Puttanesca meets Napoli and runs off with my Barramundi

I really don't know what to call this dish - can I get away with just calling it Really Yummy and Easy Fish? Healthy but doesn't taste like it?

You want a really healthy dinner, but want it to be easy, and not expensive or lots of weird ingredients... and so births this dish. A genuinely low effort 'Tuesday night dinner' or Good Friday fish meal that leaves you with lots of red sauce for some fresh gnocchi tomorrow night....or perhaps some pumpkin and sage ravioli?

I digress.

Back to this dinner. I think any firm white fish would go very nicely, and you could lean more towards the puttanesca and add some capers and possibly an anchovy or two, but reduce the stock paste by half if adding salty anchovies of course. A sprinkle of olives at the end wouldn't go astray. Let me know how it goes for you. Prep time should be 15 minutes and only 15-20 minutes cooking time. Can't quite beat Jamie Oliver for speed (but who is really finished in 15 minutes...reveal yourselves!)


INGREDIENTS 
For the Sauce
3 cloves garlic 
1/2 large or one small brown onion
1 carrot cut in 5
1/2 celery stalk 
60g ExtraVirginOliveOil
1 tsp chili flakes
Handful of herbs (mostly parsley and thyme, tiny bit of rosemary and basil if have it)

2 tins organic diced tom's (800g total)
1 Tbsp vegetable stock concentrate 
100g water

 For the vegetables 
2 zucchini peeled into strips
1 carrot peeled into strips
large handful of beans topped and tailed
~125g feta cut into small cubes

 2-4 pieces of fish 
Piece of baking paper

 Seasoning for both the veggies and the fish: 
Dash of EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder if desired
Squeeze of lemon juice

 METHOD:
Place garlic in TM bowl and chop for 2 seconds speed 7.
Add chili, onion, carrot, herbs and celery and chop for 5 seconds speed 5.
Add EVOO and cook for 3.5 minutes, Varoma temperature speed 2. 

Add tomatoes, stock and water and blend for 5 seconds speed 7. Cook for 5 minutes, Varoma temperature speed 2. 

 Meanwhile, wet a piece of baking paper, scrunch and place on top rack of Varoma. Place fish on paper and season.
Put all the vegetables in a bowl and season - get your hands in and massage the veggies!

 When the TM is done, place the Varoma in place (with only the fish) and cook for 5 minutes Varoma temperature speed 2. 

The cooking time will vary according the the thickness of your fish. My thin pieces of barramundi took a total of 12 minutes - but thicker pieces would have been 17-20.

 When the fish is half cooked, place the seasoned vegetables in the bottom tray of the varoma and scatter the feta pieces over top. Cook for a further 5-8 minutes (depending on your fish), Varoma temperature, speed 2. 

 To serve - A bed of the vegetables with 2 large spoons of sauce, and then the fish with another spoon or two of the sauce. Extra black pepper and chili to taste.

Steamed Fish with sticky sauce and crunchy garnishes

This is a 'test the limits' recipe. It's about discovering the cool things you can do with your thermomix, like making crunchy garlic garnishes as well as steaming your fish and your rice all at once.

There are a lot of sections to this recipe, but they are all simple and you can just cut down the time by preparing the garnishes on the stove top while the steaming is happening. Just be aware - you need to soak your sticky rice for 6 hours before cooking. (just factor that one in :)

INGREDIENTS:

Fish and Sticky Rice

2+fillet firm white-fleshed fish,e.g. barra, up to six pieces
2+banana leaves ,for steaming and serving
2+cups of sticky rice, (SOAKED FOR 6 HOURS)
pinch salt and pepper for seasoning fish

Crunchy Garnishes

80g vegetable oil
2 clove garlic,finely sliced
handful thai basil leaves,washed and dried
few coriander leaves,washed and dried
1/3MC of Fried Asian Shallots
1/3MC of sesame seeds

Sticky Sauce

5cm piece of ginger,peeled and halved
2long red chillies,halved, deseeded optional
100g palm sugar,roughly shredded
60g lime juice
60g fish sauce
2 tablespoon tamarind paste (40g)

Preparation

Rice Cover the rice with water generously and leave to soak at least 6 hours

 

Crunchy Garnishes

Toast sesame seeds for 5 minutes, Varoma Temperature, reverse speed 1. Tip out and wipe TM bowl. 

Pour oil in TM bowl and set to 14 minutes, varoma temp, reverse speed 1

After 2 minutes, drop the garlic in and allow to fry

When there is 4 minutes to go, drop in the thai basil leaves.

When finished, pour onto a piece of paper towel over a small bowl.

Add the ginger, take the reverse button off ans chop 4 seconds speed 7, add chilli to the TM bowl chop for 3 seconds speed 7

Pour back 20g of the reserved oil and sauté for 3 minutes varoma temp speed 1

Weigh in the sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind paste and cook for 6 minutes, varoma speed 2.

Tip into a small jug or bowl and wash out the TM bowl

The remaining oil is a beautiful seasoned basil and garlic oil for stir fries.

NOTE: If you don't mind using the stove top and want to save time - you can prepare the garnishes in a pan while the fish and rice are steaming. Simply fine slice the garlic, chiffonade the chilli and grate the ginger.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic and cook until golden (don't burn it or it will be bitter). Transfer to paper towel. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil and fry the basil until crispy and reserve on baking paper. Tip out all but 1 tablespoon of oil and add the ginger and chilli and stir fry for 1 minute. Then add the sugar, lime juice, tamarind and fish sauce (you may need extra tamarind, lime juice and fish sauce if cooking in a pan) and cook until syrupy. Transfer to a jug.

 

Fish and Sticky Rice

Season the Fish with a little of the reserved oil, salt and pepper and a little of the sticky sauce, sprinkle with half the toasted sesame seeds and wrap in the banana leaves.

Rinse out the rice, and put in the bottom tier of the Varoma, shaping into a donut to allow the steam to pass through well.

Put 1000g of water into TM bowl, set to 28 minutes, varoma speed 2

Place fish in the top layer of the Varoma, and place all levels on top of the TM.

Stir the rice 1-2 times in the cooking time.

To serve – place cooked fish on banana leaves, pour a small amount of sauce on top and sprinkle with the crunchy garlic, basil leaves, remaining sesame seeds, shallots and fresh coriander. 

My Thai - Soup and Salad

Entertain a crowd with fresh and scintillating flavours. This is a really flavoursome way to get used to using your Varoma.

I love the way the Thermomix is cooking the soup and chicken which leaves you the perfect amount of time to get the fresh salad ingredients ready. Thai food is about a little conclave of chatting folks picking their way through the mountains of herbs. It's meant to take a little time...you get to chat and have your fill of beautiful aromas.

The marinade and dressing recipe is here on my blog:

QUICK THAI SOUP:

Ingredients:

Aromatics:

2 clove of garlic

3 cm piece of ginger

2 chillies

2-3 lemongrass bases (white part only)

2 coriander roots
4 kaffir lime leaves

pinch of cumin and coriander optional

30g light oil

Soup ingredients:

400g mix of vegetables for soup – sweet potato, tomato, zucchini roughly chopped

1 tablespoon of vegetable stock concentrate

400g tin of coconut milk

300g water

or 300g chicken stock to replace vegetable stock and water

DO:

Put all aromatics in TM bowl and chop for 10 seconds speed 9. Scrape down, add oil and sauté for 3 minutes, varoma temperature speed 2.

Add all soup vegetables and chop for 5 seconds speed 6.

Add coconut milk, stock, and water. Set for 20 minutes, varoma temperature speed 2.5. Puree at end for 45 seconds speed 9.

STEAMED CHICKEN, VEGETABLE and NOODLE SALAD.

NEED:

2 chicken breasts cut into 3 strips and marinaded in Thai marinade

1 packet of narrow rice noodles

2 carrots – peeled into strips

handful of beans trimmed and cut in half

Salad:

Peeled cucumber

2 handful of bean shoots washed and deheaded.

Bunch of mint leaves washed and dried

Bunch of coriander leaves washed and dried

Can add cherry tomatoes

Optional handful of thai basil leaves washed and dried

Optional shredded wombok cabbage

Optional fried shallots for garnish

Optional toasted peanuts for garnish

DO:

Cover noodles with warm (NOT HOT) water and leave to soak.

Arrange chicken pieces in the top of the varoma on baking paper. (Below is pictured when the paper has been pulled away to allow juices to fall through onto carrot and noodles)

Set TM to cook for 22 minutes Varoma temperature speed 2.

When time has finished, drain noodles. Place noodles and peel carrots into bowl level of Varoma.

Place top shelf with chicken back on top. Slide out the baking paper allowing the juices to fall through onto the noodles and carrots below.

Test the chicken with a knife to see if juices running are pink or clear. Move around the pieces to ensure best cooking of thickest parts.

Set TM to 2 minutes, Varoma temperature speed 2.

Meanwhile, place all salad ingredients into bowl – but reserve garnishes. 

I like to stand with my friends picking herb leaves into a big salad spinner, adding the bean shoots before washing and spinning.

When finished, tip carrots and noodles into salad bowl and lightly toss with half the salad dressing.

Puree soup in TM bowl and set aside (or tip out cooking water).

Place chicken pieces into TM bowl and shred for 6 seconds, REVERSE speed 4.

Toss through salad with more dressing, then garnish salad.

DUMPLINGS IN CHICKEN BROTH

Moderate Salicylate, (low options) Dairy Free
(However, just take note that super sensitive folks often struggle with any chicken broth - so I would suggest making a vegetable broth)

Now, this looks like a long recipe but that's just because it's 3 recipes in one. Any of these can be made on their own. The wontons dough can be made and stored in the freezer (in balls). The broth can be made and frozen for a quick soup. Each step is very easy. Go for it!! One step at a time.



INGREDIENTS

WONTON DOUGH:
40g Tapioca starch
250g flour
35g nuttelex (or lard if you are not FAILSAFE)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4tsp baking powder
100g boiling water
approximately 1/2 MC of cold water.

DUMPLING FILLING:
1/2 stick celery roughly chopped
3 shallots roughly chopped (pre roasted adds a lovely caramel flavour - just dob with nuttelex and bake for 10 minutes at 190 degrees when you are baking. I bake bulbs of garlic too)
1/4 tin water chestnuts (or not at all if your kids hate them)
1 tsp salt (or veggie salt if able)
2 small or 1 large chicken breast cubed and semi frozen.
1 tbsp FAILSAFE soy sauce* - if you are not sensitive to normal soy sauce - of course use that!!!

BROTH:
Chicken carcass (I smash mine with my mostly defunct pestle to make it smaller)
2 celery sticks
1/2 swede and 1/4 medium choko (or 1 carrot if moderate sal's tolerated)
1 leek
1-2 cloves of garlic (again, roasted is better)
20g sunflower oil
1-2tsp salt or extra FAILSAFE soy sauce to taste

OPTIONAL EXTRAS to put in your bowls when serving up:
Cooked rice
Bean shoots
Whole hard boiled eggs (included in broth instructions)
Herbs
Moderate salicylate - bok choy or pak choy

*FAILSAFE soy sauce:
80g each of malt syrup and water, 40g golden syrup and 20g salt combined in TM bowl for 2 minutes, 90 degrees speed 2). Store in the refrigerator.

DIRECTIONS:

Wonton Dough:

Into TM bowl add the Tapioca, flour, salt, baking powder and lard. Mix on speed 6 for 8-10 seconds. (it depends how hard your nut telex/lard is. You will hear the sound change as it is forming a breadcrumb like consistency).

Add the boiling water and mix on Interval speed, 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides and need for a further 20-30 seconds on interval speed, drizzling in bits of the cold water as it is mixing and watching for the mix to start clumping. Tip out the mix and knead it into a ball. Ideally, let the mix rest for 20 minutes or more so the proteins relax again and your mix is flexible.

Make little balls just smaller than a ping pong ball (pictured above). when you are ready to make the dumplings, roll the balls out.

Dumpling Filling:

If you are just using fresh shallots, then chop them on speed 7 for 2 seconds, and saute for 3 minutes, Varoma temperature, speed 1.5 with extra 20g oil and a pinch of brown sugar.

Add all the ingredients except the diced chicken and chop for 3 seconds speed 7. 

Add chicken and FAILSAFE soy sauce and pulse on turbo (locked lid position), 6 times. The mix should be clumping together nicely.

Tip this out into a bowl and cover, ready for making dumplings.

To make the dumplings:

Roll out a ball of dough. Place it in a dumpling press (or follow these instructions for making wontons)

and add only a heaped teaspoon of dumpling mix. Wet the edges of the wrapper and press lightly.

Place only a slightly damp plate awaiting cooking.

If you think you can make all your dumplings in about 25 minutes, you can get your broth cooking and then start making them.

Broth:

Put the leek and garlic into the TM bowl and chop for 2 seconds speed 7. 

Add oil and cook 3 minutes, Varoma temperature, speed 2.

Into the simmering basket (the one used for cooking rice), put your chicken carcass and all the remaining vegetables into the basket and place in the TM bowl.

Weigh in 1.1kg of water and add the salt. 

Cook for 23 minutes, Varoma temperature speed 3.

Set Varoma above and add whole eggs to the bottom shelf.

When timer is up, set a further 13 minutes, Varoma temperature speed 3, and add dumplings to the Varoma tray.

When finished. Set aside Varoma. Use TM spatula to tip out basket contents leaving the broth in the TM bowl. Then using tongs, put any hard boiled eggs in the basket to run under cold water.

Into your bowl place your extras: rice/bokchoy/halved eggs, pour over broth, add dumplings and dinner is served.

Baked Chocolate Cheesecake - oh yes!

What is that smell from Chocolate? It instantly tingles my senses and starts the salivation. And for me, a lover of baked cheesecakes there couldn't be a happier union than chocolate and baked cheesecake. The twist though, is that this recipe was made brilliantly easy by the thermomix. Not just the mixing - but the fiddly bain-marie step was replaced by using the Varoma. 

Ever since the very foodie Brooke from WholeFoodieKitchen told me that she made 2 chocolate chestnut cheesecakes to compare baking and steaming, (guess which one won?) I have been itching to try. I already tried a hybrid of Nigella's baked chocolate cheesecake with the toblerone cheesecake, and did the bain marie - and my husband's verdict is that this steamed version topped the charts. 

We love bittersweet, dark chocolate. So if you know you're a Cadbury Dairy Milk kinda kid, then I would use toblerone chocolate or 1/2 milk, 1/2 dark chocolate plus some extra sugar in this recipe.

If you are going to have all the bad stuff....do it in fabulous style. Here's my tweaked and twisted recipe:

Base:

60g toasted and rubbed hazelnuts (or toasted almonds)

1 tsp cocoa if you like DARK

200g packet of chocolate biscuits (we used the additive free Arnott's chocolate ripple)

80g cubed butter (I cubed it very small)

(you could try some orange zest and a dash of nutmeg and cardamom for a spicy christmas twist - blitz first on speed 9 for 20 seconds)

Place nuts in TM bowl +/- cocoa and mix for 3 seconds speed 8. (I like texture in my base)

Add the biscuits, breaking in half as you add to the bowl. Put in locked lid position and pulse x 3. Check the mix - if there are still some big biscuit chunks, pulse 2-3 x more.

Add the butter and mix on REVERSE speed 6 for around 8 seconds (until you hear the sound change). It should be starting to clump together.

Press it into your spring form tin and pop it in the freezer while you get to work on your cheesecake.

I used a 20cm spring form tin, greased, and the base covered in foil.

Cheesecake:

150g caster sugar

1tsp cocoa

1tsp instant coffee

200g dark chocolate broken into small pieces + some extra for garnish

2x Phillie cheese packets (500g cream cheese)

2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks (though I wonder if 2 eggs plus 2 yolks would be enough)

100g sour cream (use thickened cream if you don't like bittersweet)

or you could do 80g sour cream and 20g Contreau or Frangelico

1 x 20cm spring form tin, lightly greased. I put foil around the base, but next time I will try without.

Blitz the sugar, cocoa and coffee for 5 seconds speed 9.

Add the chocolate and blitz for 8 seconds speed 9, then cook for 2 minutes, 70 degrees speed 3. Use your spatula to ensure the mix at the top is incorporating. It should look like fudge is forming.

Add 1 of your Phillie cheese packets and set for 1 1/2 minutes, 50 degrees speed 4. 

While it is whizzing, start chopping up your other packet of cream cheese with your spatula and begin adding it to the TM in the last 50 seconds. Turn it up to speed 5-6 occasionally if it isn't mixing through.

When done, push the mix away from the blades a little (like making a well) and add your eggs and yolks and sour cream. Mix for 20 seconds, varying the speed between 3-6 to incorporate everything.

Pour it into your prepared tin. I then sprayed a piece of alfoil, and made a dome shape covering over the top of the cheesecake, so that the steam wouldn't drip onto the mix.

Put 1.3L of hot water into your Thermie and set on the base. Lock in your lid and put the varoma in place. Put some aerators over the holes so that the spring form tin doesn't cover them - pencils, chopsticks, etc. I used little chinese dipping bowls. Put in your cake and put the varoma lid on. Then set to 55 minutes, varoma temperature, speed 2.

Time to check your cheesecake! It should have a slight wobble but be fairly formed looking, (not swampy soft in the middle). If need be, cook another 10 minutes, varoma speed 2, but check your water levels.

Let it sit in your fridge for several hours or until the biscuit crumb is pulling back from the edge of the spring form. I garnished with a chocolate peelings. Serve with orange and cream me thinks!

All steamed up

Photograph from the Bush Gourmand Blog spot salmon recipe

One of the greatest potential uses of the Thermomix is steaming. Replacing yet another appliance, and potentially doing a few jobs at once; making chicken broth or a curry in the bottom while steaming veggies in the varoma. It's certainly a brilliant feature to make the most of for your time and your health. But we have some questions. What's the big deal with steaming? How is it healthier? And what are some practical tips to make steaming in the Thermomix easy and yummy? I hope you find some answers to these questions here, and also leave your own wisdom. There is an enormous list of people's favourite Varoma recipes - with thanks to Leonie from ThermoFun for collating and posting in her Docs on her page.

What is the big 'healthy' deal with steaming? Why is it recommended?

Simply, because it is the best way of preparing food for our body to absorb the best nutrients, and to avoid 'bad byproducts' of cooking. Basically, all cooking of food causes both positive and negative structural changes. It is a fallacy to suggest that cooked = poison to our bodies. In fact, there are a number of nutrients in food that our bodies only utilise when they have been altered by cooking. For a more detailed look at this, click here to read 'disease proof's' review. 

But, of course, there are a number of negative effects as well. The biggest press is rightfully given to the carcinogenic by-products of high heat cooking oils in particular. There is also a loss of some nutrients. It's a bit of a balancing act, but in many cases, the best utilisation of essential nutrients and minimal negative by-products will be achieved by brief steaming. For a really detailed breakdown of the chemical changes and by-products from all types of cooking, read the European Food Industry's complete review here. It is very interesting to look at the table, and see the tiny list of changes for steaming compared to other methods. 

But the really significant factor about steaming is the link to research showing it is the best way of preparing food to absorb the nutrients that fight cancer. Recent research examining the benefits of cruciferous vegetables, (e.g. the cancer preventing benefits of kale and broccoli and others) has concluded that several minutes of steaming will result in the maximum benefit for our bodies. 

Consider this as well (with Thanks to Nora the French Foodie!) It's also a bonus that Thermomix allows to control the temperature while cooking so we know that most nutrients are retained while cooking (as opposed to basic steamer that go on the stove where you could be cooking your veg to their death without knowing)... I always wash my veggies in the Varoma (which I use as a colander) before steaming. The extra water helps the steaming and they cook better I find... 

I agree! And I love that the liquid at the bottom of the steamed vegetables can be kept for a soup or turned into a sauce with a few nuts!

Impressive huh? But how can we make it easier?

Tips for steaming with your thermomix.

A great go-to guide is provided from Cookipedia with steaming times.

Allow at least 35 minutes for your first run of steaming with the thermomix. The recipe may say 20 minutes for a hard vegetable, but some varieties are harder and therefore take longer. Persevere, because it will only take a few tries before you get a feel for it. Here's what some forum users had to say:  
                    
"I always put my potatoes in the basket, then carrots, pumpkin etc in varoma bottom and peas, corn, beans, silverbeet etc in top of varoma. I add 900g cold water to the bowl and set 35min varoma temp speed 1. And they always cook perfectly. I actually don't bother turning the speed up as I find this is spot on."

And from Katherine, mother of 5 in WA:

"We have veggies just about every night in some shape or form. Steamed majority of the time. They are cheap, healthy and filling .. especially for large families. I often make dishes and serve extra veg on the side just to make sure it will fill them up  

The size of the veg when steaming is the key to it cooking. I FILL my steamer basket, the varoma bowl and tray and I mean fill and have it cook easy.

As Amy said they need to be smallish. I cut potatoes to around 2cm square, throw them in the rice basket with tap water and put it on for about 35 minutes. Then I start adding my other veg in, carrots (in rings), sweet potato, any other root veg we may be having, brussel sprouts, pumpkin, cauli & broccoli, depending on how much other veg I have in the bowl these may end up on the tray along with beans, spinach, corn, and peas.

I make sure steam can get through on all layers and because I have it so full I use speed 4. It took a little while for me to master this when I first got my TMX, but now I know the size of the veg and it is just automatic."

What about yummy recipes?

I love all the inspiration on Nat's Thermomixen in the kitchen blog about steaming. Some brilliant recipes and lots of helpful pictures to help you see how to set things up and place them in the thermomix.

and look, too much talk about health makes me want to eat cake, so please try this one on for steaming size... Chocolate Chestnut Cheesecake or my very own Baked Chocolate Cheesecake steamed in the Varoma. 

Here's a few favourites, with enormous thanks to Leonie from ThermoFun:

ThermoFun -

Varoma Recipes Recommended

Bangers and mash: and what other vegetable you like. Sausages in top tray, vege in bottom tray, potatoes in basket; varoma temp, 35 mins, speed 2

Beef Stew with Buttermilk Dumplings:

Beef Stir Fry: Dani Valent's In the Mix book

Quirky Cooking's "Fried" Rice

Quirky Cooking's Chicken and Cashews, Coconut Satay sauce and coconut rice

Quirky Cooking's Sesame Salmon and Tikka 
Quirky Cooking's Spicy BBQ Chicken

Chicken or Salmon Veloute: Hosts receive this recipe for having a demo. 

Chicken, Shitake and Lupchong Hotpot:

Chilli Basil Meat Balls:

Chilli Mussels with Thyme and Tomatoes: Every Day Cookbook 

Curried sausages: 

Devilled Sausages:

Ginger and Soy Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy and Coconut Rice:

Lemon Cupcakes with Citrus Syrup:

Meatballs Swedish: Meat on the Menu Cookbook

Meatloaf and Red Sauce or Mushroom Sauce: Every Day Cookbook

Roast Chicken: Devil of a Cookbook

Salmon Steaks with Cucumber and Spiced Yoghurt: 

Salmon Tikka with rice and veg: 
Indian cookbook (takes 20 minutes) - substitutes well with chicken (the timings would be too long for salmon for me, anyway), and also, make it Thai instead - mix red curry paste and yoghurt 50/50 and coat chicken (or salmon) in it, and make a quick cucumber pickle to go on the side of the chicken, rice and steamed veg - cut a 4-5 length of cucumber, halve it lengthways, scrape out seeds, then shave off ribbons lengthways with a vegetable peeler. Put in a bowl with a splash of rice wine vinegar and a dollop of sweet chilli sauce, and mix together.

Snapper di Josie: Every Day Cookbook (or can use chicken)

Steamed Prawn and Chicken Dumplings:

Teriyaki salmon: Just whiz up some garlic, ginger, soy and a little brown sugar. Marinade your salmon in it for as long as you have (5 mins or 5 hrs) Put salmon in top tray and veg in bottom. Pour excess marinade over veg. Pop brown rice into basket in jug with water to just cover. Cook rice and veg 10mins/Varoma/Sp 2. Top up water if required. Place top tray into Varoma with Salmon and cook 20mins/Varoma/Speed 2

Tomato pasta with Vegetables and Feta: Vegetarian cookbook

Veal pizziola: EDC (NB: this is in the old EDC not the new one). Can substitute with
chicken

Vietnamese Chicken Meatball and Noodle Soup: 

Thermomix Australia's Coquilles St Jacques

Thermomix Australia's Stuffed Cabbage with Porcini Mushrooms

thermomix Australia's Salmon Fillet with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Please share your steaming tips and favourite recipes! Can't wait to hear from you...