Bolognese Sauce in the Thermomix

I've heard people say they don't like bolognese sauce made in the Thermomix, because it's bland, and turns to mush. Well, I beg to differ. You can't blame the Thermomix for lack of flavour - that depends on what you put in, just as it does when you cook in a saucepan on the stovetop. And if it's the texture that's bothering you, let me reassure you it doesn't have to be 'mush'!

This is basically how I make my bolognese sauce; you can add to or subtract from it to make it the way you like it. You can use lamb, turkey or chicken mince instead of beef if you like. Or if you want a vegetarian version, leave out the meat and add extra veges (eggplant and/or orange sweet potato is nice), and more mushrooms. For a grain free version, serve on raw zucchini 'noodles', or steam thin strips of cabbage in the Varoma while you cook the sauce in the bowl.

If you like, you can mince your own meat first. I find I can often get a bulk rump cheaper per kilo than minced beef, so this is a great way to save money. It also means you can get a 'chunkier' sauce if that's what you want. (And it's also good to know that your mince is just 'meat', and doesn't have lots of fat, gristle and water mixed in to bulk it out... and maybe other hidden additives and preservatives as well!)

To mince your meat: Cut the meat into 2 cm cubes (semi-frozen is easiest), weigh in 300-400g, and mince by setting the speed dial to the closed lid position and pressing the Turbo button 3 or 4 times. This will be chunkier than you probably want it, but remember it will break down a little during cooking.

Serves 6-8.

1. Chop onion & garlic on speed 5 for 3 seconds:
- 1 large onion, halved
- 3 or 4 cloves garlic (to taste)

2. Add oil and cook for 3 minutes at 100C, reverse, speed 1:
- 30g olive oil

3. Add vegetables & herbs and chop roughly - speed 5 for 8 seconds; or chop longer for 'grated' veges:
- 500g vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
- 150g carrots, quartered
- 1 celery stick, quartered (including leaves)
- 100g zucchini, quartered
- half a red capsicum (opt)
- a large handful fresh basil, some fresh oregano & a sprinkle of fresh rosemary
OR 2 tsp of dried Italian herbs

4. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 25-30 minutes at 100C, reverse, speed soft:
- 400g minced beef (or lamb, turkey or chicken)
- 100g thickly sliced mushrooms
- 60g semi-dried tomatoes (opt.)
- 100-150g sliced Kalamata olives (opt.)
- 120g tomato paste
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbspn Rapadura
- 2 Tbspns vegetable stock paste (or a meat stock paste like the one in this recipe)
- 50g red wine or water

While the pasta sauce cooks, I cook the pasta on the stovetop. Or if I'm doing a grainfree version, I use my Benriner to make zucchini 'noodles', or thinly slice cabbage and steam in the Varoma while the sauce cooks. (Use Varoma temp and add 50g more water, cooking for 25 minutes.)

If you're cooking for less people, you can halve the recipe, add 100g water, and after 10 minutes cooking time add 250g raw pasta to the sauce and cook for 8-10 minutes more. (Make sure it's on reverse, or you WILL have mush!)

So there's some bolognese-sauce-making hints - tweak to taste!

Baked Beans

Baked beans on spelt toast 

Baked beans on toast makes a great breakfast, lunch, or light dinner...  Here's a yummier, healthier version than the tinned ones, which are high in sugar and salt and who knows what else!  I keep a few tins of cannelini beans (or mixed beans) in the cupboard for quick meals like this, but if you have time, cook your own from dry beans and you'll save money.

With this recipe you can make vegetarian baked beans, or add bacon and/or minced beef to make it more of a hearty meal.  The bacon version does taste more like the traditional 'ham and beans', but if you'd rather use beef, that's nice too.

This recipe is kid-approved... I tried this recipe out on the boys and their friends, and one commented, "I didn't know baked beans could taste so GOOD!"  Hope you like it too!

1. Place in Thermomix bowl and chop for 2-3 seconds, speed 5:

- 1 onion, halved

- 2 - 3 whole bacon rashers, rinds removed (optional)

(Or, chop onion, then add 150g minced beef, or leave meat out altogether for a vegetarian version)

2.  Scrape down sides with spatula and add oil, then cook for 5 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1:

- 30g olive oil

3.  Insert butterfly, add all other ingredients, and cook for 15 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1:

- 3 x 400g tins of cannelini (or mixed) beans, drained and rinsed 

(or use about 1000g beans you've pre-cooked)

- 1 x 400g tin of crushed tomatoes

- 60g tomato paste

- 1/4 tsp mixed spice (or just a pinch of ground cloves)

- 2 bay leaves

- 25g molasses

- 25g Rapadura

- 1 tsp sea salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 100g water (optional - depending how thick you want the sauce)

4.  Remove bay leaves, check seasonings, and serve with some crusty bread!

Lamb Mince & Salad Pizza

A bite of Lamb Mince & Salad Pizza with 'Poor Man's Parmesan'

I've been so busy this week that I haven't had time to post a menu plan, or much of anything... so I'm sitting down to quickly type up this recipe I made last week.  It's a new family favourite!  We all loved it.  We don't have pizza too often these days, as the boys and I can't have cheese, so I was excited to find a recipe for 'Poor Man's Parmesan' in my new pizza cookbook - it's dairy free!!!  (The recipe for this pizza is my version of one in 'Pizza Modo Mio', by John Lanzafame.)

I used the Spelt Artisan Bread dough to make the pizza base, but you could use any pizza dough recipe - just make sure you roll it nice and thin so it's crispy - if it's too thick the juices from the meat may make it soggy.  And if you have one, cook it on a pizza stone, or at least on a thick, preheated oven tray.

Recipe makes 1 pizza.

1.  Place pizza stone (or heavy oven tray) in oven and preheat to 250 degrees C for about 20 minutes.  While it's heating, pull off a grapefruit sized piece of Artisan Bread dough, flouring it with some spelt flour so it doesn't stick to your hands.  Pat it onto a greased pizza tray, spreading it out so it's about 5mm thick.  (You may need more if you are using a large rectangular tray.)  Brush dough with olive oil.

2.  When the 20 minutes is up, place the pizza tray in the oven for 5 minutes (on the pizza stone) to prebake.

3.  Place in Thermomix bowl and chop on speed 7 for 5 seconds:

- 1 large handful of fresh parsley

- *1 clove of garlic

- *1/2 an onion

- chilli to taste

4.  Add to bowl and mix on reverse, speed 3 until combined:

- 300g raw lamb mince (or beef mince)

- sea salt & freshly ground pepper

(or you can mince your own meat by placing cubed meat in Thermomix and pulsing on Turbo 3 or 4 times until the desired texture)

5.  Remove pizza base from oven and spread meat mixture over it, not quite to the edges.  Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and nicely browned.  (Edges of crust should be browned and crispy.)  Drizzle lamb mince with a little lemon juice.  (Omit for beef mince.)

6.  Top hot pizza with mixed salad greens, vine-ripened tomatoes, sun-dried tomato strips, sliced olives (opt) and sprinkle with 'poor man's parmesan'.

*Note: I used garlic and onion confits instead of raw garlic and onion, as per the original recipe - they're lovely and mild when baked in olive oil.  For onion confit, bake 2 brown onions (chopped) in 150ml EVOO for 2 hours at 120 degrees C.  For garlic confit, bake 200g peeled garlic cloves , a few parsley leaves and 150ml EVOO for 2 hrs at 120 degrees C.  They can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Sweet n Sour Beef with Noodles

Here's one of our family favourites that I've been making for years, and just recently converted to the Thermomix.  If you're not too much into 'sweet' and 'beef' together, don't worry, it's not too sweet - it's very savoury, rich and flavoursome.  It takes a little longer to cook than most Thermomix meals, but you don't have to watch it - you can go do something else while your dinner cooks itself! 

I serve this on wholemeal spelt spaghetti or fettucine - if you have the time to make your own noodles, it tastes even better! Or if you're gluten free, you can serve it on gf spaghetti/fettucini. We also like it with raw vegetable 'noodles' made with a spiralizer.

Serves at least six.

1.  Puree in Thermomix for 20-30 seconds on speed 9:
- 650g tomatoes, halved
Remove to a bowl.

2.  Chop for 2 seconds on speed 5:
- 2 onions, halved

3.  Saute onions in oil for 3 minutes at 100 degrees, speed 1:
- 30g olive oil

4.  Add and cook for 10 minutes at 100 degrees, speed 1:
- 600g diced steak

5.  Add and cook for 40 minutes at 100 degrees, reverse, speed 1:
- reserved tomato puree
- 120g tomato paste
- 350g sliced carrots
- 1 Tablespoon shoyu (or tamari or soy sauce)
- 15g apple cider vinegar
- 20g Rapadura
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- salt & pepper to taste

Beef or Chicken Fajitas

 

One of our very favourite meals is Fajitas.  I usually make both chicken and beef strips to go in them, and of course make my own spelt tortillas.   We avoid all the packet mixes and bought tortillas - they don't taste half as good as home made, and they generally are full of additives and preservatives and wheat and who knows what else! 

I like my fajitas pretty simple - I find if you put too much in them they burst apart anyway, and you just end up with a big mess... I mostly put in beef/chicken strips, sauteed onion and capsicum, and my dairy free sour cream.  Anything else I have on the side.  Some good ideas for side dishes are Mexican Quinoa (or rice), guacamole and a big salad.  But by all means, pile it all into the tortilla if you'd rather - the mess is half the fun! ;)

Prepare meat first:

Beef Fajitas

1.  Mince on speed 9 for 3 seconds:
- 4 cloves garlic

2. Add lime juice and seasonings, mix on speed 3 to combine:
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin ground
- 1/2 teaspoon Oregano dried, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Red pepper ground
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper ground
- 1/8 teaspoon Onion powder
(these amounts are just to give you an idea - add more or less to taste)

3. Add steak strips, mix on reverse speed 1-2 until well coated. Remove to dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
- 700g steak (eg. rump or round) cut in thin slices, across the grain
 
Chicken Fajitas
 
1. Mince garlic, speed 7 for 3 seconds:
- 1-2 cloves garlic

2. Add and mix well on speed 5 (sorry, haven't converted it all to grams):
- 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (I know, doesn't sound very Mexican, but trust me... )
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 tsp liquid mesquite smoke seasoning (opt)
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin ground
- 1/2 teaspoon Oregano dried, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Red pepper ground
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper ground
- 1/8 teaspoon Onion powder
(Again, seasoning amounts are just guides - add to taste)

3. Slice chicken breasts in thin strips and marinate in mixture (in a glass bowl in the fridge) for a couple of hours (if you have time):
- 4 chicken breasts

Then ...

4. Cook (or reheat) tortillas - place in oven on very low heat, covered in foil, to keep warm.

5. Saute the onion and capsicum strips in about 30g olive oil, in the Thermomix on 100 degrees, for 15 minutes, reverse, speed 1-2.
- 30g extra virgin olive oil (or butter)
- 2-3 brown onions, halved & thinly sliced
- 2-3 capsicums (red, green, yellow), de-seeded, halved & thinly sliced

6.  Meanwhile, lightly oil large frypan and place on high heat. When it's hot enough for a drop of water to 'dance' on the surface, add the fajita meat, cooking about 400g of meat at a time so it cooks quickly, the chicken first, then the beef. Remove to warm dish (or put it in your Thermoserver to keep warm).  Add the cooked capsicum and onion to dish too (or place in second Thermoserver).

 

Beef fajita meat with onion and red capsicum

Note...

If you have too much happening in your Thermomix (eg. you're making guacamole and sour cream in there, or cooking up some Mexican Quinoa or rice), you can saute the onion and capsicum in the pan you've sauteed the meat in, keeping the meat hot in a Thermoserver meanwhile... But you'll probably need another pair of hands to help!

Making fajitas is always a family affair for us...

7. To serve, spread a tortilla with guacamole, add a few slices of meat (only a little, or the tortilla will be too full), and top with sauteed onion and capsicum, some sour cream (or 'dairy free sour cream', which is what I use), salsa, or whatever toppings you prefer. Roll up, and fold up a flap at the bottom to catch the drips - fajitas are notoriously messy, but they're worth the mess!

Have fun :)

Leftover Roast Meat Pie

Hi everyone - I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was pretty quiet and relaxed - which was nice for a change, I guess. Boxing day was even more relaxed - plenty of leftovers to eat, nothing much to do except take the kids for a swim at the lake and sit around reading books and having naps... ah, dolce far niente!* 

This pie is a great way to use up leftover roast, gravy and vegies. This one was made with roast beef and veges, but you can use lamb, chicken, turkey - even ham with a white sauce instead of gravy. When I cook a roast I always use the pan juices to make lots of gravy, so I have plenty for pies the next day.

I've used lard in my pastry to keep it dairy free (I'd rather lard than any man-made 'plastic' butter substitutes!), but you can use butter if you'd rather, or a mixture of butter and lard. The lard makes the pastry very stretchy and easy to work with - you can pick up the rolled out dough and it won't break! It's very easy to make in the Thermomix, but if you don't feel like bothering with pastry, (or you are gluten free), you can make mashed potatoes or rice and serve the filling over that.

This recipe makes two pies in standard sized pie dishes - you can halve it if you only have a little bit of leftover roast and vegies.

[Note: if you're unsure about lard, check out this website to find out why it's better than margarine.]

First, make the pastry:

1. Grind on speed 9 for 1 minute:
- 200g spelt grain

2. Add and mix on speed 6 for about 10 secs:
- 300g unbleached plain spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 200g chilled lard (and/or butter), chopped in pieces
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

3. Add and knead on interval speed for 10-20 seconds until dough is formed:
- 100g chilled water (unless using all lard, then it's not necessary to chill the water)
- a good squeeze fresh lemon juice
(may need more water or flour, until dough is right consistency for rolling out)

4. If using butter, wrap in plastic bag and place in fridge to chill while you cook the filling. If using lard, no need to chill the dough, unless you won't be using it straight away - it will be easier to work with at room temperature.

The Filling:

5. Clean out bowl and chop garlic on speed 7 for 3 seconds:
- 1 clove garlic

6. Add and chop on speed 5 for 3 seconds:
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 carrot, quartered
- 1 stick of celery, quartered
(can add more vegies if you don't have many leftovers)

7. Add oil and cook for 3 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1:
- 30g olive oil

8. Add, and chop on speed 3 for 10 seconds:
- 150g whole mushrooms, raw (opt.)

9. Cook for 2 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1.
Add about 1 kg leftover roast meat (cubed) and leftover cooked vegies (roughly chopped) and any leftover gravy. (I sometimes add a bit of leftover mashed potato or rice too.)


10. Top bowl up with water, to the 2 litre mark. Add:
- 2 Tblspns cornflour/rice flour/spelt flour
- 1 Tblspn vege stock concentrate or stock powder (or to taste)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Cook for 10 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse speed 1.
(Add more cornflour if needed to thicken.)

11. While cooking, divide dough in half and roll out on a lightly floured bread mat, making a large circle about 5 mm thick. Pick up with the rolling pin (see picture) and drape over pie dish. Repeat with other half of dough. Press into dish, then when filling is cooked, place half the filling inside each crust and flop the sides over the filling to make a free form pie. (Alternatively, you can divide dough into four pieces and roll them out to make a base and top for each pie.)


12. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes in moderate oven (180 C) or until pastry is lightly browned. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Pies may be frozen once cooled, and reheated in the oven.

* P.S. 'Dolce far niente' means 'sweet doing nothing' in Italian - it's the name of a painting I love!

Thermomix 'Fried' Rice

This is a very easy, quick and healthy way to make a big batch of fried rice. It easily feeds our family of six, with leftovers. The rice, veges and egg are actually steamed - no oil is needed. You can use basmati rice and it will cook in about 20 minutes, or with brown rice it will cook in 35 minutes. And you don't have to stand there stirring! Thanks to my friend Nancy for teaching me this method years ago with bacon and veges - there's lots of possible variations, so be creative and make up your own versions too. You can use as much meat and veges as will fit in the Varoma - I've just given some suggestions, not definite amounts.

1. Place rice basket into Thermomix bowl, and weigh in:

- 400g of raw rice (or less if you want a smaller batch).

2. Remove basket, and pour into bowl:

- 400g coconut milk
- 500g water (for white or basmati rice) / 700g water (for brown rice)

3. Rinse rice under tap, then place basket back in bowl. Fasten lid onto bowl, place Varoma on top, and start cooking - Varoma temperature, 20 mins (white) or 35 mins (brown), speed 4.

4. While rice begins cooking, chop up meat and/or veges, placing it into the Varoma as you go.

(I do it this way, as it's quicker than preparing it all then starting the cooking. I put each ingredient in as it's prepared, replacing Varoma lid each time - meat, then hard veges, then quicker cooking veges - that way the hard and soft veges and the meat are all finished cooking at the same time.)

5.  Place the cubed meat in the bottom of the Varoma in a single layer, then top with the preferred veges:

- 100g - 200g of cubed chicken or fish and/or prawns (you can marinate it for a little while first in some soy sauce, curry powder, garlic, ginger, and honey, or whatever marinade you prefer)

  (or some chopped bacon, preferably organic)

- 1 sliced onion/shallots/leeks

- carrots, sliced or julienned

- celery, sliced

- kohlrabi, thin strips or julienned

- broccoli/cauliflower florets

- cabbage, shredded

- spinach/silverbeet, sliced

- frozen peas & corn

- cashews or slivered almonds (opt.)

6. Line the top Varoma tray with a piece of wet baking paper, and pour in:

- 4 to 5 eggs, whisked

Replace lid, and leave to steam.

7. Check meat, veges, egg and rice after 20 mins to make sure they're all cooked. (With basmati rice, it's generally cooked after about 17 minutes, but I just leave it for the full 20, and everything's usually done by then. With brown rice, just add the veges when there's only 15 minutes left to go, and add the eggs when there's 5 minutes left, and they should be done at the same time as the rice that way.)

8. Remove Varoma and place lid underneath.  Remove rice basket using spatula, and tip rice into Varoma bowl.  Add the meat and veges. Slice the egg up in tray (see photo) and tip into Varoma bowl with rice.  Season with some tamari sauce / soy sauce / sweet chilli sauce, mix together gently, and serve!

Slice egg in the tray and add to rice and veges.

Serve fried rice in the Varoma bowl with the lid underneath to catch any drips.

Baked Chicken with Cashew Satay Sauce

This is my favourite 'satay' sauce ever - it's so quick to make, and very tasty! If you don't have time to bake the chicken, you can just add the cashew sauce to stir-fried chicken and veges, or even just veges (and leave out the extra chicken stock).

1. Place chicken skin side up in roasting pan & brush with butter/oil:
- 1 large chicken, cut into pieces, or chicken thighs/breasts
- 2 Tbspns melted butter/ghee/olive oil

2. Bake for about 2 hours at 180° (350°) while preparing sauce.

Cashew Satay Sauce

3. Grind up in Thermomix for about 30 seconds on speed 7:
- 130g raw cashews
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled

- 2 inch piece of fresh red chilli (or to taste)
- 1 large bunch cilantro / flat leaf parsley / coriander (or mixture)
- 1 Tbspn extra virgin olive oil
- 40g Tamari
- 40g rice vinegar

- 1 Tblspn chicken stock paste (or some chicken stock powder - eg. Massel brand)

4. Add and blend on speed 8 for 10 seconds:
- 400ml coconut cream/milk

5. When chicken is baked and golden, remove to a pre-heated platter and keep warm. Add to roasting pan and scrape bottom of pan to remove drippings:
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 Tbspn gelatin (optional)
6. Pour juices into Thermomix (with cashew sauce) and cook for 5 minutes at 90 degrees, speed 4. Season to taste.

7. Serve chicken on rice with cashew sauce poured over, and stir-fried veges, steamed veges, or salad on the side.

[Note: picture shows sauce which is not as green as usual as I only had a small bunch of coriander - make it as 'green' as you like!]

Meatball, Vege & Bean Soup

I made up this recipe today, and it's delicious! (If I may say so myself!) I made it completely in the Thermomix, but if you want to make it on the stovetop, just chop the veges and saute in oil, add stock & water & beans, bring to boil, and drop in meatballs and simmer til cooked. Yum!

1. Grind bread into crumbs and set aside:

- 2 pieces wholemeal spelt/gluten free bread

(Also grind meat into mince if making your own, then set aside.)

2. Place in TMX bowl, and chop on speed 5 for about 5 secs, or until consistency desired:

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1/2 onion

- 1 large leek, chopped in chunks

- 1 carrot, quartered

- 1 celery stick, quartered

- 2 ripe juicy tomatoes, quartered

(or any other combination of veges you prefer!)

3. Add oil and saute at 100 degrees for 5 mins, reverse, speed 1:

- 2 Tblspns olive oil

4. Add and cook for 25 minutes, Varoma, reverse speed 2 (while making meatballs):

- 2 Tblspns vege stock concentrate (or to taste)

- 2 Tblspns tomato paste

- a couple of handfuls sliced mushrooms

- 1 tsp Italian herbs (dried)

- water (up to 2 litre mark)

5. Meanwhile, mix together in a bowl and make into bite-sized meatballs, and place them in the Varoma (both trays) spread slightly apart for the steam to get through:

- 500g beef / turkey / chicken mince

- breadcrumbs

- 1 large egg

- dash each of ground cumin, ground sage, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt & pepper

- dash of tamari sauce

(As soon as they're made, take the MC off the TMX bowl and place the Varoma on top - try and get it done before the steaming begins!)

6. Remove Varoma (put lid underneath to catch drips) and add to bowl:

- 1 tin cooked cannelini beans, drained

- water to top up soup to 2 litres again

7. Replace Varoma, cook for 5 more minutes at Varoma, reverse, speed 1. Make sure meatballs are cooked!

8. Serve soup into bowls, add a few meatballs, and enjoy! (You could sprinkle with some grated parmesan if you can have it.)

Coconut Lemon Chicken Soup

Whenever anyone in our family starts to come down with a cold, I get out the stock pot and make a great big batch of chicken stock so I can make lots of chicken soup! There's nothing better than old-fashioned chicken soup when you're feeling achy and miserable, in the throes of a bad cold. But when you get tired of 'old-fashioned' chicken soup, try this one for a change. This is my new favourite - it's so delicious, and the fresh herbs and spices and chilli are great for colds, not to mention the thick, jellyish, golden stock. It's a comforting remedy for colds, chills and sore throats. (Adapted from recipes in "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.)

It really is true that a rich chicken broth - the famous Jewish penicillin - is a wonderful remedy for the flu. "Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily-not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain." - Weston Price Foundation (see full article)

So get out your stock pot, and start cooking!

(P.S. You can make enough stock for this recipe in your Thermomix - just use chicken wings, necks, and backbone with cartilage; crack the bones, and cook in steamer basket with a few celery leaves, onion, carrot and garlic, covered with water, with a tsp of vinegar.)

Chicken Stock

You will need:
- 1 whole chicken (free range, organic if possible), or 1 to 2 kg bony chicken parts
- 4 litres cold filtered water
- 2 Tbspns apple cider vinegar
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 celery sticks with leaves, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (opt.)
- 1 bunch parsley

1. Cut the chicken into several pieces, sawing through bones or cracking them with a meat hammer. You can cut off the breast and put it aside for another meal (eg: a stir-fry or pasta). Just leave the fat on - don't worry, chicken fat is good for you! However, if you don't want the fat, when the stock cools it will solidify on top so you can easily scoop it off if you like. If you are using your own home-raised chicken, throw in the feet too, and even the head if you're game - the stock will have a lot more 'gel,' which is so good for you.

2. Place chicken pieces into a large stainless steel stock pot, cover with the cold water, add vinegar and vegetables (except parsley), and let stand for 30 minutes.

3. Bring to a boil, remove scum that rises to the top, reduce heat and simmer for 6 to 24 hours. I cook it on low in my slow cooker. (If you don't have time, at least simmer for 3 hours.) The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavourful it will be. About 10 minutes before you're ready to turn it off, add the parsley. (This will add more minerals to the broth.)

4. Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and refrigerate. When they're cool, take the meat off the bones. Save 200-300g for your soup (recipe below) and store the rest in zip-loc bags in the freezer for other recipes - soups, salads, enchiladas, sandwiches and curries.  Strain the broth into a large bowl and place in the fridge until the fat rises to the top and can be skimmed off (optional). Once cold, the stock should be 'jellyish'. Set aside 1 litre of stock for the soup; place any leftover stock into small containers and freeze.

Coconut Lemon Chicken Soup (Thermomix version)

1. Chop in TMX for 5 seconds speed 7, until finely chopped:
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 1/2 inch fresh turmeric
- 1 large clove garlic
- some fresh coriander or cilantro (to taste)
- a few fresh chives or shallots

- a piece of fresh red chilli (to taste)

[Note: For extra goodness and 'zing', double the amount of ginger, turmeric, garlic, coriander and chilli (opt). After whizzing it up, remove half to a bowl, then add it back into the soup after it's finished cooking. That way you'll get the benefit of the raw enzymes, not to mention more flavour!]

2. Add, and cook for 10 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1, or until starting to boil:
- 1000g home-made chicken broth

3. Add remaining ingredients, and cook 10 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1:
- 1 tin coconut cream or milk
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp Rapadura
- a few good splashes of fish sauce
- sea salt to taste

4. Add in the 200-300g cooked chicken reserved from making the broth. Cook for another 2 minutes at 100C, reverse speed soft. Then add in the extra minced herbs, garlic, ginger, etc if using.

5. Pour into bowls, and garnish with fresh cilantro or shallots.

Corn & Potato Chowder with Chorizo Sausage

This is one of my favourite crockpot meals! I found it ages ago on the internet, and can't remember where it came from - but I changed it anyway, as usual, so here's my version.  If you want to make the chorizo sausages yourself, see the recipe below (adapted for the Thermomix). I'm going to try turkey instead of the traditional pork, as I'm a bit wary of pork.



1. Make your white sauce using recipe link below (or if you don't mind dairy and additives and preservatives, and too much salt, use tinned creamy corn soup!)
- 2 cups dairy-free white sauce with some vege stock concentrate (or Massel chicken stock powder) & 1 cup corn added before cooking, then pureed (I make mine in the Thermomix)

2. Tip it into crockpot and add:
- 2 cups chicken or vege broth (or more if you want it soupier)
- 5 potatoes, cubed
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 500g frozen corn
- Spanish chorizo sausages, sliced (however much you like)
- 1 bag baby spinach leaves (or a couple of cups)

3. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs, or high for about 4 hrs. Yum!

Chorizo Sausages...
(This is Gluten-free Girl's recipe adapted for the Thermomix. For the original, see here.)

1. Drop garlic in bowl & mince for 3 seconds on speed 7:
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled

2. Add meat to bowl & mince for 8-15 seconds on speed 7 until desired consistency.
- 500g (1 pound) cubed pork or turkey

3. Add, and mix for 20 seconds on speed 5 (use more or less, to taste):
- 2 teaspoons chilli powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon each sea salt and cracked black pepper

4. Make a tiny taster of the sausage. Bring a sauté pan to high heat. Pour in a splash of oil. Put the tiny sausage patty in the hot oil. Cook, and taste, to check the seasonings. Adjust accordingly.

5. Roll into small sausages or patties and cook as above.

Spicy Lamb Cutlets with Braised Lentils

Lamb is my favourite meat - it's so tender and tasty.  And it goes so well with lentils, especially when you add some cumin, coriander and garlic!  For this recipe, you can use lamb cutlets, lamb chops, or for a special occasion, lamb fillets.  For an everyday meal I just use lamb forequarter chops.  It tastes great with any of them.  Enjoy.


First, prepare the lamb:

1. Grind in Thermomix on speed 9 until fine:
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds

- peppercorns, to taste

- herb salt, to taste
    (or you can use pre-ground spices)

2. Add garlic to Thermomix and mince on speed 7 for 3 seconds:

- 2 garlic cloves

3. Rub spice mixture and seasonings into lamb:

- 1 kg lamb cutlets (or 750g lamb fillets, or 6 large lamb chops)

Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

The braised lentils:

1. Chop in Thermomix bowl on speed 5 for 2 seconds:

- 1 red onion, halved

2. Add oil and cook on 100 degrees for 2 minutes, speed 1:

- 30g olive oil

3.  Add and cook at 100 degrees for 40-45 minutes, reverse, speed 1:

- 1 cup dried whole green lentils (rinsed - pre-soak if you have time)

- 1 bay leaf

- 700g water 

- 50g chicken stock paste (made in Thermomix)

     Lentils should be tender and liquid mostly absorbed.

     Pour into Thermoserver (or serving dish), remove bay leaf, and cover to keep warm.

     
Now cook the lamb:

1. Heat a frying pan on medium heat, than add:
- 2 Tblspns olive oil


2. Add lamb and cook until done to your liking. If using fillets, slice thinly to serve.

3. Spoon lentils onto plates, top with lamb, and serve with a salad.

Sausage Strata

This is my version of this yummy casserole which I first found in Sue Gregg's "Meals in Minutes" cookbook. It can be made with ground (minced) turkey, beef or lamb. It is a great dish to make double of, and freeze the extra one for another day. (This recipe makes enough for six people - serve with a salad to stretch it.) You might find, however, that your family likes it so much they won't let you freeze the extra one - my kids ate the first one for lunch and then wanted the second one for dinner! I gave in, because I was busy drawing and didn't want to stop to cook.

I use my Thermomix to make the bread crumbs, then make the white sauce, then saute the veges, then cook the meat mixture and add in the eggs - then I put it all together in a casserole dish.

1. Lightly saute zucchini and mushrooms in oil until barely cooked, and remove to bowl:
- 2 Tblspns olive oil
- 4 cups unpeeled, thinly sliced zucchini
- 1 to 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms, optional

2. In large pan, saute onion in oil, then add other indgredients and mix and brown; set aside to cool:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 Tblspns olive oil
- 500g (1 lb) ground beef, turkey or lamb
- 1 Tblspn tamari/soy sauce
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sage
- pinch cayenne pepper

3. Make 2 cups of white sauce or cheese sauce (see recipe here for dairy free version). If not using cheese, add 2 tsp chicken or vege stock concentrate to add flavour (or a couple of tsp of savoury yeast flakes).

4. Add to cooled meat mixture:
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup wholewheat spelt bread crumbs or gf bread crumbs

5. In casserole dish, layer cheese sauce, zucchini, mushrooms and meat mixture in two layers. Start and end with cheese or white sauce.

6. Bake uncovered at 175 degrees C (350 F) for 30 minutes. Eat now, or cool and freeze.

7. To cook a frozen casserole, place frozen dish in oven and cook, covered, for 3 hours on moderate heat. Or thaw out in fridge and cook for 1 hour.