.
Echar un poco de aceite de oliva virgen extra a las patatas, mezclar, echar el aderezo de cilantro, guindilla y feta y mezclar aún mejor.

¡Listo!

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Thermomix: Creamy chorizo pasta / Pasta cremosa con chorizo

1 · Jun 8, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Thermomix Creamy chorizo pasta. A delicious and super easy all-in-one Thermomix dish. Let me know if you try it

*En español más abajo / Spanish version further down*

I have been playing with this dish for a while and tonight I finally got the perfect Creamy chorizo pasta recipe for the Thermomix. The best part: it’s cooked from start to finish in the Thermomix.

I had a clean kitchen before the Thermomix’s final beep.

When I first got my Thermomix I discovered a wealth of Australian websites and Facebook pages with TM31 recipes where the acronym EDC kept on coming up. At first I had no idea what it was, until I asked. It stands for Every Day Cookbook, the book that is delivered with the Thermomix as standard down under. Then I kept on hearing about a creamy salami and courgette recipe on it that people raved about, a kind soul passed me the recipe and yes it is good but, as my friend Amanda put it, I cheated on chorizo!

Husband also complained about the salami. What? No chorizo? So I started playing with the recipe but chorizo releases its juices differently to salami and so I had to totally adapt it.

This is the perfect mid-week dish, also perfect for those nights when you want something tasty but are short on time and/or energy. I don’t tend to cook many creamy sauces but this one is just so delicious.

*Edited 22-11-2013 to let you all know that it works with milk too, making it lighter. I have amended the recipe below too and based on an adaptation by the lovely Joanne (see her comment further down) I have also now added a carrot (for those extra hidden vegetables)*

If you are wondering what a Thermomix is, come this way.

Creamy chorizo pasta (Thermomix recipe) / Pasta cremosa con chorizo (receta Thermomix)

Creamy Chorizo Pasta with the Thermomix
Serves 3-4 (it really depends on their appetite)
Ready in 35 minutes

Ingredients

– 1/2 to 1 onion
– 1 or 2 garlic cloves
– Fresh coriander, to taste really. You can also use parsley (dried or fresh)
– 1 carrot in chunks (optional)

– 1/2 to 1 red pepper (what down under they call red capsicum)
– 110 g courgette in chunks (i.e. zucchini), I like to peel courgette

– 100 g chorizo, quartered lengthways and then sliced in approx half
centimeter chunks. Buy WHOLE SAUSAGES, not the thinly sliced type of
chorizo
– 20 g extra virgin olive oil

– Half a measuring cup of red wine (optional)

– 400 g tinned tomatoes

– 300 g water (it doesn’t have to be hot)
– 200 g whole milk
– 1 tsp vegetable stock (I use powdered)
– Salt and black pepper

– 250 g fettuccine or linguine (in the TM5 you can add 300 g linguine)

Equipment

Chopping board and knife for vegetables, chopping board and knife for raw meat, Thermomix TM31, spatula.

Method

1. Add the onion, garlic, coriander and carrot (if adding) to the Thermomix bowl: 5 seconds, speed 7.

2. Add the red pepper and courgette: 3 seconds, speed 5.

3. Add the chorizo and 20 g olive oil: 5 minutes, Varoma (TM5 120ºC), speed 1. If your chorizo is quite soft it may be a good idea to use reverse for the rest of the recipe. If using red wine, add it once the chorizo has been cooking for about 2 minutes, while the Thermomix keeps running.

4. Add the tomatoes: 5 minutes, Varoma (TM5 120ºC), speed 1.

5. Add the water (300 g), whole milk (200 g), 1 tsp vegetable stock, salt and black pepper to taste (don’t add too much salt): 10 minutes, 100º, speed 1.

6. Add the fettucine or your choice of pasta: 10 minutes (but start with the minutes stated in your pack and add 2-3 more minutes when it finishes, if necessary), 100º, REVERSE, soft speed (I prefer to call it spoon speed to be honest). Add pepper towards the end if you want.

Serve (immediately) with Spanish flair.

Tip: If, after serving, you have pasta left in the Thermomix, make sure you transfer it to a bowl, container to eat the next day, etc. straight away. It will be easier to get it out while it’s still nice, warm and creamy.

It can be reheated and eaten the next day (if you have any left!), it makes a lovely quick lunch. Ah the advantages of working from home.

Pasta cremosa con chorizo

Español

Hace algún tiempo empecé a oír hablar de una receta del libro australiano de la Thermomix, Fettuccine cremosos con salami y calabacín, que tiene mucho éxito. Me picó la curiosidad y tuve la gran suerte de que me la pasaron, la probé y nos gustó en casa. Pero mi marido se quejó de la falta de chorizo.

Así que he ido adaptando la receta y hoy por fin quedó perfecta. Os la dejo por si os apetece probarla. Y, si la probais, ya sabeis: volved a contarme qué tal os salió y de paso si cambiasteis algo que me encanta saber qué cambios haceis.

Ingredientes

– 1/2-1 cebolla
– 1-2 dientes de ajo
– Cilantro o perejil fresco, al gusto
– 1 zanahoria en trozos (opcional)

– 1/2-1 pimiento rojo
– 110 g calabacín (pelado y en trozos)

– 100 g chorizo, en rodajitas
– 20 g AOVE

– Medio cubilete, de la Thermomix, de vino tinto (opcional)

– 400 g tomates de lata

– 300 g de agua (no hace falta que esté caliente)
– 200 g de leche entera
– 1 cucharadita de caldo de verduras (yo lo uso en polvo)
– Sal y pimienta negra

– 250 g fettuccine (se puede usar 250 g de linguine)

Utensilios

Tabla de cortar y cuchillo para hortalizas, tabla de cortar y cuchillo para carne cruda, Thermomix TM31, espátula.

Método

1. Pon la cebolla, el ajo, el cilantro y la zanahoria en el vaso de la Thermomix: 5 segundos, velocidad 7.

2. Añade el pimiento rojo y el calabacín: 3 segundos, velocidad 5.

3. Añade el chorizo y 20 g de aceite de oliva: 5 minutos, Varoma (TM5 120ºC), velocidad 1. Si el chorizo es bastante blando, conviene poner el giro a la izquierda para el resto de la receta. Si te apetece echarle vino tinto, levanta el cubilete y échalo cuando el chorizo lleve unos 2 minutos, sin parar la Thermomix.

4. Agrega el tomate: 5 minutos, Varoma (TM5 120ºC) , velocidad 1.

5. Añade el agua (300 g), la leche (200 g), la cucharadita de caldo de verduras, la sal y la pimienta negra (al gusto, no añadiremos mucha sal de todas formas): 10 minutos, 100º, velocidad 1.

6. Añade el fettucine o la pasta que hayas elegido, utilizando una espátula para incorporarla bien al líquido: 10 minutos (pero empieza por programar los minutos que indique el paquete y añade 2-3 minutos si es necesario), 100º, GIRO A LA IZQUIERDA, velocidad cuchara. Se puede añadir un poco de pimienta molida hacia el final.

CONSEJO: Si sobra pasta después de servirla lo mejor es pasarla a un recipiente cuanto antes.

Thermomix Crustless quiche

0 · May 15, 2013 · Leave a Comment

This crustless quiche is a new version of the Cheesy Crustless Pie that I had adapted a while ago. I was keen to reduce the amount of olive oil and flour used, 100 g olive oil seemed excessive and the result is a spongier slice crammed with vegetables.

In fact, when it comes to the vegetables, I have started reducing the amount of red pepper and adding carrot, I actually think it could take more carrot and possibly tomatoes.

It’s ideal for lunch boxes, sandwiches, parties and to have al fresco with a lovely salad. I particularly like it as a snack with a cup of coffee, elevenses anyone?

I don’t have a quiche tin to try it in so, if you do, do try it and come back to let me know how you get on please. Next time I may make individual portions in the muffin tin to see how they turn out.

By the way, if you still don’t know what a Thermomix is (despite me banging on about it rather regularly), this post
will tell you all about it. If you live in the UK and you already have a
Thermomix or are considering buying one, I run the wonderful and very friendly Thermo Cooking UK with Feisty Tapas Facebook group. Come join the Thermie chat and, while at it, find me on Instagram (I do go on about Thermie a lot on there but also share other snippets of daily life).

Crustless quiche in the Thermomix

Ingredients

Serves: 6 with a good salad or just use it as snacks, breakfast with a coffee, elevenses (I particularly like the latter with a cup of coffee)

100 g cheddar

15 g cooked ham (yes, I may try it with chorizo one day), you can use any amount up to 150 g really, this time I was very short on ham (try cooking your own ham at home, it’s really easy, with my cranberry ham and cider ham recipes)

80-100 g onion
200 g courgette (some of you call it zucchini)
1 red pepper (some of you call it red capsicum)
50-80 g carrot (I think we all give it the same name)
6 tinned anchovies (optional)
A couple of twists of the pepper mill

4 large eggs
35 g extra virgin olive oil

100 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Baking paper

Equipment

Small bowl, large mixing bowl, chopping board, spatula, Thermomix TM31, oven tray.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200º C / 190ºC in a fan oven / gas mark 6.
Chop the cheddar: 8 seconds, speed 7. Reserve.
Chop the ham: 3 seconds, speed 4. Reserve in the large mixing bowl.
Place in the Thermomix the onion, courgette, red pepper, carrot and anchovies with a couple of twists of pepper: 5 seconds, speed 4. Empty into the bowl where you previously placed the ham.
Do not wash the bowl, add the eggs (after cracking them of course) and the 35 ml extra virgin olive oil: 10 seconds, speed 5.
Add the flour, baking powder and half of the cheese: 10 seconds, speed 3.
Add the reserved ham and vegetables: 10 seconds, speed 3.
Cover a baking tray with parchment/baking paper. Pour the mixture,
ensuring the thickness is even, it’s easy if you just spread it with a
spatula. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar and place in the centre of the
preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

You will find all my Thermomix recipes here and don’t forget I want to know what features you think could make the next version of the Thermomix even better, just go here to read my own wishlist and add yours.

Features I wish the Thermomix TM31 had / Funciones que creo que le faltan a la Thermomix TM31

0 · May 10, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Bilingual post / Post bilingüe. En español más abajo

By now, you have probably gathered that I LOVE my Thermomix TM 31; however there are things that I hope they will incorporate into the next model (which hopefully won’t be launched for a while as I only bought this one last August!).

The more reasonable features I would like to see include:

A delay start function: sometimes I would love to programme things to start later. For example, sometimes I set it up with vegetables to steam for dinner but I don’t want to steam them just yet, so I go up to my office to do some work or to do something around the house and have to go back down to the kitchen at the right time to get the Varoma started and then come back up. Although, to be honest, if I was being demanding, being able to do it remotely through an iPhone/iPad/Android app would be even better but I guess that that won’t happen for another 20 years… or will it?
A way of stopping the beeping at the end or shortening it or lowering the volume or cancelling it from the start because you know you’re not going to be right next to the Thermomix when it stops. It keeps beeping at me and sometimes I’d rather it just stopped on its own (that app would come in handy here too, wouldn’t it?).
I would like it to include, as standard, brushes and other cleaning devices for the small crevices I can’t get to easily, although there are nifty little ones that can be bought and the edge of a towel does the job nicely. I am being picky now.

So, who fancies sending Vorwerk some feedback? Go on, don’t be shy, I’m sure they’ll love to read it.

Don’t forget you can find my Thermomix recipes and posts here.

Español:

Ya sabéis que me encanta mi Thermomix TM31 pero sí que hay cosas que creo que deberían de incorporar en el próximo modelo (que por cierto espero que no lancen hasta dentro de unos añitos que solo tengo la TMX desde agosto).

Entre las funciones que me gustaría ver:

Poder programarla para que empiece unos minutos, una hora, dos horas, etc. después. Si es que hay veces que preparo por ejemplo unas verduras para hacer en el Varoma, las coloco en su sitio y me vuelvo a la oficina a trabajar un ratito más (las ventajas de trabajar en casa) y no quiero que empiece de inmediato. Una app para el iPhone o el iPad o para Android vendría genial en estos casos, ¿verdad?
Alguna forma de evitar que pite al final porque lo de que siga no me gusta, o que pite un ratito y pare o de bajarle el volumen o de cancelar el pitido al programar la TMX porque sabemos que no vamos a estar a su ladito cuando pare (¿a que mi idea de la app vendría bien en estos casos también? Para parar la Thermomix dándole a un botoncito del móvil).
Me gustaría que incluyese, de serie, cepillos y otros accesorios para limpiar los huequitos que se van ensuciando, aunque esto se soluciona rápido con cepillitos y hasta con el borde de un trapo de cocina.

Os toca a vosotros: ¿qué otras funciones creeis que le hacen falta a la Thermomix? ¿Le hacemos unas cuantas sugerencias a Vorwerk?

Podeis encontrar mis recetas para la Thermomix aquí, muchas están en inglés pero también las hay bilingües. Si os apetece que traduzca alguna que solo esté en inglés, no teneis más que pedírmelo.

Thermomix noodle stir-fry (recipe)

0 · Apr 15, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Delicious rice noodles with mushrooms, red pepper, onion... easily turned into a noodle soup. Tallarines chinos en la Thermomix, TM31, bimby,

Add caption

I love noodles, whenever Chinese or Thai food is involved, there have to be noodles! It’s not something I grew up with but it is something I have come to adore ever since I live in the UK.

Making them in the Thermomix means that you can do the chopping and stir-frying in one bowl, saving a lot of time and cleaning. Perfect for when speed and taste are of the essence.

For those who are a bit incredulous about doing things like these in the TM31: nothing turned to mush, courtesy of the Reverse speed function. Perfect.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

– 100 g rice noodles, cooked according to packet instructions (I like rice noodles the best, you can use whichever you prefer). You can add less noodles if it’s just you and you don’t want leftovers.

– Half onion (cut in two chunks)
– 1 garlic clove
– Half red pepper (cut in big chunks)
– Handful coriander
– 1/4 or 1/2 red chilli (depending on how much you can cope with the heat!)
– 1-2 cm ginger
– 15-20 g soy sauce / tamari
– 1 lemon or one lime (just not both), one half juiced, the other one to serve.

– 15 g olive oil, it works well with coconut oil too

– 6-7 shiitake or oyster mushrooms (any mushroom you have handy really), sliced chunkily

Method

First of all make sure you prepare the noodles according to the packet’s instructions or, if using fresh noodles, adapt step 5.
Add the onion, garlic, pepper, coriander, chilli, ginger, soy sauce and lemon juice to the Thermomix bowl: 7 seconds, speed 5.
Add 15 g olive oil: 4 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.
Add mushrooms: 1 minute, Varoma, reverse, spoon speed.
Add the cooked noodles, give them a quick stir with the spatula to mix well: Varoma, 1 minute, reverse, spoon speed (if using fresh noodles do the same but adapt to packet’s instructions, usually 3 minutes).

TIP: You can of course easily turn this into noodle soup by adding stock. Easy peasy.

EXTRA TIP: Sprinkle with chopped cashews for extra crunch.

Feel free to play with different flavours by adding prawns, chicken (raw, leftovers), pak choi, spring onions… or whatever takes your I know I will, just make sure you come back to tell me all about it!

This is a quick lunch for those of us who work from home, with minimum hassle but also perfect for a quick dinner.

Serve with Spanish flair (and perhaps a beer if you’re doing out of work hours?)

With normal mushrooms

Curry: Pollo a la mantequilla, Butter Chicken o Murgh Makhani (receta Thermomix, sin gluten)

0 · Apr 11, 2013 · Leave a Comment

*Those of you who fancy this fantastic recipe in English, it’s Me and My Thermie’s Healthy Butter Chicken for the Thermomix and you can find it here.

He de confesar que hasta hace unos años no era yo muy de curries ni de comida exótica en general. La primera vez que probé un curry debía de tener 25 años (estoy a punto de cumplir 40) y la verdad es que no me encantó pero, con los años y a medida que mi gusto ha cambiado a base de vivir en Inglaterra rodeada de sus diversidades culinarias, me he ido adaptando y ahora me encantan, siempre que no sean demasiado picantes ni demasiado frecuentes, si es que si no pierden su encanto.

Lo curioso de este Pollo a la mantequilla (en inglés se llama Butter Chicken y su nombre original es Murgh Makhani) es que no lleva mantequilla alguna, una chica india me explicó que hay gente que le añade ghee (una mantequilla clarificada) para justificar el nombre pero que no hace falta. También me explicó que es de la provincia india de Punyab. Se cree que el nombre se debe a la salsa, si es que tiene una salsa tan cremosa que te chuparás los dedos, pero lo mejor es tener un poco de pan para mojar ¡eh! Mejor si es naan. Bueno, y que te voy a decir de una buena cervecita para acompañarlo.

La receta original es de mi presentadora de Thermomix (Lesley, de Me and my Thermie), es una opción sana para este curry, lo llama Healthy Butter Chicken, y fue el primer curry que yo cociné, en mi vida se me habría ocurrido a mí hacer un curry antes de la TM31. No es ni muy especiado ni muy picante, que no te dé miedo a probarlo porque siempre puedes poner menos guindilla.

Te parecerá que tiene muchos ingredientes y que es una receta muy complicada pero de verdad que no, que es de lo más sencilla y queda tan rico que lo repetirás, así que te merecerá la pena comprarlos para tener en casa, porque muchos de los ingredientes son especias que puedes tener en la despensa permanentemente. Lo mejor es tenerlo todo listo en grupitos antes de empezar, así lo hago yo.

Lo de los anacardos para espesar salsas y hacerlas más cremosas es todo un descubrimiento para mí, y menudo descubrimiento.

Es apta para celíacos y se puede congelar (perfecto porque sale mucho, por lo que también es ideal cuando tengais gente a cenar).

¿Os animáis? Genial, a por la receta.

Ingredientes
150g de anacardos crudos (opcional pero de verdad que hacen que la salsa resulte de lo más cremosa)

1 pieza de jengibre de 2 cm, lavada y cortada en rodajas más bien gorditas
1 cebolla, pelada y cortada en 4 trozos
3 dientes de ajo, pelados
1 guindilla roja fresca (o ¾ de una cucharadita de guindilla en polvo). Echad media guindilla si no quereis nada de picante
4 vainas de cardamomo
1 palito de canela
4 clavos (opcionales pero quedan riquísimos)

2 cucharaditas de cilantro en polvo
1 cucharadita de comino
1 cucharadita de pimentón
1 cucharada de vinagre de vino blanco

80 g de tomate concentrado
140 g de yogur griego (o natural) light

400 g tomate en lata o tomates frescos
1 cucharada de Kasoori Methi (opcional y puede que os sea difícil de encontrar pero, si lo conseguís, os quedará un sabor más auténtico). Son hojas de alholva (fenogreco) secas y se preparan estrujándolas con los dedos
180 g de caldo de pollo (o agua + ½ o 1 pastilla de caldo)

750g-1kg filetes de pollo, sin piel y sin grasa

250 g de crème fraîche light

Arroz basmati (entre 50 y 70 g por persona)
2 cucharaditas de garam masala (es una especia, no os preocupeis si no la encontrais, sale riquísimo sin ella)

Salsa
1. Pon los anacardos (si los vas a utilizar) en la Thermomix: 30 segundos, velocidad 9-10. Resérvalos para el paso 4 en un cuenco o plato.

2. Pon en el vaso de la Thermomix (vacío): jengibre, cebolla, ajo, guindilla, las vainas de cardamomo, el palito de canela y los clavos: 5 segundos, velocidad 7. Baja con la espátula lo que se haya podido subir por los lados.
Añade un poco de aceite: 100ºC, 2 minutos, velocidad 1.
3. Añade el cilantro, el comino, el pimentón, el vinagre, el tomate concentrado y el yogur: 100º, 1-2 minutos, velocidad 1. Para un sabor más intenso pon 100º, 10 minutos, velocidad 1, esto lo descubrí yo por casualidad, es decir, me equivoqué una de las veces que lo preparé.
4. Añade el tomate triturado/fresco, el caldo y los anacardos que tenemos reservados: 100º, 10 minutos, velocidad 1.

Pollo*
5. Con la salsa en marcha en la Thermomix, corta el pollo en dados y saltéalo en una olla grande con un poco de aceite de oliva. Puedes añadir una cebolla picada y unas tiras de pimiento si te apetece.

Volvemos a la salsa
6. Añade la crème fraîche. Sin programar tiempo ni temperatura, pon la Thermomix en velocidad 4 y vete subiendo gradualmente hasta llegar a la 9, cuenta 1 minuto (bueno, que lo haga la Thermomix).
7. El pollo ya debería estar dorado, puedes eliminar el líquido que haya en la olla pero deja el pollo que te va a hacer falta.
Añade la salsa que acabas de hacer en la Thermomix a la olla y tápala. Deja a fuego lento (de hecho ponlo al mínimo) durante unos 20 minutos, el tiempo que vas a tardar en hacer el arroz en la Thermomix. Lee la nota más abajo si solo usas 750 g de pollo*
No laves el vaso de la Thermomix, le va a dar un sabor muy rico al arroz.

Arroz
Sin lavar el vaso de la Thermomix, colócale la cesta y pesa el arroz (unos 50-70 g por persona). Saca la cesta y lava bien el arroz con agua, escúrrelo. Pon 800 g de agua en el vaso de la Thermomix. Mete la cesta con el arroz: Varoma, 20-22 minutos (va a depender de la cantidad de arroz), velocidad 4. Aprovecha para hacer algo en el Varoma (unas verduritas para la comida de mañana o para los que digan que no les gusta el curry, puedes poner, por ejemplo, brécol, acelgas o judías con unas rodajitas de patatas).

Cuando tengas listo el arroz, echa las dos cucharaditas de garam masala al curry. Es el toque final, ya está listo para comer, basta con servirlo y atacar.

* Si solo usas 750 g de pollo, lo puedes añadir a la Thermomix cuando tengas la salsa preparada, (aprox. 8 minutos, 100º, giro a la izquierda y velocidad cuchara). Aunque, ya puestos, mejor preparar un kilo porque se puede congelar. Pero la verdad es que también se puede congelar solo la salsa que pueda sobrar, comprar pollo cuando la descongeles, freírlo, añadir la salsa y listo.

Receta versátil donde las haya ¿os animais? Os dejo unas fotitos, algún día las sacaré sin prisas y saldrán mucho mejor.

Gracias a Lesley por darme permiso para traducirla, publicarla y adaptarla (que está claro que yo no sé seguir recetas tal cual).

curry, español, receta, india, arroz, salsa,

Para los que no conozcais mi blog: Hola, me llamo María, una gallega afincada en Inglaterra, traductora, madre, esposa y algo desastre en la cocina pero, por alguna razón, me suele acompañar la suerte. En el blog escribo en inglés y en español y ya incluye varias recetas para la Thermomix (las podeis ver todas aquí). Si veis que os apetece alguna pero veis que aún no tiene traducción, me lo decís ¿vale? Me podeís encontrar en Twitter, Facebook, Instagram… y podeis registraros para seguir el blog, no teneis que subir al principio de la página y lo teneis todo a la derecha.

Shortbread biscuits / Galletas de mantequilla (Thermomix)

1 · Mar 29, 2013 · Leave a Comment

*En español más abajo

I am really bad at baking. No, seriously, just look at my Marble Cake recipe and you will laugh at how I cope so that I can bake. Needless to say I had never ever made biscuits in my life (ok, perhaps when I was a child but I don’t remember it). I adore shortbread so it was the ideal place to start.

A few weeks ago LittleT got up way too early (why do children always do that at the weekend?) and I needed some way of keeping her entertained. I looked and looked for recipes, then I messed this one up by missing the whole first milling of the sugar part and letting LittleT play with the dough and make shapes despite the advice not to do so for fear of them being overhandled, they still turned out great. For some reason the oven temperature provided just doesn’t work for these biscuits in our oven though.

We have made them a couple more times since then, even enrolling Mr Tapas’ help with the shaping of the biscuits at one point. I think I have them pinned down now and they are a new favourite for all of us.

Shortbread biscuits (makes approx. 30 biscuits)
Source | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Oven time: 15-20 minutes | Total time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

100 g caster sugar

50 g corn flour
260 g plain flour
225 g unsalted butter (cubed, straight from the fridge)

Equipment

Thermomix TM31, 2 oven trays, parchment paper or silicon mats, cookie cutters, imagination.

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC (fan). I guess this will be gas mark 4, 200º for non fan ovens and 350ºF.
Place the sugar in the Thermomix bowl: 10 seconds, speed 9.
Add the corn flour, plain flour and butter: 15 seconds, speed 6.
Knead: 45 seconds, locked lid, kneading speed (apparently it’s officially called interval speed, you know the one with the button with the wheat picture…).
Turn out the dough onto a clean surface, it’s easier if you unlock the blade as you do this so that it all falls together and then you can easily remove the blade.
Give the biscuits shape (see below*) and place them in 2 baking trays lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat for 15-20 minutes. This means that I check them at 15 but they still seem to need 20 minutes. You will know when they are ready because they acquire a light golden colour.

* You have full creative freedom for the biscuit shapes, we use some Ikea star and heart-shaped cookie cutters from a kiddy baking set. We also use the Thermomix measuring cup to make really nice round biscuits.

Each person in my family seems to have a method for this, including LittleT, but basically just pinch out a bit of the dough, flatten it with your hand (LittleT has been known to use her wooden rolling pin and even that hasn’t done them any harm) and cut a shape with a cookie cutter, the Thermomix measuring cup or you could even use a knife.

The original recipe uses a very cool method so make sure you try it out, I tried it the first time we made these biscuits, it didn’t work for us. I told you I was useless at baking plus I do have a two year old helper.

Os la cuento en español muy rapidito porque os aseguro que estas galletas o pastas de mantequilla merecen la pena:

Ingredientes (salen unas 30)
100 g azúcar
50 g maicena
260 g harina
225 g mantequilla sin sal, recién salida de la nevera y cortada en daditos

Método

Precalentar el horno: 180ºC.
Poner el azúcar en el vaso de la Thermomix: 10 segundos, velocidad 9.
Añadir la maicena, la harina y la mantequilla: 15 segundos, velocidad 6.
Amasar: 45 segundos, vaso cerrado, velocidad espiga.
Poner la masa sobre una superficie limpia y dar forma a las galletas (como os dé la gana, de verdad, la receta puede con todo).
Al horno 15-20 minutos, las mías suelen necesitar 20.

Recipe: Chorizo pasta – A classic, now with the Thermomix too

0 · Mar 11, 2013 · Leave a Comment

chorizo, pasta, macarrones, fusilli, twists, spanish, tapas, food,

*You will find the non-Thermomix version of this recipe here*

Okay, so this may not be a classic to you (yet) but I grew up eating chorizo pasta, in fact every Wednesday growing up I would eat lunch at my grandma’s house and I would always ask for Macarrones con chorizo, but I already told you that story here a while ago). To me (and every other Spaniard) this is a classic of Spanish “cuisine” (I write inverted commas as I am not sure anything I cook can be classified under that term).

It took several failed (ok, totally edible but not the exact same flavour) to get this chorizo pasta ready and I had to write it down so that I don’t forget the timings for next time and what better place to have the recipe written somewhere safe that I actually remember than my own blog.

This is a quick, delicious recipe for the whole family and of one those cupboard meals that you can prepare any time (I know I do).

Update: Recipe amended on 23-1-2014, less steps and no olive oil as the chorizo melts nicely.

If you don’t have a Thermomix, you will find my non-Thermomix version here.

Ingredients

150/200g onion
2 cloves garlic
100 g chorizo (peeled and cubed or sliced to the size you want, I tend to make the most of it by quartering it first lengthways and then slicing)
3 tins chopped tomatoes (400 g each, 2 drained, one whole), you can use 2 tins if there’s only 2 or 3 of you and don’t want leftovers
Oregano or mixed herbs to taste (I added probably about 1 teaspoon and a bit more for luck)
Pinch of salt (not much the chorizo will give it plenty of taste)
A couple of twists of the pepper mill
Tomato purée

Cooked pasta. Preferably something with grooves or holes (I’m full of technical terms today eh!), like penne or twists, so that the tomato sauce can flood them with its wonderful taste. You can also serve it over sweet potatoes washed and halved and steamed in the Varoma while the sauce cooks. Or make sweet potato spaghetti and place them in the Varoma on top of your Thermie for the last 3-5 minutes of the sauce’s cooking time. The sweet-savoury contrast is really good.

Grated cheese such as parmesan (parmiggiano reggiano) or even cheddar.

Equipment
TM31, chopping board for vegetables, chopping board for raw meat, a Spanish style appetite.

Method

Place the onion and garlic in the Thermomix bowl: 5 seconds, speed 5 (or 7 seconds, speed 5 if you like it chopped smaller).
Add the cubed chorizo: 7 minutes, Varoma, speed 1 (if your chorizo is quite soft use reverse, soft speed instead).
Add the chopped tomatoes (I removed the liquid of 2 of the tins and left 1 with all its contents). In total I had 960 g, pinch of salt, oregano, mixed herbs and a couple of squirts of tomato purée: 100º, 30 minutes, reverse, spoon speed. Cover with the basket (not the measuring cup).
(Optional and depends on how hungry you are) Preheat the grill or oven, make sure the pasta is very much al dente, mix it well with the sauce, spread it on an oven dish, grate lots of cheese on top, dot it with some butter and into the grill or oven it goes until it’s all goldeny on top (I don’t always have the time or the will for this last step and it is just as gorgeous without it).

Otherwise just serve with grated cheese and make sure you read on for tips and tricks.

pasta twists, chorizo, chopped tomatoes, parmesan cheese,

With pasta twists and grated parmesan cheese

Hint: Make yourself a tomato juice with the liquid you removed from the
chopped tomatoes while you wait… or a bloody Mary of course. It’s
totally up to you just don’t forget about the pasta.

In fact, try to time the pasta so that it is cooked by the time the Thermomix finishes the sauce or after. It won’t do the sauce any harm to wait for the pasta to be ready, just keep it warm. Always remember: keep the sauce waiting, not the pasta. The chorizo will keep infusing it with its taste while it’s warm, the pasta will just get soft.

Tip: You can add sugar but I don’t, it’s all in the diversity of varying taste buds throughout the world and the fact that I avoid adding extra sugar to food.

Trick: Next time, at the same time as the chorizo add a good dash of red wine for a more intense flavour and, of course, drink the wine while nibbling on some Spanish olives while waiting for it to be ready.

Chicken burgers or meatballs or burgers with the Thermomix (includes Instant Pot method too)

0 · Feb 22, 2013 · 1 Comment

Thermomix Bimby chicken patties, hide tons of vegetables in them

This week I have made one mistake after the other in the kitchen, for some reason they have turned out well. Today wasn’t an exception, my plan was to make chicken nuggets quickly for T’s dinner. I was mixing this recipe from La encimera de Gema with a recipe from the Australian Recipe Community that was recommended by someone (perhaps it was you?).

The result was a few small chicken patties that LittleT gulped down so next time I will make sure I add some more vegetables!

Chicken burgers or meatballs with the Thermomix

Ingredients (it made approx. 12 patties, a mixture of small and medium)

– 1 carrot
– 40 g milk
– Parsley to taste (i.e. depending on how much you like it or not you can use more or less, or why not try coriander?)
– 1 clove of garlic
– 30-35 g baguette chunk (or 1 slice of bread loaf)

– 350 g chicken breast or chicken thigh fillets, trimmed of all fat and cubed

– 30 g grated cheddar cheese (or whichever cheese you like)
– Pepper (optional)
– Half a teaspoon of salt

– Olive oil to fry

Method:

1. Add the carrot, milk, parsley, garlic and bread and chop: 6 seconds, speed 5. Use the spatula of your choice to lower down any bits that have gone up the walls of the bowl.

2. Add the chicken breast, pepper and salt: 10 seconds, speed 5. Lower any bits with the spatula.
Add the grated cheese and mix: 10 seconds, speed 5.

3. You are ready to turn them into meatballs, patties or burgers. Grab a bit of the mix with your hans and roll into meatballs. If you want patties or burgers, flatten them down with your hand. You can make the patties as big or as small as you want, I make mostly mini patties and some medium ones so that they would cook faster.

4a. To fry: Heat olive oil (or oil of your choice) in a large frying pan, turn over a couple of times, make sure they are cooked through.

4b. Varoma: 1 litre of water in the bowl and the meatballs, patties or burgers in the Varoma. Varoma temperature, speed 2 and start with 25 minutes, check they’re cooked through.

4c. To pressure cook / steam in your Instant Pot: add 250 ml to the inner pot. Place the meatballs, patties or burgers in a steamer basket. Lock the lid in. Steam release handle pointing to Sealing. Press Manual, high pressure, set to 5 minutes if they’re not too big, increase time if quite big. Do a few minutes natural release, about 5 and check if they’re done. Add a few more minutes if not. They turn out very juicy in the Instant Pot and you don’t have to babysit them.

Serve with Spanish flair! And a lovely fresh salad. If you make mini patties like I did you could serve them with dips (I bet a yoghurty one would go really well). Otherwise why not make a few burgers.

Spanish recipe: Croquetas with roast chicken (Thermomix)

0 · Feb 15, 2013 · 2 Comments

I have always been a huge fan of croquetas, Spanish croquettes made with creamy bechamel, breadcrumbed and fried. Unfortunately my bechamel, unlike my grandma’s, had always been quite lumpy and croquetas can be very time consuming.

When I asked my grandma about 15 years ago for her bechamel recipe, she said “You need your grandfather, same as you do for my arroz con leche (similar to rice pudding), I may do the cooking but it’s thanks to him that they are so smooth”. And it was true, whenever she made bechamel or rice pudding (the creamiest of the creamiest), she cooked but my abuelo was in charge of the essential continuous stirring. No wonder my croquetas dough was always lumpy!

Ever since I got the Thermomix I knew the task of making croquetas was going to be much easier, in fact I loved making my first bechamel in it (for a lasagna) as it was so easy and it came out so smooth.

I researched croquetas recipes high and low, I made the first ones with chorizo but I wasn’t totally happy. I do love chicken croquetas and making the most of our gorgeous Maple-glazed roast chicken leftovers, so I decided to make chicken croquetas based on this recipe from the Cocinando con Kisa blog.

But I made a mistake, one of those mistakes that turned out to be good! I had meant to have little bits of chicken among the creamy bechamel but instead I left the chicken in the TM bowl, totally forgetting to remove and reserve it, and ended up with really creamy smooth croquetas.

The key is to let the dough rest in the fridge overnight or at least as long as you can so that it is really cold, before shaping it into croquetas.

Now, I am a clumsy cook, the croquetas tasted lovely but I remain rubbish at frying them. Just remember, I don’t claim to be a chef or the best cook in the world, not even a good one, and my presentations skills are lacking. However, taste is taste.

Ingredients

For the bechamel dough

Approx. 100-120 g roast chicken leftovers. Just pull the meat out of the bone, sit down listening to some lovely music or watching a nice show while you do this
OR
Shop-bought roast sliced roast chicken but why would you when my Maple-glazed chicken with sesame seeds is so easy to make?

50 g olive oil
100 g butter
170 g plain flour
800 g milk at room temperature (this is important), I used whole milk
1 chicken stock cube (I tend to use Kallo) or you could substitute some of the milk with some homemade chicken stock
A pinch of ground nutmeg (you can grind nutmeg in a few seconds in the Thermomix before you start, I did)
A pinch of salt

For frying

Eggs (start with 2 but you’ll probably need more)
Breadcrumbs (they need to be quite fine)
Olive oil (a good amount)

Equipment
Thermomix TM31, shallow pyrex dish or similar, large frying pan, a bowl for egg and a large dish for bread crumbs, kitchen paper

How to make the dough

Add the chicken to the Thermomix bowl, press the Turbo button 3 times. If you want totally smooth croquetas, leave the chicken in the bowl, otherwise reserve the chopped chicken on a plate/bowl for later.
Add the oil and butter to the bowl: Varoma, 3 minutes, speed 4.
Add the flour: 100ºC, 3 minutes, speed 2.
Add the milk, stock cube, ground nutmeg and salt: 10 seconds, speed 6 then 7 minutes, Varoma, speed 4. Note: if you reserved some of the chicken it’s now time to add a few spoonfuls of it (about half I’d say).
Pour into the Pyrex dish (and add the rest of the chopped chicken if you reserved it).
Let it cool before sticking it in the fridge overnight, the dough needs to be very cold.

Masa de croquetas, pollo asado, bechamel, roast chicken, leftovers

Making the croquetas

Some people use a piping bag for this, some people use two spoons, I use my hands and to be honest for me it’s the worst bit, I’m not very good at giving them shape or frying them. Then again, my kitchen isn’t part of a restaurant and Michelin starred I am not (nor shall I ever be). However, I do love eating at Michelin-starred restaurants (just in case you are wondering or run one!).

Whisk a couple of eggs (you may need more), lay the bread crumbs on another plate and have a third plate ready
get a bit of the dough, give the croquetas shape and first coat them in egg, then coat them in bread crumbs, it helps to coat them in egg and bread crumbs a second time as this helps keep them together when frying.
Fry them in a large frying pan with quite a lot of olive oil, over a medium-high heat, not for long, just until the breadcrumbs are golden. Cover a dish with kitchen paper and let them rest in the kitchen paper so that some of the oil is soaked (I do this a lot when frying).

You can either eat them immediately or later, you get rather a lot of them (approx. 50) so they are perfect for parties, picnics, lunchboxes and even to fry in batches if your family keeps different timetables. Of course, they are perfect for TAPAS.

They should be goldeny all over, don’t do like me

Tip: Try the dough as it is when just prepared or before frying it, it’s DELICIOUS!

I’d love some feedback on this one as I’ve only tried it a couple of times. So, if you try it do let me know how you get on and if you tweak it (I love it when you all adapt my recipes as I myself am rubbish at following a recipe to the letter) and please send me some photos of your croquetas!

Recipe: Rainbow trout with serrano ham and potatoes (Thermomix, steamer or oven)

0 · Feb 7, 2013 · Leave a Comment

I clearly remember that back in my childhood mixing meat and fish or seafood in the same plate was a big no no and of course, if both meat and fish were in the menu, fish would always be served as the first course (we were a three course+coffee lunch type of household, yes even on weekdays).

Things changed in the late nineties and the first time I had Rainbow trout with serrano ham was during one of my mother’s visits to the UK. Nowadays I even cook scallops with chorizo (and they are amazing). Things have evolved for the better. I like it with potatoes but you could have it with rice too.

My husband doesn’t really do fish so this time I bought both a whole trout and a fillet so that husband wouldn’t have to deal with the bones. Despite initial complaints, he ate the whole thing.

I did it all in the Thermomix, the trout in the base of the Varoma, the potatoes on the Varoma tray and in the meantime I cooked a pot-luck vegetable soup to use up vegetables I had left in the fridge. But I give you options for other kitchen gadgets too.

This is a really easy recipe, perfect with a crisp white wine like, of course, my favourite: albariño. Ready?

Rainbow Trout with Serrano Ham and Potatoes (Thermomix, steamer or oven)

Ingredients

2 people tonight, could probably feed 3

Whole rainbow trout or a nice juicy fillet per person
Serrano ham, you will need about 3 slices per fillet/trout (if you can’t find serrano ham, you can try parma ham or prosciutto, something to that effect)
1 onion
1 tomato (optional, I usually do it with tomato but kind of ate it at lunch today without thinking)
Salt and pepper
Potatoes, thinly sliced (calculate 2 medium potatoes per person)
Extra virgin olive oil
A piece of baking parchment, enough to more than cover the base of the Varoma so that the juices don’t drip into your soup
Lemon wedges

Thermomix / Varoma

1. Place 800 g hot water in the Thermomix bowl [as I was doing a soup I first chopped one onion, 5 secs speed 5, and sautéed it 5 minutes speed 1, added the vegetables (carrot, courgette, broccoli) and sautéed them 5 minutes speed 1 and then added approx. 800 g hot water].

2. Dampen the baking parchment, scrunch it up and lay flat on the base of the Varoma, then place on top the whole trout/s (fed with the onion, serrano ham and tomato, if using, like in the photos) or the fillet with the onion and tomato on top and then wrapped with the serrano ham (in my case it was both, side by side, see photo below). Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

3. Place the sliced potatoes on the Varoma tray, no need to season, cover with the lid.

trucha, jamón serrano, cebolla en Varoma, Thermomix

4. Put the Varoma in place: Varoma temperature, speed 1, 25 minutes (the time may vary depending on the size of the trout). Serve with lemon wedges, I love steamed potatoes drizzled with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and lemon.

Steaming fish in the varoma. Pescado al vapor en Varoma

5. Blend your soup, save it for lunch for the next day.

If you don’t have a Thermomix but you have a multi-level steamer

Follow same as above (minus the soup) and Thermomix programming and possibly adapt timings to your steamer.

Oven

Preheat oven to about 200ºC (180º fan), place the whole trout fed with the serrano ham, onion and tomato or the fillet wrapped in the ham, onion and tomato and then either create a parcel with baking parchment or foil, place in oven for approximately 20-25 minutes.

Boil the potatoes separately, you probably need about 10 minutes from boiling.

Let’s not forget: Serve with Spanish flair!

PS- I need better lighting in my kitchen, don’t I?

trout, serrano ham, fish, potatoes, steamed, varoma, TM31, thermomix

Spanish Recipe: Pisto (includes Thermomix instructions)

0 · Feb 5, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Yes, you read it right, it says pisto, not pesto. They are totally different. Pisto is a very Spanish recipe and one of those that everyone makes differently. It’s a simple, humble dish that is totally delicious and very easy to make. It often is accompanied by the word manchego (pisto manchego), which means “from La Mancha”. So, that’s The Quixote, some amazing cheese and this delicious dish hailing from this region in central Spain.

When I got the Thermomix I started preparing it in it but it’s really easy on the hob too so below you have both methods. I know, I’m lovely!
Pisto is a bit like the French ratatouille, my mother actually used to add a beaten egg in the last couple of minutes and, when I don’t make it with fried eggs like today, I do like to have it like that. It gives it a lovely consistency when you are using it as a side dish, perhaps to accompany a simple roasted or grilled chicken breast. Of course, if you’re vegetarian or vegan you can just have it on its own. It is very tasty.

It’s also fantastic served as a tapa de pisto if you’re eating tapas style, perhaps with some nice cheeses nearby and don’t forget the bread, proper bread. If you want to have a gourmet tapas party with friends, try serving it in terracotta dishes or over a slice of toasted crusty bread with a quail’s egg fried on top, even a quail’s egg or normal egg soft boiled and sliced on top. I know, I am lovely AND full of ideas today, no? (Sarcastic? Moi?)

Originally it should have green pepper but, as I have mentioned in previous posts, we are not big fans of green pepper in this household so I use all red or a mixture of red, orange, yellow… whatever I can get my hands on really.

I tend to work more on what I have at home than weights so here you have a rough idea. The taste can be quite sweet so feel free to reduce the amount of onion, I sometimes just use one onion.

Spanish Recipe: Pisto (includes Thermomix instructions)

Ingredients

150 g red pepper (i.e. 1 red pepper), in big chunks
150 g green, yellow or orange pepper (i.e. 1 green, yellow or orange pepper), in big chunks
300 g onion, quartered (2 medium onions)
300 g courgette/zucchini (2 courgettes/zucchinis). Some people peel them, some don’t, I am of the peeling persuasion.
50 g extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
400 g chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sea salt
Pepper (I don’t always add it though)

Thermomix method:

Chop the peppers and onion in the bowl: 4 seconds, speed 4. Reserve (in the TM’s basket for example)
Dice the courgette/zucchini: 2 seconds, speed 4.
Add the olive oil and the reserved pepper and onion: Varoma, 15 minutes, reverse, spoon speed.
Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper: Varoma, 20 minutes, reverse, spoon speed.
Serve with fried or poached eggs and lovely crusty bread (to dip in the egg yolk and mop up the sauce of course). You could poach the eggs on top at the end.

Conventional method (hob):

Chop the onion and peppers roughly, it doesn’t have to be too small.
Dice the courgette/zucchini, about 1-2 cm. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion and peppers, let them sweat (5-10 minute) and then add the courgette/zucchini. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes
When the courgette/zucchini starts to soften, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer for about 20-25 minutes basically until you have a nice consistency and the vegetables are soft.

Pisto a la Thermomix (Spanish recipe) / Thermomix pisto

See? Perfect as tapas

I won’t tell you how to fry your eggs, even my husband and I differ a lot in our tastes.

Serve with Spanish flair!

Tip: Some people also add diced boiled potatoes to make more of a dish and even diced aubergine.

Trick: Add some mixed herbes or herbes de provence at the end.

Thermomix

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