Frugal: Tomato soup

I've just made this for lunch.  I would estimate that it costs around about 40p to make, so it's pretty frugal.
It makes enough for two and it's nice so, although I have posted something similar in the past, here's what I did.

Ingredients:
a dab of butter
half a smallish onion, peeled and chopped
half a small carrot, peeled and chopped
a 3" piece of celery rib, chopped
(these three were just what was left over from another recipe, hence the vague amounts)
a squidge of garlic puree
1 tsp marigold stock powder
a can of chopped tomatoes
a pinch smoked paprika
a pinch mixed, dried herbs
some pepper
two halves of sun dried tomatoes in oil (the secret ingredient)
a pinch of sugar

Method:
Conventional way
Saute the vegetables in a bit of butter until softening.  Add the garlic puree and mix well.  Cook for another minute.
Add the stock, the chopped tomatoes, swill the can out with some water (about a third of the can) and add that too.  Add the paprika, dried herbs, pepper, sun dried tomatoes and a pinch of sugar.
stir well, cover and simmer until everything is soft.
Blend the soup well, check seasonings and adjust.  I didn't add salt because the stock already has salt in it.

Thermomix way:
Saute the veg and the butter for six minutes on 100, speed 2
Add the garlic puree and give it another minute on the same setting.
Add the stock, the chopped tomatoes, swill the can out with some water (about a third of the can) and add that too.  Add the paprika, dried herbs, pepper, sundried tomatoes and a pinch of sugar.
Cook on 100, speed 2 for 20 mins.
Allow to cool just a bit.
Blend at speed 10 for 1 minute.  Check seasonings and adjust.

I then pushed it through a sieve to get rid of the last little bits of tomato pips but you don't have to.

I will have some for lunch with maybe a little dollop of yogurt or some soft cheese stirred in.

Photo to follow if I remember to take one.

Spiced Bread and Butter pudding - a Thermomix recipe

I'm using my Varoma a lot more than I used to and starting to get adventurous - well, a bit adventurous anyway.

I had some drying hot cross bun loaf that was still fine for toast but I had a thought, tried it out and it worked so I am sharing it with some of my readers who are Thermo owners.

You could make this with ordinary bread.  Just add spices to the custard.  Left over hot cross buns, tea loaf, etc - no problem!  You could use some cream instead of some of the milk.  You could use a brown sugar.  You could add citrus zest.

Oh, you get the idea.  Adaptable is its middle name!

Spiced Bread and Butter Pudding

Really delicious and filling too.

Ingredients to make two good helpings.

Two slices of hot cross bun loaf (made using a 1 lb loaf tin), buttered and cut diagonally into quarters

a little more butter for greasing the dish

Some sugar - I used about 1 tsp-ish as the bread is quite sweet.  If you use ordinary bread, you'd need more

More sugar from sprinkling over the top

Some dried fruit.  I used sultanas.  The loaf already had dried fruit in it

For the custard.

250 mls milk (or mix of milk and cream)

1 egg (medium)

A good grating of nutmeg.

You also need an oven proof dish that is not too deep and, most importantly, fits in the varoma.  You can see what I used in the photos: the dimensions are 12x18cms

Method

Grease the inside of the baking dish with butter.

Arrange the half of the buttered bread in the dish, then sprinkle over some sugar and some dried fruit.

Put the rest on top and again add sugar and dried fruit.

Mix the milk with the egg (I used a hand blender) and add the nutmeg.  

Pour it carefully over the bread and butter.  Push the bread down with a fork and then leave it for about half an hour so that the liquid soaks into the bread.  There should still be some milk visible, it won't all soak in.

Cover with cling film (the photo doesn't show this) and place in the varoma.

Boil some water and add it to the bowl - my timing relies on the water being boiling.  Put on the bowl lid and add the varoma with its lid.  The middle shelf isn't needed.

Cook on varoma heat, speed 2 for 12 mins.

Preheat your grill.  Remove the cover from the dish and sprinkle over some sugar (I didn't do this and I wish I had).  Put the dish on the grill pan and pop it under the grill for about two to three minutes - ish, until brown and crisp on top.  Keep checking.  This is the one stage where you cannot go away and do something else.

Or you could use a blow torch but I don't have one - they scare me to death!

Serve hot or cold.  If I'd had cream, there would be some in the photo!

Waste not, want not: carrot soup

Because I've been working full time on supply cover and haven't had time or energy to cook from scratch, I've ended up with a fridge drawer of going off veg.  Not good.

I had a bag of carrots.  Quite a big bag too.  Every carrot was going manky with black bits over.  Uh-oh, bin ahoy, thought I but I checked one to see.  Underneath the mank there was perfectly good carrot.  I peeled and cut out bits, rinsed very well and ended up with about three quarters of carrot that was perfectly usable.

Most has now been blanched and open frozen with Christmas roasted veg in mind.  The rest made soup, just like the broccoli soup from the other day - more or less the same ingredients, just different main veg, very different flavour.  Really delicious, in fact, and I'm not a fan of fancy carrot soups

Ingredients to make two or three servings depending on how hungry you are.  It made three for me.
All ingredients are flexible in quantity.  I find if I add enough water to cover however much veg I use in the saucepan, it makes a soup that can be thickened with a bit of instant mash perfectly
1 smallish onion, peeled and roughly chopped
A sploosh of oil
a squish of garlic puree
a grating of nutmeg (nutmeg improves just about every soup)
A grating of black pepper (not too much)
A medium pinch of garam masala
Some chopped carrots
A chicken stock pot
Boiling water
Instant mash
Seasonings

Method:
Thermo way
Put the oil and onion in the bowl and saute on 100, speed 2 for 5 mins
Add the garlic, nutmeg, carrot, garam masala, stock pot, pepper and enough water to cover (it came to just over the 1 litre mark)
Cook on 100, speed 2 for 15 mins by which time the carrots should be soft.
Zizz on 10 for 1 min until it is lovely and smooth.
Add one and a half  heaped tbsp instant mash and briefly pulse.  Taste, re-season if needed.  I added a pinch of salt.
Serve piping hot with some crusty bread and maybe a dollop of creme fraiche or yogurt on the top.

The hob way
Soften the onion in a little oil.  Add the garlic, nutmeg, garam masala, carrots, pepper, stock pot and boiling water to total around 1 litre altogether.
Bring to a boil, covered, and simmer until the carrots are soft.
Zizz in a blender or with a stick blender until smooth.
Add one and a half  heaped tbsp instant mash and mix in well.  Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
Serve piping hot with some crusty bread and maybe a dollop of creme fraiche or yogurt on the top.

Waste not, want not: Broccoli soup

Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who is sticking with me and checking this blog, even though I haven't posted for a while.  Readers of my other blog will know that I have taken on some slightly longer term supply work which is taking all my time and stopping me from experimenting.

Having caught up with Hugh F-W's second programme on food waste and got all fired up, I checked the fridge to find a head of broccoli that was definitely past being boiled.  I know some would recommend the compost heap but, after signing his 'pledge', I didn't feel I could do that as it was just really 'old', not slimy or pongy, so I made a broccoli soup and it tasted really good.  Despite no milk or cream, the texture and flavour were both 'creamy' and it was filling and satisfying.

I used Thermione as I usually do for soups now, but it can also be made the usual way.  I have included both methods.

Ingredients:  to make from 4 to 6 servings depending on how big your servings are and whether it is a snack or a meal.
one medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
a good glug of oil
a head of broccoli, chopped.  I just cut the very bottom bit off the stalk that had dried out but used the rest, lower stalk and all
a squidge of garlic puree
a chicken stock pot (the Aldi version, so molto cheapo)
some black pepper
a good grating of nutmeg
half tsp roasted garam masala (because I have some - ordinary would be fine or any other herb or spice you fancy using)
enough boiling water to take it to just under the 1.5litre mark
three heaped tbsps of instant mash (value mash is fine or you could cook a 'real' spud with the broccoli)

Method
The Thermione way.
Into the bowl place the onion and oil and saute at 100 for 5 mins on 2
Then add the chopped broccoli, the garlic puree and the boiling water, the nutmeg and garam masala

Boil on 100, speed 2 for about 20 mins

Allow to cool a little, then zizz at highest speed for around 30 seconds until it is smooth.

Add the instant mash and zizz again.  Taste and add salt if needed.  Stock pots can be salty so I never add more salt until the end.  Adding the mash meant that a bit more salt was needed.

Re-heat to piping hot and serve.  You could add a bit of cream or creme fraiche or crumble over some stilton if you want.  I didn't.

On the hob method:
In a saucepan, soften the onion with the oil.
Add the broccoli, water to cover, garlic puree, nutmeg and garam masala.  Cover, bring to a boil and simmer until the broccoli is cooked.

Zizz to a smooth texture either in a blender or using a hand blender.  Yopu might want to add some more water if it is very thick as the mash thickens it.  Add the mash and mix again, then check seasoning and add salt if necessary.  Re-heat to piping hot and serve.

Make it vegetarian friendly by using a vegetable stock pot or some marigold bouillon powder instead.


This is certainly not an expensive soup and it used something that could otherwise have been used in a different way (composted) but one could make it by saving the broccoli stalks that one cuts off, freezing them in a poly bag and using them when one has enough.

Thermomix: mushroom pate

This was nice.  My daughter, who loves mushroom pate, said it was nicer than the expensive kind you can buy.  She ate a lot and took the rest home.  Success!!

Ingredients:
I used five ordinary mushrooms and four chestnut mushrooms
a splash of oil and a knob of unsalted butter
about 1/3 tsp lazy garlic puree
a pinch of salt
some parsley
about 1/4 pot of soft cheese
about 40g unsalted butter

Method
Toss the wiped mushrooms, the oil and the knob of butter into the bowl and zizz at 6 for a few moments.
Cook on 100, speed 2 for about 2 to 3 mins (it doesn't take long to heat up).
Add the garlic and the parsley and cook at 100, speed 2 for about four minutes.
Take the bowl off the base and allow the contents to cool a bit.
Add the soft cheese and the butter, replace the bowl and zizz it all together on 6 until it is the consistence you want.  Scrape down the sides from time to time.
At this point it is quite 'runny' but will set as the butter and cheese cool.  Scrape it all into a dish, smooth down the top, cover and chill in the fridge.

I think a bit of nutmeg would be nice or a bit of chilli.  You could add black pepper or change the herb to thyme or oregano.

Loopy with lentils: Spanish style lentils: Thermomix

Adapted from a recipe on mumsnet, found here.

I only have red lentils so that's what I used.

Ingredients to serve 2
half an onion, chopped
olive oil
a handful of Morrison's soup mix vegetables
some mixed peppers, chopped
some mushrooms (I used some frozen mushrooms)
some crushed garlic (out of a jar)
2 mini chorizo sausages, sliced
125g red lentils
1 bay leaf
chicken stock (because I had some in the freezer.
(Very optional:  I also added some little bits of turkey because I had some!)

Method:
Put a small glug of oil in the bowl and add the chopped onion.  Saute on 100, reverse speed 2 for about 5 minutes, maybe a little longer, until the onions are softening.

Add the other vegetables and coat them in oil with a gentle stir.

Add the chorizo and continue to saute at 100, reverse speed 2 for a couple of minutes until the chorizo has released all its lovely flavoured oil.

Add the lentils and bay leaf and enough stock (or water) to cover plus a bit more.

Simmer on 100, reverse speed 2 for 15 mins.  Check that it hasn't dried out too much: it needs to be a bit sloppy.  If it is too sloppy, take off the MC.

Check/add seasonings (salt, pepper) and, if necessary, cook a little longer.

Serve with fresh, crusty bread to dunk.

I've made it and it's good next time I would make some changes.  The chorizo is nice but it did all break up and there's not enough.  I don't get that intense paprika taste (so added some smoked paprika) and the 'zing' that I expected.  It could be that the chorizo is old (it has been in the freezer for a while now) or perhaps it was a mild one to start with - I don't remember.  I might add chili too, next time.  Some added sun dried tomatoes would be wonderful but more chorizo and sundried tomatoes would move it very firmly out of the frugal bracket which is not the idea at all.

So, all in all, very tasty, one to do again but next time it needs more ooomph.  These comments in no way reflect badly on the original recipe because I did adapt it.

Recipe: Gorgeous tomato soup: Thermomix and normal way

I got this from here:  http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/jun/14/how-to-cook-perfect-tomato-soup

I didn't follow it exactly because I didn't have basil (and don't actually like it - sorry) or creme fraiche but it's gorgeous without.

I made enough for one, it was simply delicious being both savoury and sweet all in one, a mixture of tomatoes from the garden; it was rather like a very, very superior tinned 'cream of tomato soup' without the artificial flavour.

Here's what I did.

Ingredients:
300g ripe tomatoes (from the garden which is why there's such sweetness, I guess), halved.
some olive oil - as little as possible but you do need it.
pinch sugar (small pinch), salt and pepper
1 small onion or part of a bigger one, peeled and chopped
about 1/3 of a carrot, peeled, if necessary, and chopped
garlic puree - a little squidge
200 mls chicken stock (I used those knorr stock pot thingies and used about 1/2)
about 1tsp balsamic vinegar

Method:
Preheat the oven to about 180.  Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish, drizzle with a little oil and season with salt (not much because of the stock, more if you're using fresh stock), pepper and a very small pinch of sugar.  Bake for about 45 mins (the recipe says 1 hr but it was ready before then) until softening and starting to char around the edges.
I then removed the skins where I could because some of the tomato skins are quite thick but, seeing as I then ate the skins and they were delicious and not at all tough, I doubt that was actually necessary!

Then, the non-Thermione way
Heat the remaining oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the chopped onion, carrot and garlic.  Cook, stirring regularly, until softened.

Add the tomatoes to the pan with the pan juices and scrapings, the stock and the vinegar (rather than use it as a garnish).
Bring to a slow boil, stir well, cover and simmer until the veg are soft.

Cool slightly and puree until it is the texture you want.

At this point you stir in the creme fraiche, if using it, check the seasoning and adjust.  Gently reheat and serve.

The Thermione way:
Place the roughly shopped carrot and onion in the bowl with a little oil and pulse VERY briefly - you want bits, not a paste.  Saute on 100, 6 mins, speed 1/2
Add the garlic, the tomatoes and juices, the stock and the vinegar.
Cook on 100/about 12 mins/speed 1/2.

When the veg are soft allow to cool a little and then blend on speed 10 for around a minute (I like a very smooth soup).  Check seasoning and adjust.

Either serve immediately or leave in the bowl until mealtime, then gently reheat to 10, speed 1/2 before serving.

I'm going to make this again soon, maybe for school on Monday.  A treat never went amiss on the first day of the school year, did it?

31-08-14:  I've just made the full recipe, minus the basil (still yuck) and adding the balsamic vinegar with the stock.  The tomatoes still had stalky bits inside so right at the end I pushed the lot through a sieve to get the final 'bits' out.  It worked a treat and the creme fraiche as a garnish also worked really well.  That's several school lunches sorted now - and I am assuming it will freeze well as it has nothing in it that won't freeze.
The next step is to try it with a vegetable stock.

Recipe: Thermomix white bread: frugal

Using ordinary bread flour with no clever additions it's better value and better tasting than anything you can buy.  I always use Thermione now and this is what I do.  Never known to fail (except when I forgot to add the yeast)!

Ever since the accidental third rising that resulted in such a good loaf, I have added another rising to my normal breadmaking but it doesn't seem to add all that much time to the process.  Once the dough gets going it really gets going.

Borrowed from Google.

Ingredients to make one larger loaf or two smaller loaves (or rolls).

500g strong white flour
1 slightly heaped tsp dried yeast (the kind that doesn't need starting off)
1 tsp salt
a dollop of butter or a sploosh of oil (around 20g of it)
315g warm water
(I sometimes also add 1 heaped tbsp dried milk powder - it makes a softer loaf)

Method:
Place the flour, yeast, salt, oil and water in the bowl in that order.  Give it a bit of a zizz to mix.

8 minutes/bread setting to knead the dough.  Longer if you like but there is a danger of overworking the dough.  I find 8 mins is just about right.

Leave the dough in in the bowl (lid and MC on) to rise.  When it has risen to about 2/3 of the way up the bowl, knead it for another minute to knock it all back.  Then carefully scrape down any dough that has stuck up the sides - there isn't usually any but just occasionally there is.

Leave in the bowl again to rise 2/3 of the way up the bowl.  With your fingers push the dough away from the sides of the bowl and then tip out onto a floured surface.  Knock back, shape and place in your loaf tin(s).

Switch on the oven (I start at 220C and turn down to 200C when the bread goes in).

Sprinkle flour over, cover with a cloth, some easy-leave wrap or similar, prove (until the top is level with the top of the tin) and bake.  Two small loaves take about half an hour but is not an exact science.  To check, remove the loaf from the tin and tap the bottom;  it should sound hollow.  If it doesn't, replace in the oven without the tin and give it/them another five minutes or so.

It is so, so easy and all you need is to be in the house.  I don't recommend going out and doing the shopping or anything.  I swear that dough KNOWS when you are not there and seizes the chance to escape!

Finally, just to say that I always use greasproof liners when I bake bread.  You can buy all sorts of shapes liners and there will be one just right for your tins.  Absolutely no risk of sticking and no need to wash the tin afterwards.

Joy's smooth(ish) cranberry sauce: thermomix

Christmas is closer than you think.

Now, before anyone sighs and mutters and thinks 'not another one', let me explain.  The friend who has been staying with me over the summer on and off, looking after my home so beautifully while I have been away, will be coming back at the beginning of November.  I love cooking, she does not, so she has asked me if, at some point during her stay, I can make her (and her daughter) a Christmas dinner - a real, home made, Christmas dinner.

Of course I said yes.  It sounds like great fun.  It won't be a full roast turkey, of course, but you can get turkey breast, and the rest is a glorified roast dinner.  Or, thinking about it, I might have a rolled turkey breast in the freezer.  I could use that and then exist on the leftovers for the next few weeks.
It will be just after half term when I have time to prepare so I will be getting as much as possible ready beforehand.  Hence this recipe, made out of my head, but nothing original except that I have never used Thermione to make a preserve before.

I like smoothish sauces.  By that I mean no bits but not a clear jelly.  Smooth with texture.
This is what I did.

Ingredients to make one jar of the Bonne Maman size.
200g frozen cranberries (I'd use fresh but they're not in the shops right now)
1 eating apple, washed, any bad bits cut off (and I also remove the stalk and the blossom bit too), chopped.  No need to peel and core.
100ml (which is 100g weight) water
juice of half an orange and half a lemon
sugar (I used granulated)

Method:
Place the chopped apple and the cranberries, the orange and lemon juices (no need to thaw them) into the bowl and add a MCful of water (that's 100mls).  At this point you could also add spices.  I didn't, not this time, but cinnamon, mixed spice or star anise all would go very well.

Cook the fruit (and spices, if using) on 100 for around ten minutes on a slowish reverse speed, about 1/2 - reverse so that if you're using whole spices they won't get chopped to bits.  When that has finished, check that the fruit is soft and mushy, take out any whole spices and blitz for around 10 seconds on speed 6.

Remove the lid very carefully (it is hot!) and pour the lot into a fine sieve over a bowl.  Push the fruit through and discard what is left in the sieve.
(then put the sieve straight into a bowl of hot and soapy water because if you let it cool it will be the very devil to clean)
Now add the sugar.  To be honest, I didn't measure it, I just stirred some in and tasted, stirred more in and tasted, until it was 'right'.  As the mixture is hot, the sugar will dissolve quickly.

Pour the mixture back into the thermomix bowl. (I rinsed it out in between but I don't think you actually have to, it w3as just automatic to put it straight into water)
Put a saucer in the fridge if you use that method to check for set.

Cook on Varoma heat, reverse speed 2 for around 6 minutes, then check for set, removing the bowl from the base as you check.  If not set, cook for a couple more minutes and try again.  If adding alcohol (e.g. port), add it after setting and give the mixture a few more seconds of stirring.

Pour into a clean, warm jar and seal.  Don't forget to label the jar when it has cooled.  Keep in a cool, dark place (I will keep it in the fridge)

Not my photo but it will look like this.

PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL.  

BOILING JAM IS EXTREMELY HOT AND HURTS IF YOU SPLASH SOME ON YOUR HAND.

Thermomix cream

It's a doddle.

100g unsalted butter, cubed
100g milk

Place both in the thermomix.
Heat on 90/3 minutes, speed 2 to melt the butter into the milk

Zizz at 8 for 30 seconds to emulsify the mixture.

That's it.  The cream is hot so needs to be chilled.  At first it has a pouring consistence, but if you leave it a bit it can be whipped (the instructions say - I haven't tried that bit yet).

DON'T do what I did though.  I grabbed the butter without looking too carefully and made my first lot with salted butter.  Now I have to make something savoury to use it up - quiche, perhaps?  Doh!!!

Recipe: cream of tomato and lentil soup: frugal: leftovers

OK, I have to confess, it's not all leftovers in the sense that I could save the ingredients for something else and the pasata is from tomatoes grown in the garden last summer and frozen (doesn't it seem a long time ago now?) so has a really good flavour but it's all pretty frugal and it's delicious.  There's nothing new or original about it, like most of my recipes, but never mind.  I'm not aiming to make a fortune, just to share my own simple ideas!

It's small amounts because I didn't want to make much but, looking at it, it's going to do two good portions.

Edited to add a photo of lunch.

And very delicious it was too.

Ingredients
about 150 mls pasata (or you could use chopped tomatoes and some tomato puree for the intense flavour)
about 150 mls good turkey stock (or other stock, but I had turkey stock to use up, hence the name)
about 3 inches of leek
one small carrot
one half rib celery
one small potato
some turkey dripping (or other oil/butter)
a little squidge of garlic puree
1 tbsp red lentils
some dried mixed herbs
water

milk/cream to slacken after blending
salt/pepper to taste

Method (conventional)
Peel/chop into dice the leek, carrot, celery, potato.
Melt the fat in a saucepan, tip in the chopped veg and saute gently for about ten mins.  Then add the garlic and give it another minute.
Add the pasata, stock, lentils, herbs and some water to just cover.
Cover, bring to a gentle boil and simmer until all the veg and the lentils are soft.
Puree to a smooth texture or just mash for a rougher texture.

Taste and season.  I didn't add any salt or pepper and it tastes really good and fresh but that's probably the turkey stock and the pasata, both of which were good and strong.  With other ingredients it might need a bit: it is all down to individual taste really.

It will be very thick so just before eating, slacken with some milk or a mixture of milk and cream and bring back to just under a boil.  In its thickened state it would also be nice as a pasta sauce, perhaps with some shreds of cooked meat.

Method (for Thermione)
Cut the carrot, celery and leek into chunks and place in the bowl.
Add the turkey dripping.  Chop on 6 for about 5 seconds.  Push the vegetables down the side.
Cook at 90, speed 3-4, 10 mins, adding the squidge of garlic after 9 minutes through the lid.

Push the veg down again and add the potato cut into dice, the turkey stock, the pasata, the lentils, the herbs and enough water to just cover.
Cook at Varoma heat, 15 mins, speed 2.   Check by mashing a chunk of potato.  If it's a bit hard, cook for another few minutes.

Allow to cool for a short time, then blend on speed 8 for 25 seconds or so, until the desired texture.  Taste and season as above.

If possible, keep it in the bowl and just before eating add the milk or milk/cream and reheat, spoon stir until it reaches 90 before serving.

Christmas bits and bobs: roasting chestnuts, Christmas crumble topping recipe

Firstly. I am in the middle of making a triple batch of bread with Thermione's help.  It's rising nicely and will need knocking back soon.  One small loaf for now and the rest into the freezer for the Christmas week.  I shall make some wholemeal as well but white seems to go faster.

I've just made a christmas crumble topping.  beth is vegetarian and loves a savoury crumble so that's what I'm making for her for Christmas dinner.

This is the recipe I've used - bog standard really with a few additions.  And it was all done in Thermione.

Savoury Christmas Crumble topping
Ingredients
75g butter
125g plain flour
50g regular or rolled oats
75g mature Cheddar, grated
salt, pepper, mixed herbs, a grating of nutmeg
Roasted chestnuts, crumbled. (looking at the ones I have just roasted which I am trying hard not to eat, I would say about seven or eight.
Method:
Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
add the oats, cheese, herbs and seasonings to taste and chestnuts and mix well.
Use!

The thermione way:
Place the cheese in the bowl with a little of the flour.  Pulse three or four times until the cheese is grated.  Set aside.
Place the flour and butter in the bowl and pulse a few times until it resembles breadcrumbs.  It doesn't take long.
Add the oats, grated cheese, seasonings and crumbled chestnuts and reverse mix for a few seconds on 2 until it's all well mixed together/
Use!


Roasting chestnuts
I'm sure everyone knows, but in case, here's how to roast chestnuts the simple way.  Turn the oven on to 200C.  Cut a little x in each chestnut (to prevent them from exploding).  Pop them on an oven tray, bung in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins.  Easy peasy.  Be careful if shelling them hot - they can be VERY hot!

Now I'm off to deal with the bread!

Recipe: Carrot and butterbean soup: Thermomix: frugal

Made with what I had available . . . the usual method is below.

 Ingredients:
1 medium onion, peeled and chunked
six or seven carrots, peeled if necessary and chunked
Three 'rounds' of celery (I don't separate the celery ribs, I just cut across  the top - using the leaves is fine) - check for grit
about 40g butter
a good half tsp ground coriander
1 good tsp cumin
1 large can butterbeans, drained
water
2.5 tbsp marigold low sodium vegetable bouillon powder
ground pepper

Method

Place the onion, carrot, celery, butter, coriander and cumin in the bowl and chop at speed 5-6 for a short time.
Cook at 90, 10 mins, speed 2

Add the remaining ingredients with water to reach to about 1.75 litres with the other ingredients
Cook at Varoma heat, speed 2/3 for about 16 minutes.

Allow to cool
Puree at speed 8/9 for a good time - over two minutes - until the soup is velvety smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings (I didn't need to, nor did I add any salt)

When I reheat it tomorrow for Sunday lunch, I will add a dash of cream.

Ordinary method.
In a large saucepan:
Chop all the veg into dice
Saute in the butter until soft
Add the spices and saute again for a short time.
Add the remaining ingredients (I guess it would be about 1-ish litres of water)
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 mins until everything is cooked and soft.
Puree using a stick blender or a processor.
Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary

What will I have with it?  Why, these, of course.  Five strand plaited loaves.  I'm getting the hang of plaiting now!   These loaves are made with 150g oats (finely ground) and 350g strong white.

Recipe: Spicy carrot and lentil soup: Thermomix and frugal

Another soup.  You see, I have friends over for a lunch tomorrow and I also want all my lunches this week to be made and ready.  It's going to be a very busy week!

For such simple ingredients, this turned out very flavoursome, smooth and warming.  Definitely frugal. at between 25p and 30p per serving (a bit vague because I used cupboard ingredients mostly)  With a good chunk of bread (home made!), that's a filling lunch for under 50p.

Ingredients
an onion, peeled and cut into chunks
some celery, not too much, cut into chunks
about 600g carrot, topped, tailed, washed and chunked
a good half tsp or so of cumin
butter
about 100-ish g red lentils
2 tbsp marigold low sodium vegetable bouillon
a squeeze of garlic puree
boiling water

Method
Put the onion, celery and carrot into the Thermomix bowl and chop for about 10 second on speed 6
Add a lump of butter and the cumin and briefly zizz again to distribute it

Cook on 90, speed 2 for about 7 minutes

Add the lentils, the bouillon powder, the garlic puree and enough boiling water to just below the full mark

Cook on Varoma, speed 2/3, about 16 mins.  You can always give it a little longer if necessary.

Allow to cool for a while, then zizz at speed 8 for 2 mins.  If it is a little too thick, add more water or some milk.

Reheat to piping hot and serve with whatever you fancy really.

It makes about seven good servings (assuming two ladels-full per serving)  It doesn;t have salt or pepper except what is in the bouillon, but it can be added at the end, if needed.

The usual method:
Chop the vegetables finely
Saute them in a large pan in the butter with the cumin.
Add the lentils, bouillon, garlic puree and about 1 litre of boiling water, maybe more.
Simmer until cooked and zizz until smooth.  Check seasonings and adjust, if necessary

Recipe: Vegetable and lentil soup: a thermomix recipe: frugal

Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters
2 carrots, peeled or scraped and cut into chunks
1 medium leek, root and top cut off, cur into chunks.
Celery - I use one celery, cut off the very top and discarded, then cut across the top three times, to use the green celery and leaves
some butter (I supposed I used about 40g)
2 medium-small potatoes, peeled and cut into dice
2 or 3 handfuls of lentils
two heaped tbsp Marigold stock (I use the low sodium kind)
A squeeze of garlic puree and a squeeze of chilli puree
Some dried mixed herbs
A good grinding of pepper
boiling water

Method:
Into the Thermomix bowl put the carrots, onion, celery and leek and chop on 4 for about 10 seconds.  Add the butter and chop again to distribute the butter.

Add the potatoes
Cook at 90, speed 2 for about 5 minutes.

Add the lentils, marigold, garlic and chilli purees, herbs and pepper.  Fill up to the maximum mark with boiling water.
Cook on Varoma, speed 2/3 for around 20 mins.

It's nice just like this with the bits but if you prefer a smooth soup (I do), allow the mixture to cool a little and then zizz on 8 for 2 minutes.

Serve piping hot with swirls of cream on top.  To eat later, cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

I added no more salt, it wasn't necessary, even with low sodium stock.  I will serve it with bread or croutons and with some grated cheese.   Scrummy!

Variation:  make with a good chicken stock and add shreds of cooked chicken to the soup as you are heating it up.  Obviously, it won't be vegetarian friendly then.

To make it the normal way, melt the butter in a large pan, add the vegetables (which need to be more finely chopped, and saute them gently for a while.  Add the remaining ingredients and water to make for a total volume of around 2 litres.  Cover and simmer until everything is soft, then blend to make a smooth soup.

I haven't costed it out but it can't be very expensive, it has be be fairly frugal and it's good for using up vegetables that are a bit tired.  The only thing that is not so good is the colour!

Recipe: crunchy flapjack biscuits: cheaper than chips: thermomix

I've posted a flapjack recipe before but this is slightly different and has been used differently so no apologies. It can be made using a thermomix or the conventional way.    They're sweet and crunchy and light and absolutely delicious.

Crunchy flapjack biscuits:

Ingredients:
125g rolled oats
75g butter
40g golden syrup
30g sugar (I used demerara)
Pinch salt
Splash of lemon juice

Method 
Preheat the oven to 190.  Prepare two baking sheets - I use reusable teflon cooking mats but baking parchment would be fine too.

(thermomix)
Measure the butter, syrup and sugar into the bowl.
Melt the butter at 90/speed 2-3/2-3 mins until the butter is melted and the mixture is runny and gooey (it smells wonderful too)
Add the oats, salt and lemon juice and mix on reverse3 until the oats are all mixed into the sugar and butter.  It doesn't take long.

(conventional)
Measure the butter, sugar and syrup into a large saucepan and slowly heat until the butter is melted, the sugar has dissolved and it has all goo-ed together.  Remove from the heat, add the oats, salt and lemon juice and stir well until everything is thoroughly mixed.

(both)
Using a tea spoon, spoon small amounts of the mixture onto the baking trays, gently flattening each spoonful down and pushing in the edges just a little bit.  Leave a little space between each biscuit as they do spread a bit.  I made twenty two biscuits and needed two baking trays.

Bake in the oven for just fifteen minutes (that's all it took) until the edges are brown and the centre is just a little lighter.  Leave them on the baking trays to cook and harden, then remove carefully with a spatula and finish cooling on a cooling rack.  They should have spread out a little and be quite thin and, once cool, very crunchy.  They're scrumptious.

I made some for our P4P today and they all got finished off.  Using value oats and value butter, they are extremely frugal, about 2p each.  I doubt I will ever bake this recipe the conventional flapjack way again.

Not the best photo but the only one I remembered to take!

Recipe: Garden Mint and Courgette Bread: Thermomix: Cheaper than Chips

Once I had replenished my yeast stocks there was no excuse, not that I needed one, so I had a go at this.
Firstly, it is not at all of my creation.  The original can be found here at Freshly Baked, which is a jolly good site.  Do go over and take a look: there's some super recipes.

It was certainly interesting to make.  I adapted it for Thermione so I will give that method below.  However, while all the other ingredients were fine, I think there was too much water and next time I will reduce it to 250 mls with the option of adding more, if necessary.  I know it's mostly wholemeal flour which needs water but the courgettes do release a lot of water.
So the dough was very, very sloppy, almost unworkable (and Thermione did most of the work there, thank goodness) with the result that while proving (in tins) the top sort of collapsed.  I popped them quickly into the oven, thanking my lucky stars that I had pre-heated it well beforehand) and they were fine.  Quite a dense-ish texture, but not solid in any way and certainly not stodgy.  It hinted at mint but it was very subtle and I got the sense of an enriched flavour rather than any specific, full-on mint or courgette connection.

When made, I had the first slice still warm (after all, the cook's crusty nog-end contains no calories, eny fule kno that) with butter (ooops) and it was really delicious, and I mean REALLY delicious!  I had another slice when it had properly cooled (shame about the calories) and, again, it was scrummy.  So I'm happy to share both the link and the Thermomix method and would gladly share the calories too, if I could!

As for cost, the flours cost 40p and 5p, the yeast and the salt around 10p, the mint was from the garden and the courgette was from Beth's allotment.  At 55p for two loaves, I am happy to label this recipe as Cheaper than Chips.  If I'd needed to buy the courgette or if I had used strong wholemeal flour, it would have been rather more expensive, of course.

Garden mint and courgette bread the Thermomix way

150g courgettes (ends taken off, wiped well and any bad skin cut off before weighing), cut into chunks
2 tbsp chopped mint (I used leaves only)
Place both in the bowl and chop at speed 6 until grated.

400g wholemeal flour (I used ordinary plain as the recipe didn't say otherwise.  Next time I will try strong wholemeal instead - it might have been the cause of the collapse)
100g strong white flour
8g yeast
10g salt
250g water (the recipe said 300 and that's what I used, but I think that was rather too much) with more ready if needed
Put the flour, the yeast and salt into the bowl on top of the mint and courgette.  Mix on 4 for about 5 - 7 seconds
Add the water and mix on 6 for about 5 seconds
Knead on dough setting for 5 minutes.

Then take off the lid, scrape the sides down and oil them, cover the bowl with clingfilm or similar and leave for the dough to rise.

When the dough is risen (about an hour, less in warmer weather), knock it back down again on speed 4 for a very short time.
Take out of the bowl, scrape any residue out as well and put the bowl and the blade straight into hot, soapy water to soak (if the dough hardens, it's the very devil to get off the blade!).
Shape the dough as you fancy (I used two tins) and leave to prove.  Then pop into a very hot oven (the hottest you can get) and immediately reduce the heat to around 180-ish.
After half an hour I took the loaves out of the tins and put them back in the oven for another ten minutes to just finish them off.
Check they are done by rapping on the bottom of the loaf - it should sound 'hollow'.  Leave to cool on a rack and resist diving in with the bread knife and a knob of butter for as long as you can!

Beth - one loaf is for you!  Come and get!

Recipe: Delia's pizza dough converted to Thermomix: cheaper than chips

As always, due credit to the original creator Delia for a great recipe which you can find here.   The only change I have made is to adapt the recipe for Thermione.

Ingredients to make two or three ordinary single portion pizzas, although that depends on how thick or thin you like the crust - we like it thin.  If you prefer a thicker base, it should make two
6 oz (175 g) plain white soft flour

1 level teaspoon salt

1 level teaspoon easy-blend dried yeast

½ level teaspoon golden caster sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

230 ml hand hot water

Method

Pile the lot into the Thermomix in the order given above.

Mix at speed 4 for about 5 seconds

Knead on dough setting for four minutes.

Now, this is the clever bit.  On Sunday I then transferred the dough to a bowl for rising but it has occurred to me that you don't need to do that.  Just leave it to rise in the Thermomix until it has about doubled in size, keeping the lid and cup on.  Saves on washing up and also it rises faster this way because it hasn't had a chance to cool down at all during transfer to working surface and then to bowl

That's about how high using double quantities

Once it is twice the size, knock it back down on dough setting for about 30 seconds.

It knocks down to about this.

It's a very soft dough and it will help to either oil or flour your hands before scraping the remains out of the bowl after the main part of the dough has fallen out with the blades.  I prefer oil.

As I made double quantities, I separated it into six equal bits.  Each bit was carefully wrapped and rushed into the freezer.  Each bit but one, that is.  That one is for tonight with a filling of savoury mince, courgettes and so on.  I'll let you know how that goes in due course, if it works OK.

And, using value flour, each single portion comes to a fraction of a penny over 5p.  Each!  That's what I call frugal.  Used to make a calzone with vegetables and a chopped tomato based sauce, that's a pretty frugal meal.

Recipe: rhubarb sorbet

This is a thermomix recipe and jolly nice it is too.  However, if you have a powerful processor and start with icing sugar rather than demerara (or if it can grind the demerara into an icing sugar consistency) there's no reason why you can't make this without one..

Rhubarb sorbet

 Servings:  it depends how huge your servings are but I would say six to eight.  If the rhubarb is free (mine was) the cost is 8.5p if serving six and 6.5p if you’re serving eight.  It would be nice if you used strawberries as well as rhubarb or made a strawberry sauce/purée.

Ingredients

650g rhubarb

120g Demerara sugar

1 egg white

lemon juice

homey

glycerine

Method: (for thermomix)

The day before, cook the rhubarb in as little water as you can get away with.

Line a sided oven tray with baking parchment by tearing off a piece large enough to fit in the tray and up the sides, scrunching it under the cold tap, shaking it out and pressing it into the tray.  Pour the soft rhubarb into the tray, smooth off the top, cover with easy leave or cling film and put in the freezer for about 24 hours (or longer – but if longer, put into a poly bag).

Making the sorbet

Get the rhubarb out of the freezer, remove it from the tray (you might need to dip the tray bottom briefly into hot water) and peel off the paper and easy-leave/cling film.  With a strong, sharp knife, cut the slab into ice cube sized chunks (it isn't that hard, just be careful)

Into the Tmx, weigh 120g demerara sugar and grind on 10 until it resembles icing sugar (it takes longer than granulated takes).

Then pile in the rhubarb ice cubes and crush at speed 6 until the mixture no longer moves around the bowl (you can hear this)

Add the lemon juice and honey (and any liqueur you want to add – strawberry would be lovely) and churn for up to 1 minute/speed 9, stirring through the top with the spatula as it churns.  It should end up very smooth.

Add the egg white and glycerine.  The insert the butterfly whisk and whisk for 30 seconds on 4 until light and creamy.

Serve immediately or pop into a pot and freeze for later.

Believe me, it is very, very delicious!

Recipe: Wraps

Wraps are jolly useful.  Not only are they a great alternative to bread, they are good for using as a thin pizza base, as a lining for a quiche (I've tried both of these and it works well) and for scooping up a delicious curry sauce.  I suspect one could always bake them crunchy too, like crispy tortillas, although I haven't tried that yet.
Unfortunately, wraps are expensive.  My Supermarket tells me that a pack of 8 Sainsbury's ordinary wraps cost £1.20, making each wrap 15p while Mission deli wraps are more than 20p each.  Ouch.

So I was delighted when, as I was trawling through Jack Monroe's recipes, I found a link to this recipe on the rather interesting looking Frugal Feeding blog - do take a look.
An easy peasy recipe for home made wraps.

I'm not going to reproduce the recipe here as it is very well explained over there, but I did tweak it slightly for making in the thermomix as well as making half the amount - the same number of wraps though, so rather smaller but just the right size for me.
Here's the tweaked version with all acknowledgement and thanks to the creator.

Wraps

Ingredients to make 8 medium sized wraps, around 2p each

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting and rolling (I used value/basic flour and it was fine)

1/2 tbsp butter (again, I used basic)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

150ml hot water

Usual Method:
Follow the link

Method for the Thermomix

Place the first 4 ingredients in the bowl and mix on 5 for about 5 seconds.

Add the water, mix briefly, then knead for five minutes.

Divide into 8 small balls (each will be around 60g)

When you roll each ball out into a very thin sort of circular shape; they don't HAVE to be circular and some of mine were a very odd shape indeed!.  Use flour for dusting (needed).

Heat up a frying pan large enough to take the wraps until very hot.  Dry fry each wrap in turn, giving each side no more than 2 minutes.  I found it was a lot less, in fact, and I did need to flatten them down because they puffed up a lot.  You certainly can't go off and do anything else, however short a time it takes.  As you remove each one from the pan, stack it under a clean tea towel.

I have no idea how long these stay fresh.  It’s probably best to interleave each one and pop them in the freezer somewhere they won’t get knocked, to use individually if you're not going to eat them immediately.

I've eaten one and it was very nice.  Now to think of other ways of flavouring – garlic, black pepper, celery salt perhaps, mint – mmm, mint wrap and falafels.  Or I could roll them with some of my bean and tomato mixture (already heated), sprinkle some grated cheese on to and warm up in the oven.  

And here's the link again.

http://frugalfeeding.com/2011/06/15/versatile-homemade-wraps/