Chocolate Zucchini Brownies with Pecan Crumble Topping

Brownie Mission #3

I had two zucchinis laying idle in my crisper, mainly due to the fact that I rarely cook with zucchini because my kids don't eat it ... but now they do! (albeit unbeknownst to them).

I had heard of chocolate zucchini cake, but I thought I would venture on another brownie mission (see #1 and #2) and found Grandma's Chocolate Zucchini Brownies on All Recipes.com. I am so glad I did! The brownie is soft and moist and a little bit fudgy and goes perfectly with the crunchy crumbly nutty chocolatey topping. And of course one slice probably counts for at least one serve of vegies!

Here's my Thermotalk version:

Ingredients
150g pecans
750g zucchini (approximately 2 large zucchinis)
200g + 2 tbsp raw sugar
125g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
300g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp salt
100g chocolate chips

Method
1. Preheat oven to 170C. Line a 19cm x 28cm cake tin or a large square tin with baking paper.
2. Place pecans in TM bowl. Chop for 2 seconds on speed 5. Set aside.
3. Place zucchini in TM bowl. Chop for 10 seconds on speed 4-5. Put into rice basket and put rice basket on top of a bigger bowl to drain.
4. Place 200g sugar and butter into TM bowl. Cream for 1 minute on speed 3.
5. Add vanilla extract then add eggs one at a time with TM going at speed 3-4 until all combined (approximately 30 seconds).
6. Use spoon to push excess juice out of zucchini (freeze the juice for the next time you make a soup and use in place of water). Place zucchini in TM bowl.
7. Add flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate soda, salt. Mix for 30 seconds on speed 5 until combined. Use the spatula to assist if necessary.
8. Pour into prepared cake tin.
9. Mix 2tbsp sugar and the chocolate chips into the bowl with the chopped pecans.
10. Sprinkle on top of the cake.
11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
12. Cool on cake rack, cut into squares and enjoy!

Steamed Teriyaki Toothfish with Broccoli & Rice

A one "pot" wonder when you want something simple, quick and tasty.  When I was throwing this together for dinner I wasn't intending to blog it but it turned out so well I wanted to keep a record of it so that I could add it to our regular dinner schedule!
Ingredients
4 thin toothfish steaks (approx 150-180g each)
45g light soy sauce
45g mirin
15g sake or chinese rice wine
1 tsp sugar
uncooked rice (up to 2 cups)
250g broccoli
1 spring onion or a couple of garlic chives
Method
1. Place fish in shallow bowl / casserole dish. 
2. Place soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in TM bowl.  Mix for 20 seconds on speed 2.  Pour over fish to marinate (at least 10 minutes).  No need to rinse the TM bowl.
3. Whilst the fish is marinating, wash rice and place in steamer basket; wash broccoli, chop into florets and place in Varoma bowl.
4. Put a sheet of baking paper onto the Varoma tray.
5. Place fish in one layer onto the baking paper.  Reserve marinade.
6. Place rice in steamer basket in TM bowl. Add 900g water.
7. Put TM lid in place. Place Varoma bowl, Varoma tray and Varoma lid on top of TM.  Steam at Varoma temperature for 16 minutes, speed 4.
8. Remove rice. 
9. Check whether fish is cooked (will be cooked when the flesh is opaque and a butter knife slides easily into it), otherwise cook for a few more minutes (this is not an exact science as cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the steak and how cold it was before you started cooking it).
10. At the same time check whether broccoli is cooked to your liking, otherwise cook for longer until cooked to your liking.  Again, not an exact science. Depends on how big you cut the florets and how crisp / tender you like it.
11. When vegetables and fish are cooked, set aside. Add reserved marinade to the bowl with 50mls water and chopped spring onions or garlic chives. Mix at 100C for 4 minutes on speed 2.  Pour over fish.
12. Serve fish, rice and broccoli together. Enjoy!

Variations:  Try it with salmon steaks or fillets.  Swap the broccoli for spinach, cabbage or beans or any combination of them.

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin is such a versatile vegetable. Not only is it great for soups and roasts and baby's first food, it is great in baking. And it's perfect for the Thermomix because most recipes require the pumpkin to be cooked and pureed first.

Here's a traditional use for pumpkin in baking - a staple of the Australian country kitchen (and my freezer!) It's also healthier than the common white scone as the moistness of the pumpkin means less butter/fat is used. (Less fat = eat more!)

Ingredients
300g pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into rough 3cm chunks
100g raw sugar
60g butter
1 egg
420g self-raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
milk, for glazing

Method
1. Preheat oven to 230C.
2. Place pumpkin in TM bowl. Chop for 5 seconds on speed 6. Cook for 10 minutes at 100C on speed 2. 
3. While pumpkin is cooking prepare cake tins. I used 2 x 20cm round tins - lightly greased.
4. Once pumpkin is cooked, puree for 30 seconds on speed 8. Set aside.
5. Place sugar into TM bowl. Grind for 3 seconds on speed 9.
6. Add butter. Mix for 30 seconds on speed 3-4. 
7. Keep TM on speed 3-4 and add egg.
8. Add cooked pumpkin and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4.
9. Add flour and salt. Mix for 10 seconds on speed 6. Knead on interval speed for 1 minute.
10. Mixture will be quite sticky. Turn out onto well floured board and flatten to about 2cm thick. Using a floured 5cm cookie cutter (or the TM measuring cup) cut out scones and place into tins, slightly touching each other.
11. Brush lightly with milk then place on second from top shelf in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. You may want to rotate the tin after 8 minutes if your oven is a bit one sided (like mine!) to get even browning.

Enjoy plain or with a bit of butter (even better with MYO butter from the TM - see EDC p12).

Cutting tip: If you can't be bothered with the scone cutting and don't mind a more free-form shape - just take heaped tablespoonfuls of dough and place slightly apart from each other on a grease proof paper lined baking tray (this actually results in a slightly  moister scone because the extra flour is not used in the shaping).

Leftover tip: Can be frozen. Separate before freezing if you want to be able to snack on one (or two!) at a time. To defrost just leave on a benchtop to bring back to room temperature (or use the microwave defrost bread function).

Chicken, Chorizo, Spinach, Mushroom & Broccoli Pasta Bake

This is my take on Mac & Cheese (with a few extra ingredients!)
A one dish dinner for the whole family - nutritious enough for the 14 month old toddler and tasty enough for the hubby. Even my fussiest eater (Miss 6) liked it (I suspect it was the bacon topping that did it!). Out of all my Thermomix creations this is by far my family's favourite (if measured by how quickly it was demolished) and it even has half a kilo of vegetables in it! The added bonus (and to the relief of hubby) is that there is hardly any washing up. 

Ingredients - Topping

3 slices wholemeal bread

100g bacon

1/2 tsp paprika

15g olive oil

Ingredients - Filling

200g cheddar or mozzarella cheese

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 onion, peeled and halved

20g olive oil

150g mushrooms

1/2 tstp freshly ground black pepper
400g milk

400g stock or 400g water + 1 tbsp of vegetable stock concentrate (EDC page 17)
200g dry pasta (spirals, elbows, macaroni or penne)

200g broccoli, cut into small florets

250g chicken thigh or breast, sliced thinly

1 chorizo sausage (approx 100g), cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly

100g spinach, roughly chopped

Method

If using the oven for the final step, preheat oven to 200C.
1. If your cheese isn't grated, chop it into 2-3cm cubes, place in TM bowl and grate for 7 seconds on speed 8. Set aside.

2. Place all topping ingredients in TM bowl and chop for 4 seconds on speed 6. Set aside.

3. Place garlic and onion in TM bowl. Chop for 3 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down sides. 
4. Add olive oil and saute for 3 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.
5. Add mushrooms. Chop for 4 seconds on speed 4.
6. Add pepper, milk and stock. Cook for 8 minutes at 100C on reverse speed soft.
7. Add pasta and broccoli. Cook for 6 minutes at 100C on reverse speed soft.
8. Add chicken, chorizo and spinach. Cook for 3 minutes at 100C on reverse speed soft. Use spatula at the start to help incorporate and stir the meat and spinach into the sauce.
9. Place mixture into oven proof baking dish. Spread the top evenly with grated cheese and then the bacon/breadcrumb topping.
10. Place into preheated oven for 20 minutes until topping is golden and crispy, or place under a hot grill for 4 minutes (but keep an eye on it as can get burnt quite quickly!)

Variations: 

1) Eat it as a pasta dish without the cheese and topping. If so, at step 8 cook for a further 2 minutes until pasta is tender. 

2) Eat it without the topping and just melt the cheese over the top. 

3) Already have leftover cooked or roast chicken and/or steamed veg? Just add them in at the last step for 1 minute to warm through before putting in the baking dish. 

Substitutes: Try using cauliflower or pumpkin instead of broccoli; or ham or salami (or more bacon!) for the chorizo. 

Baby & Toddler Meals

At its incarnation (some 30 years ago) the Thermomix was purely a baby food maker (the "Bimbi"), and what has made me love my Thermomix even more (if that is even possible) is how much I have enjoyed using it to cook for my baby.

So this post is dedicated to baby recipes (which with a bit of salt and a little less pulverising can actually be converted to yummy nutritious adult comfort food!).

Purees

• for Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Carrot - place 300g of peeled and roughly chopped veg into TM bowl. Chop on speed 6 for 5 seconds. Cook for 10 minutes at 100C on speed 2. Then, if necessary, puree to desired consistency on speed 7.
• for Potato - place 300g of peeled and roughly chopped potato into TM bowl with 100g water or milk. Cook for 10-15 minutes at 100C on speed 1. Then, if necessary, mash to desired consistency on speed 3-4 (no higher than this otherwise it will become gluey).
• for Broccoli, Cauliflower - place 300g of washed florets into TM bowl. Chop for 5 seconds on speed 5. Add 50g water. Cook for 7 minutes at 100C on speed 2. Then, if necessary, puree to desired consistency on speed 8. 
• for Apple, Pear - place 300g of peeled or unpeeled, seeded and quartered fruit into TM bowl. Chop for 10 seconds on speed 5. Cook for 8 minutes at 90C on speed 4. Puree to desired consistency on speed 8.

Chicken and vegetable pasta

1. Place 1/2 onion and 1 garlic clove in TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7.

2. Add 400g vegetables. If they are hard vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, celery broccoli, cauliflower, turnip, parsnip put them in first and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7. Then add the soft vegetables (eg zucchini, mushroom, capsicum) and chop for 3 seconds on speed 5. Caution - only add small amounts of strong tasting vegetables like celery, turnip, parsnip and green capsicum.

4. Add 30g olive oil and saute for 7 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

5. Add 200g chopped tomatoes, 600g water or chicken stock (see EDC p18), 100g full cream milk, 200g chicken fillet (cut into 4 pieces) and a handful of washed herbs (eg parsley, sage, thyme, basil).

6. Cook for 10 minutes at 100C on reverse speed slow with the MC inclined to prevent spitting.

7. Remove cooked chicken and set aside.

8. Add 200g pasta shells and cook for 15 minutes at 100C on reverse speed soft or until the pasta is sufficiently soft.

9. If you wish, add up to 100g quick cooking vegetables like spinach, corn kernels, peas, sliced beans in the last 7 minutes of cooking.

10. Blend on speed 4 to desired consistency with the aid of the spatula, then set aside into large bowl or Thermoserver.

11. Place cooked chicken pieces back into TM bowl and shred on reverse speed 4 for 5 seconds or until sufficiently well shredded. 

12. Combine shredded chicken with pasta with the aid of the spatula.

13. Serve and watch your baby/toddler gobble it up!

Variation for adults: Only cook pasta (see para 8 above) for 10 minutes and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Beef and vegetable risotto

1. Place 100g rump in TM bowl. Set dial to closed lid position, then press Turbo twice until beef is minced. Set aside

2. Place 1/2 onion and 1 garlic clove in TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7.

3. Add 20g olive oil and saute for 2 minutes at Varoma temperature speed 1.

4. Add minced beef and saute for a further 3 minutes at Varoma temperature speed 1.

5. Insert butterfly in TM bowl and add 160g washed long or medium grain rice. Saute for 1 minute on reverse speed soft.

6. Add 650g water or chicken or beef stock (see EDC p18), 400g diced vegetables (eg  carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, mushrooms, zucchini, red capsicum) (the harder the vegetable, the smaller the dice)

7. Cook for 30 minutes at 100C on reverse speed soft or until rice and vegetables are sufficiently soft.

8. Remove butterfly and then blend to desired consistency on speed 4 with the aid of the spatula.

Flavour tip: Using leftover unsalted roast vegetables (eg carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, onion) will greatly enhance the flavour profile of this risotto.

Variation for adults: Only cook rice (see para 7 above) for 15-17 minutes until just tender and add salt, parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Leftover tip: Freeze individual portions for quick and easy feeds. When reheating add a little bit of extra water as the pasta/rice soaks up a lot of moisture when left to sit.

Sausage Rolls

I was a reluctant attendee of school holiday care in my childhood, but I do have them to thank for sparking my early interest in cooking and this is when and where I started making sausage rolls. After that I would bulk  make them a couple of times a year with my Mum, and now they make a weekly appearance in my kids' lunch boxes, as well as at their birthday parties and byo plate events!

I didn't want to put the word "healthy" in the title, as if you have ever made (or seen the making of) puff pastry I think those words are mutually exclusive, but because they are chock full of vegies they are healthier than the ones that come in the refrigerated/freezer section at the shop. 

Talking about vegetables, one reason this makes it on to Thermolicious is because now that I have the Thermomix, the sausage rolls don't contain that tasty bit of grated knuckle anymore!

The other reason - I am always asked for the recipe for them (which there isn't a real written down one, being one of those foods that you can make from 'a little bit of this and a little bit of that') but anyway here goes:

Ingredients

100g breadcrumbs

300g carrot

200g onion

2 garlic cloves

100g zucchini

200g red capsicum

750g sausage mince (best sausage mince is from your local butcher)

750g lean beef or premium beef mince

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

4 tbsp tomato sauce

1 egg

salt and black pepper

approximately 10 sheets of 20cm x 20cm puff pastry (you can make your own, but even Jamie Oliver on his 30 minute meals show (episode 21) said he didn't think it was worth the effort for the home cook!)

extra egg for egg wash

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Line baking trays with baking paper.

2. Take puff pastry out of freezer and leave on benchtop to thaw.

3. If you don't already have breadcrumbs, use fresh or frozen bread, place in TM bowl and chop for 15 seconds on speed 8. Set aside into a large bowl.

4. Place carrot, onion and garlic into TM bowl and chop for 3-5 seconds on speed 7 until finely chopped. Scrape down sides and chop for a few more seconds on speed 7 if necessary. Place into strainer basket (which should be placed over another slightly larger bowl or plate) so that excess juices can drip through.

5. Place zucchini and capsicum into TM bowl and chop for 3-5 seconds on speed 5 until finely chopped. Add to strainer basket. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze excess juice out of the vegetables (this is to prevent the juice leaching out during the baking process). 

6. If you are using lean beef, mince it by placing semi-frozen cubes of beef in TM bowl and chopping for 8-15 on speed 7.

7. Place all ingredients in the large bowl with the breadcrumbs and mix with your hands. (If you are making a half batch you could place all the ingredients in the TM bowl (once they are chopped/minced as per above) together with the condiments and the egg and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4 with the aid of the spatula, until well combined.)

adult size

8. To make sausage rolls cut pastry into half (adult size) or thirds (child size) or fourths (really mini!). 

child size

9. Place meat mixture lengthwise across the pastry slightly before the middle of each portion. Roll tightly to encase the meat.

10. Place on baking tray ensuring seam side is on the bottom. Repeat with remaining meat and pastry. 




11. Brush with egg wash, cut the rolls with a sharp knife (but you don't need to separate them) and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown (and delicious!).

Tip 1: Try adding other vegies in place of those listed above. Just remember to chop the hard vegies (eg carrot, onion, sweet potato, pumpkin, celery) separately to the soft vegies (eg mushrooms, zucchini, capsicum).
Tip 2: Not enough pastry but you've got leftover meat? Make meatballs!
Tip 2: Freeze sausage rolls for school lunches or byo plate days. Just take out of the freezer and reheat at 150C for 20 minutes.

Pappardelle with amazing slow cooked meat

Cookbook Adventure #6 - "jamie's kitchen"

Yes I know, only six Cookbook Adventures so far and already I have turned to Jamie again!

I had some gravy beef that needed to be used up and I have just got into making my own pasta, so this recipe was a perfect combination.  The full recipe for the meat is reproduced on Leites Culinaria's website. The recipe for the pasta is on Jamie's website.





And here is my Thermotalk version:

PAPPARDELLE
Ingredients
3 eggs
300g plain flour

Method
1. Place all ingredients in TM bowl. Set dial to closed lid position and knead for 2 minutes on Interval speed. 
2. Remove from TM bowl and wrap in plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes. 
3. Once rested follow Jamie's instructions on how to roll out the pasta.
4. When the pasta is rolled out, dust it well with flour then fold in half, fold in half again, and then once more, dusting with flour each time. 
5. For pappardelle cut the flat rolls into 2cm sections. 




6. Make a cage with your fingers and shake until the pasta separates.
7. Cook pappardelle in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, drain and serve with the slow cooked meat.

SLOW COOKED MEAT

Ingredients
800g casserole chuck steak, chopped into 2cm chunks and seasoned with salt and pepper

30g extra-virgin olive oil

1 handful each of fresh rosemary and fresh thyme and a couple of fresh bay leaves

1 medium red or brown onion, peeled and quartered

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks

1 celery stick, cut into 3cm chunks

100g red wine

400g fresh tomato quartered or canned tomatoes

2 tbs pearl barley, washed and drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

100g butter
50g Parmesan cheese

Method
1. Place Parmesan cheese into TM bowl. Grate for 10-15 seconds on speed 9. Set aside in fridge.

2. If you want your herbs chopped then pick the leaves of the rosemary and thyme, place in TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7. Set aside. (I like the rustic look of whole herbs so I place them whole into the slow cooker and then remove the stems at the end.)

3. Place onion and garlic in TM bowl. Chop for 3 seconds on speed 5. Scrape down sides of bowl.

4. Add carrot and celery to TM bowl. Chop for 2 seconds on speed 5. Set aside vegetables.

5. Place 15g olive oil in TM bowl and set to Varoma temperature for 4 minutes reverse speed soft. Once the Varoma temperature is reached (approximately 60 seconds in), add half the meat whilst TM is still on.
6. Remove meat, and repeat step 5 for remaining half of meat.
7. Return previously browned meat to TM bowl together with vegetables and any chopped herbs and cook at Varoma temperature for 4 minutes reverse speed soft.

8. Add red wine and cook at Varoma temperature for 2 minutes reverse speed soft.

9. Add tomatoes, pearl barley and whole herbs. Cook for 70 minutes on reverse speed soft at 100C or until meat is tender enough to your liking.

10. Once meat is cooked and tender, season carefully to taste, add butter and the Parmesan that was set aside and mix for 20 seconds on reverse speed soft.

11. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with finely chopped rosemary and additional Parmesan if desired.

Variations: As this is a stew I always look through my veggie crisper in my fridge to see what other veg I can throw in to add more flavour and nutrition. Eg zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms, pumpkin, sweet potato. For the softer vegetables like zucchini, capsicum and mushroom, chop these after the carrot and celery, for 2 seconds on speed 5.

Leftover tip: Use leftover meat as filling for gourmet meat pies.  (I even cook batches purely for the purpose of making meat pies - make the shortcrust pastry from EDC p119, blind bake at 200C for 20 minutes, then add in filling, top with a sheet of puff pastry, brush with egg wash or milk and bake for 45 minutes at 200C or until top is nice and golden).