Thermomix Christmas Salad

Well, yes, it is past Christmas, but I made this from a book that I received from Santa. The book is the latest from Armando Percuoco and David Dale called "Buon Ricordo, How to make your home a great restaurant." It is a great read with lots of new ideas and reworks of recipes from their previous book, "La Cucina Italiana". Armando has done a lot for Australian cuisine and some more information can be found here on Mietta's website.

It has lots of wonderful information, fantastic photos and great tips. The book is very much about sharing and getting back to the table as a community. As part of this there is also a chapter with recipes from other members of the restaurant and a recipe from Tetsuya Wakuda, who it is said "runs a pretty successful restaurant in Sydney." Tetsuya's recipe for Leatherjacket "Usuzukuri" was demonstrated at the Sydney Seafood School in November, and I can recommend it.

The recipe I have chosen is titled Insalata di Rinforzo and is based on a dish that the Percuoco family traditionally ate on Christmas eve.

The salad is like giardiniera or sotto aceti, with vegetables cooked in vinegar.

It is easily converted for the Thermomix by using the TM basket to hold the vegetables while cooking.

The vibrant colours are perfect for Christmas.

Insalata di rinforzo (Christmas Salad)

Ingredients:

500g white vinegar
1000g ( plus extra) water
500g cauliflower, divided into florets
2 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 yellow capsicum, cut into 1 cm wide strips
1 red capsicum, cut into 1 cm wide strips
20 small cornichon gherkins, or sliced gherkins if larger
20 small pickled white onions
1 handful black olives, pitted
4 Tbsp extra virrgin olive oil
8 anchovies in oil, drained and roughly chopped
salt

Method:

Place the vinegar and 1000g water into the TM bowl. Set for 10 minutes at 100°C on speed 1. Place the cauliflower into the TM basket. When the Thermomix has reached 100°C you can place the basket into the TM bowl and cook the florets for 15 minutes at 100°C on speed 1.

Remove the TM basket with the spatula and drain off the cauliflower, reatining the vinegar and water mixture. Place the cauliflower florets into a salad bowl and put in the fridge.

Place the carrot slices into the TM basket and cook them for 10 - 12 minutes (you want them to still have some crunch) at 100°C on speed 1. Drain and add to the cauliflower. You may need to top up the TM bowl with boiling water if the level is getting low.

Place the capsicums into the TM basket and cook them for 5 -8 minutes (again, you want them to still have some crunch) at 100°C on speed 1. Drain and add to the salad bowl and return it to the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

Add the whole gherkins (or slices, pickled onions and olives to the bowl. Season with salt to taste and drizzle with the EVOO. Sprinkle with the anchovies.

Leave the salad to marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours before serving.

Buon appetito e boun natale.

Thermomix Beetroot Salad

Beetroot is one of my favourite vegetables, but not the canned, vinegared variety.

Slow cooked beetroot, roasted whole or cut into chunks and drizzled with sour cream, made into warming soups or a dip with yoghurt.

So many deliicious ways with beetroot, but the Thermomix makes it easy to put together a fast, simple salad.

The basic idea is there for you to now adapt using your own flavour combinations.

Thermomix Beetroot Salad

Ingredients:

1 large orange, peeled and roughly chopped, seeds removed
100g onions, peeled and quartered
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
500g beetroot, peeled and cut into eighths
100g sugar
1 MC (100ml) water
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
50ml rice wine vinegar


Method:

Place orange segments into TM bowl and chop for 20 seconds on speed 6. Remove and set aside.

Place onions into TM bowl and chop for 10 seconds on speed 5. Add oil and sauté for 5 minutes at 100°C on Speed 1.

Add beetroot to TM bowl and grate for 20 - 30 seconds on Speed 6. The pieces should be similar in size to lentils. Add sugar, water, spices, salt and reserved orange puree and cook for 30 - 40 minutes at 90°C on Speed 1 with the MC in place. The beetroot should be cooked, but not soft and mushy.

Add vinegar and blend for 10 seconds on Speed 3.

Thermomix Potato and Pesto Salad

Thermomix Moroccan Carrot Salad

I have made this salad a few times and had been meaning to post it. I took photos at the weekend, but cannot find them so will make it all over again.

There is a similar recipe that I have just found at Bimby's Forum for a Sweet Chili Carrot Salad.

The combinations of flavours and added herbs and spices are limited by your imagination.

Carrot Salad


Ingredients:

3 large carrots, (250 g approx.) cut into chunks
1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
20 gm olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp orange blossom water
2 Tbsp currants
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place carrot and mint into the TM bowl. Chop for 5 seconds on speed 5. Check for size of pieces - they should be almost like large breadcrumbs, but not mush.

Add remaining ingredients and blend for 10 seconds on Reverse and speed 3.

Varoma Farro and Chicken salad

Farro and chicken salad

300g chicken breasts
40g extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper as needed
1000g water
250g fàrro
40g peeled almonds
a bunch of rocket, cut into pieces
20g pine nuts
1 lemon

Brush the chicken breasts with 10g of oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange them in the tray of the Varoma.

Pour water into the TM bowl, add a pinch of salt and fàrro, position your Varoma and cook for 25minutes at Varoma temperature on Reverse + speed 1.

Drain the fàrro with the help of the TM basket and pour into a bowl.

Place the chicken on a chopping board and cut into strips. Combine them with the fàrro

Clean and dry the TM bowl and place in it the almonds. Chop for 5 seconds on speed 7 then heat for 1 minute at 100°C on speed 1.

Add the chopped almonds, rocket and pine nuts to the bowl with fàrro and chicken. Season the salad with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Serve warm.

Varoma Russian Salad

I have eaten many varieties of Russian salads over the years. If you wish to read about its origins then you can check Wikipedia.

This is based on a recipe from an Italian site for the Varoma. It is likely to be very similar to the Full Steam Ahead recipe, hopefully.

RUSSIAN SALAD

600g potatoes cut into cubes
150g diced carrots
100g frozen peas
600g water
4 eggs, washed
salt as needed
60g olives, and more to decorate
60g pickled cucumber
200g drained tuna
300g mayonnaise

Garnish
100g red pepper, canned, cut into strips
6 cherry tomatoes
4 green lettuce leaves

Method:

Place potatoes, carrots and peas into the Varoma.

Pour the water into the TM bowl, place the eggs inside the basket and position the Varoma on the lid. Cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1. Remove the eggs from the basket and allow to cool in cold water.

Reposition the Varoma and cook for another 10 minutes on Varoma temperature on speed 1. The vegetables should be cooked but not too soft. Transfer cooked vegetables to a large salad bowl. Salt to taste and leave to cool. Empty the water from the TM bowl.

Put 3 shelled eggs, olives and cucumbers in the TM bowl, chop roughly for 2 seconds at speed 4.

Transfer the mixture to the salad bowl, add the tuna broken into small chunks with 2/3 of the mayonnaise and mix gently. Transfer into a serving dish and cover with the remaining mayonnaise. Decorate with strips of peppers, tomatoes, lettuce leaves, remaining egg cut into slices and olives. Store in refrigerator until serving.

Banana Blossom Salad

Now how often have you walked through the markets and seen those lovely purple objects and wondered what they are, or knowing what they are, how would you use them?

Well, they can be stir-fried, stewed, roasted, steamed, used in curries, probably prepared in any number of ways. There is a great post showing how to prepare the blossom for a Filipino dish with coconut milk.

But today, we have a recipe that is based on a salad that I ate at the Sofitel Hanoi about 10 years ago. The recipe was part of a cooking class given by Mrs Nguyen Thi Kim Hai, the head Vietnamese chef at the hotel. The class was the first of the inaugural Viet Nam tour with The Unlimited Cuisine Company, run by Tony Tan, in 1998. The class followed a tour of the December 19 Market where we were exposed to loads of new ingredients and ideas.

The sliced banana blossom needs to be kept in acidulated water to prevent it oxidising and becoming brown. A cookbook described the blossom as having a taste "like very tender wood shavings"!! It is more a textural thing, but I really like the crunchiness. Cut the blossom very finely and forget the idea of wood-shavings.

Banana Blossom Salad

Ingredients:

1 fresh banana flower
100 g pork fillet, sliced thinly
100 g chicken breast, sliced thinly
50 g bean sprouts
30 g palm (or brown) sugar
30 g fish sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 red chilli, seeded
50 g peanuts, roasted
1/4 cup rau ram (Vietnamese mint)
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 cup mixed herbs – thai basil, coriander, saw-tooth coriander
8 thin slices of lemon (lime)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
20 g sesame seeds, lightly roasted
Fried shallots for decoration

Method:

Thinly slice the banana flower leaves and dip them in water with a little lemon juice for about 30 minutes, then rinse them under running water until the water becomes clear and leave them in the water.

Place the sliced pork fillet and the chicken breasts in a bowl that fits into the Varoma. Place 500 g water in the TM bowl and steam the meat for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 3. Check meat after 10 minutes and stop if cooked through at this stage.

Blanch the bean sprouts by placing into the TM bowl with the water used to steam the meat and cook for 30 seconds at 80°C on reverse and speed 1. Drain and refresh in iced water.

Place the palm sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice and chilli into the TM bowl mix for 10 seconds at speed 7. Marinade chicken and pork with this sauce while preparing remaining ingredients.

Place peanuts and rau ram into TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 5. Remove and keep aside.

Drain the banana flower and bean sprouts.

In a large bowl mix banana flower, sprouts, meats with marinade, peanuts and rau ram, red pepper and herbs roughly chopped. Check for seasoning and add salt/pepper as desired.

Plate out and garnish with sesame seeds and dried shallots.

Thermomix Salad with the Flavours of Sicily

Just another simple salad with prawns prepared in the Varoma (steamer) attachment of the Thermomix. Full Steam Ahead.

Salad with the Flavours of Sicily

Ingredients:

400g Spanish onions, sliced thinly
50g red wine vinegar
1000g large green (raw) prawns
1 lemon sliced
1000g water
pinch salt
400g cherry tomatoes cut in half
20g parsley, leaves only
1 clove garlic
50g extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
white pepper

Method:

Place in a bowl the thin slices of onion and drizzle with the vinegar.

Remove the shell from the prawns without removing the head or tail piece and remove the black intestinal tract. If you wish to keep them straight for presentation then you can skewer them as in the photo.

Place the prawns in the Varoma with three slices of lemon.

Pour the water into the TM bowl, add the pinch of salt and a slice of lemon. Position the Varoma and cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1. Allow to cool slightly before placing the prawns on a plate to remove their heads and then set them aside.

Remove onions from the vinegar and spread in the tray of the Varoma. Place the tray in the Varoma and reposition to steam the onions for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

Arrange the onion on a flat plate, add the tomatoes and lastly the prawns.

Empty water from the TM bowl then dry it before placing the parsley and garlic into the bowl and chopping for 5 seconds on speed 7. Add the oil, salt and pepper and mix for 5 seconds on speed 3.

Drizzle dressing over the prawns, tomatoes and onions.

Decorate with slices of lemon.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

See also here

Simple Shaddock & Shrimp Salad

Last weekend we caught up with a friend from Sydney and went to yum cha. It was great to meet up, but the food left a bit to be desired, and, because we did the early sitting, we were out on the streets by 1 pm. So, rather than just head straight home, feeling sad about our lack-luster lunch, we decided to make a detour and visit Little Saigon Market in Footscray.

Now, this is not quite like December 19 Market in Hanoi. No snakes being skun on boards with a nail to hold their head, no roasted dogs with teeth bared, no live chickens or ducks wallowing around in cages, but a great variety of fresh produce to stimulate the senses, in a positive fashion. There were lots of familiar and lots of less common (for round-eyes like us) fruit, veggies, meat and fish. Some of the purchases included banana blossoms, lotus roots, bitter melon, beef tendons, tripe and a whole oxtail. The oxtail was boned and stuffed with some of the tendons before cooking in the slow cooker. This is a Janni Kyritsis recipe from “Wild Weed Pie” and I’ll write about it later (even though there was very little TMX involved).

Kathryn Elliott has recently posted about making some new or different for dinner. I had already decided to do just that, but now it was even more relevant. So there have been a few creations in the last few days featuring the treasures from Little Saigon.

First up is a recipe using pomelo. There were mountains of both pink and yellow fleshed pomelos, with slices available for tasting. The yellow fleshed ones seemed a bit dry, so I punted for pink and purchased prawns to produce the following salad.

It is based on a couple of similar recipes, and you can certainly use your imagination to conjure up something that will satisfy your hunger, or search the web.

The first recipe that I consulted was from a Tony Tan cooking class, and he in turn adapted the recipe from Mai Pham’s “Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table”. The other was in a book, by Nguyen Ngoc Tu, which is in Vietnamese, English and French, with the English title “A Guide to Typical Vietnamese Cookery” (The Vietnamese is “So Tay Noi Tro – 70 Mon an thuan tuy Viet Nam”, while the French title is “70 Recettes Types du Vietnam – guide pratique et concret”). The recipe for Gỏi bưởi in this book is translated as Salad of Shaddock. I had never heard of Shaddock before, but it appears that pomelos took on that name after being introduced into the West Indies by Captain Shaddock in the 17th century. This recipe called for Stomach, and since I had just used some, I felt that I would save you from more tripe.

Even though we are in the depths of winter, it was easy to imagine eating this dish beside the pool at a hotel on Phu Quoc, on a beautifully warm day. Hey, I can even smell the fermenting anchovies from the distant fish sauce factory.

Shaddock and Shrimp Salad (Gỏi bưởi)

Ingredients:

20 medium prawns, peeled, de-veined and cut in half lengthwise

Marinade for prawns:
1 shallot
2 tsps fish sauce
2 tsps light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
freshly crushed pepper
2 Tbsp oil

1 pomelo
1 Tbsp freshly chopped rau ram (Vietnamese mint)
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/2 cup Thai basil
1 chilli
1/2 cup carrot, julienned
1/2 cup cucumber, julienned
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsps sugar
juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
freshly crushed pepper

2 Tbsps fried shallots
2 Tbsps roasted peanuts, chopped

Method:

Place the shallot in TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7. Add remaining marinade ingredients and blend for 10 seconds on speed 4. Place prawns in ceramic or glass bowl that will fit into the Varoma, mix through the marinade and place in fridge for 15 minutes.

Peel the pomelo and segment, removing the pith & membranes and then break into small pieces.

Place the dish with prawns & marinade into the Varoma. Put 500 g water into the TM bowl and position Varoma on top. Steam the prawns for 10 minutes, or until they turn pink and are cooked, at Varoma temperature on speed 3. Once cooked, allow prawns to cool slightly in the marinade.

Combine all the salad ingredients, except for the peanuts and fried shallots, in a bowl and toss gently. Add the prawns and marinade to the salad. Toss again and serve garnished with fried shallots and peanuts.

See also here