That Orange, date and cardamom loaf

okay - so I'm a leeetle bit slow with birthdays, cards and blogging. This is only a few months late. Next, have to tackle the tax!!!

I love this flavour combination; orange dates and cardamom started flirting with each other centuries ago and the sparks are still flying. This is perfect for a festive occasion, and I can imagine a beautiful orange cream cheese spread with this one.

I hope you enjoy the bread plaiting tutorial. Keep me posted on how you go.


BREAD INGREDIENTS:

80gram unhulled buckwheat (or toasted buckwheat). The unhulled buckwheat gives a lovely speckled finish to the bread

30gram millet

20g yoghurt whey, buttermilk or yoghurt

280gram water

2tsp yeast

tbsp brown sugar or honey

420g bakers flour

11/2 tsp salt

30gram oil or butter

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

Handful of walnuts

1/4 tsp cardamom

Zest of 1 orange

1tbsp brown sugar

Handful of dates

60 gram water

Pinch of bicarbonate

80g butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

Dough:

Mill buckwheat and millet for 30 secs speed 9

Add yogurt and water, yeast and honey and mix for 1 min, 37 degrees, speed soft. Let it sit and prove while you get the other ingredients.

Add remaining ingredients; flour, salt and oil and combine for 10 seconds speed 6

Knead for 2 minutes on interval speed and allow to prove in a breadmat or oiled bowl covered with oiled cling film, in a warm draught free spot, for 1 hour.

Filling:

Lightly chop the handful of walnuts for 5 seconds, reverse speed 5, check the nuts and repeat for 2 more seconds if needed. Set aside

During the last 10 minutes of dough proving, zest your orange with the sugar and cardamom for 30 seconds speed 9, or if you used an orange zester, just add all those ingredients straight into the bowl.

Add the large handful of dates and bicarbonate and water.

Cook 3 minutes, 100 degrees speed 2.

Meanwhile roll your dough on your oiled baking mat or paper, it will need to be 30cm wide at least and as long as your baking tray.If you roll it out on your Mat like I did, or roll it out on your bench, you are going to have one hell of a tricky time transferring it to your baking tray!!! (Not that I would ever be sooooo silly) ;)

Mark the dough just wider than a third so you have a middle section about 15cm wide or more, by running your spatula lightly down the length of the dough as if you were about to roll it into thirds.

The dates will probably have finished cooking by now, so put 50g of the butter into the bowl and melt it by mixing 1minute speed 2.

Meanwhile, Cut fringes about 2-3 cm wide on each side using your lines as a guide. These will be the fingers you plait.

Scrape the date mix onto the centre of your dough. (The picture above is a different FAILSAFE mix of choko, carob etc - will post one day)

Add the remaining butter to the emptied TM bowl and cook for 1 minute, 100 degrees speed 3.

Meanwhile spread the date mix out with your spatula, covering a little of your fringes and all of the centre portion. Sprinkle over your walnuts.

Start at your smallest end, by lifting a fringe and drawing it towards the centre on the slightest diagonal angle. Lift up the opposing fringe and cross over the first piece. Keep repeating like a fishbone plait.

Slide the dough on it's paper onto your baking tray and glaze with the butter mix from the bowl.

Prove a further 20 minutes, Set your oven to 190C and bake 20-25 minutes, 190 degrees. Check it after 20 minutes of cooking.

and VOILA! Gotta love a daggy name tag :)

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.

LIGHTENING FAST ZUCCHINI AND CARROT MUFFINS *school friendly

Do you love love love those recipes that are so fast you check your neck for whiplash? I need speed so it's no wonder I ended up with a Thermomix, but this one is crazy fast. Even better that it's great for lunch boxes. I have put in a few tips about how to place ingredients in your thermomix for the best mixing results and saving time.

Notice all the *'s beside ingredients? That's not code for naughty words, it's because I have a moderate salicylate version down the bottom for those progressing on their FAILSAFE diet. And of course, if you can eat nuts and are not taking them to school, you can replace the seeds with almonds, walnuts, pecans or my favourite - brazil nuts.  ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:
Contains Gluten and Eggs:
80g Wholegrains (Buckwheat, millet, oats)
130g SR Flour (I use spelt flour )
1 tsp extra baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg and ginger*
150-200g raw sugar* OR 90g sugar, plus add a tin of drained pineapple pieces with the zucchini

2 carrots cut into 4-5 pieces
1 roughly chopped zucchini
2 eggs
110g canola oil
optional cup of seeds; pepitas, sunflower seeds plus shaved coconut

optional topping; 1 heaped tablespoon each of brown sugar, shaved coconut and seeds*

*FAILSAFE moderate version: use white sugar and thickly peel the carrot and zucchini. Leave out spices and only add a tablespoon of poppy seeds.
Topping - 1 heaped tablespoon of brown sugar, nuttelex and oats and a pinch of poppy seeds.

DIRECTIONS:
Oven to 180-190 degrees Celsius (frustrating I know, but we all have different ovens, so use the cooler temperature if it is a fan forced, effective oven)
Paper and spray/grease 16 small or 12 medium muffin tins

Grind the whole grains for 1 minute speed 9.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and *spices and aerate by mixing for 4 seconds on speed 6.

Add carrots into the flour mix (this will stop over chopping and too much liquid ooze, plus it's faster); chop for 1 second speed 5. Don't preset the time, turn the speed quickly to speed 5 and as soon as the time hits 1 second, turn it down to open lid position.

Check the mix and push any larger chunks to the bottom, then add the zucchini and optional pineapple if using. Grate 2 more seconds speed 5. 

I like to take the TM bowl off the unit and have it right near me on the bench. Push the ingredients away from the centre of the blades (making a well), and crack in the 2 eggs. Return the bowl to the unit and mix for 4 seconds, REVERSE speed 3.

Now pull the ingredients away from the edge of the bowl and weigh in the oil, plus the *seeds/nuts if using. Mix 12 seconds, REVERSE, speed 3. Adding the wet ingredients at the side is what helps it to incorporate more quickly, less time mixing your eggs makes for a much lighter texture.

That's it!! Now you 3/4 fill your muffin papers and bake for 20-25 minutes. If you want to mix your topping in the TM bowl, it's as simple as tipping it in, mixing for 9 seconds speed 3 REVERSE, then sprinkling on top for the last 5 minutes of baking.