entree or light meal

Chicken and mushroom ravioli with a carrot, tarragon and preserved lemon sauce

~ Eloise Emmett ~ Leave a comment

I am focusing at the moment on experimenting with dishes for the varoma (steamer) for the thermomix, one of the things that I love that about the thermo is that a sauce can be bubbling away underneath in the mixing bowl while the main part of the dish cooks on top. I have never steamed pasta before but I was impressed, traditionalist could still boil the ravioli on the stove in a pot of boiling water as normal, but I love that I made nice big full ravioli, with a thin and smaller amount of pasta, without the worry of them bursting when simmering. If you don’t yet have a thermomix you can still make this recipe with a chopping board and knife,  frying pan, the food processor and a pot.

6 large mushrooms
¼ medium brown onion
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
teaspoon butter
200 grams chicken thighs
3 sprigs thyme
3 large sage leaves

200 grams flour
2 eggs

3 medium carrots
60 grams leek
¼ medium brown onion
¼ preserved lemon
3 large sprigs tarragon
500 ml water
2 tablespoons cream
pinch salt and pepper

Put the mushrooms, peeled onion and garlic in the bowl, blend speed 7, 3 seconds.  Sauté 100C for 2 minutes. Add chicken herbs and salt and pepper blend speed 10/ 30 seconds. Remove from bowl.

To make pasta put eggs and flour in bowl and blend speed 7/ 40 seconds, remove and roll out in the pasta machine to number 6. Make the ravioli by putting spoonfuls on one half of the pasta sheet, brushing with egg wash and folding over and pressing down. Then use the ravioli cutter to cut into shape.

Wash bowl and put water in. in basket in the bowl put peeled and roughly chopped carrot, leek, onion, preserved lemon and tarragon.

Line both varoma trays with greaseproof paper and brush lightly with olive oil and lay the ravioli on them and put the varoma in place. Cook for 18 minutes speed 1 varoma temperature. The ravioli pasta should now be cooked and the filling cooked through, put the ravioli in the thermoserver. To finish the sauce discard 2/3 of the water from the bowl and put the contents of the basket, the carrots etc, in the bowl add cream and salt and pepper. Blend 30 seconds speed 10.

 

celery, cabbage and cauliflower soup

~ Eloise Emmett ~ Leave a comment

DPP_210

This soup got its lovely creamy texture from the addition of the 2 tablespoons of rice- a little trick I picked up from fast ed on better homes and gardens, I thought I should try it and it worked well! It would be a good way for gluten intolerant/allergic people to make nice thick soups without flour or people watching there fat intake to have a nice creamy soup without too much or any cream.

I have served it here with a gluten free loaf of bread- cindys recipe from the “Thermomix everyday cookbook”, which was made by milling brown rice, white rice, chickpeas amongst other ingredients and it was a delicious loaf, quite easy to make and very economical in cost in comparison to other gluten free loaves. I cant say I have tried to many other loaves of gluten free bread, but I have try a few and this has turned out to be far superior in flavour and texture than any of the other gluten free loaves that I have tried. Now don’t imagine a fluffy soft white loaf like you get from the bakery it is still a dense cakey type loaf but a lot lighter than some of the “brick’ type gluten free loaves available. I will make this for my family regularly as it was very enjoyable and will give our bodies a bit of a break from wheat every now and then.

And also pictured I also made the herb and garlic pull apart from the “Thermomix everyday cookbook”. With my homemade butter (directions are also in the everyday cookbook) and fresh herbs from my garden- dill, thyme, sage, rosemary, chives and parsley

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons white rice
200 grams cabbage
2 sticks celery
1/4 small cauliflower
1 teaspoon TM stock paste
600 ml water
pinch salt and pepper
teaspoon tarragon leaves

TM peel onion and garlic and put in mixing bowl, chop 3 seconds speed 4, scrape down sides and cook 100C/2minutes/speed 1
and roughly chopped cabbage, celery and cauliflower, rice, stock, water and tarragon and a pinch of salt and pepper
Cook 100 C/ 17 minutes/ speed 1.puree speed 8/1 minute

stove top
peel and dice onion and garlic. sauté in a heavy based pot, roughly chop cabbage celery and cauliflower and add. add rice, stock, water and tarragon bring to boil. simmer for about 20 minutes and puree in the food processor. season with salt and pepper