Baked Penne and Meatballs

Meatballs
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
500g beef mince (I use lamb sometimes)
100g breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper

Place onion, garlic into bowl and chop for 3 Seconds on Speed 7
Add remaining ingredients and mix for 10 Seconds on Speed 6 or until evenly combined.  Repeat if necessary.
Roll into meatballs and bake in hot oven - 200 degrees for 25 minutes (or you can steam in the Varoma while sauce below is cooking)

Sauce Ingredients
100g Parmesan 
Handful of Basil
1 Onion halved
2 cloves of garlic
1 red capsicum
1 Tbsp oil
500g fresh tomatoes 
1 tin of tomatoes 
50g tomato paste
1 Tbsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper
200g cream
400g cooked penne 

Grate parmesan in tmx - 10 seconds - Speed 9 - SET ASIDE
Place herbs inot bowl and chop for 4 seconds on speed 6.
Add onion, garlic, capsicum and oil and chop for 4 seconds on Speed 5.  Saute for 3 minutes - Varoma temp on Speed Soft
Add remaining ingredients (not the Parmesan or the cream) and cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temp on speed 1 with MC off. 
Arrange cooked pasta in baking dish, pour cream over and stir in.  Add meatballs and pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with the milled parmesan.  Bake in hot oven for 20 minutes 

Serve with Salad

Creamy Chicken Bacon Pasta

400g spaghetti 
Cook in Saucepan or Thermomix - see EDC or End of this recipe for instructions.

5 Rashes of Bacon cut into small pieces
1 chicken breast cut into small pieces
Fry in saucepan (I do this because i still like it crispy and golden otherwise you can add below when you saute your garlic)

Sauce
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp oil
300 ml cream
3 Tbsp plain flour
2 tsp stock concentrate
150g water
2 Tbsp TM Mayonnaise
50g white wine (optional)

Crush garlic on Speed 7 for 3 seconds
Scrape down sides of bowl
Add oil and saute on 100 degrees - Speed 1 for 3 minutes
Add remaining ingredients and cook at 100 degrees - Speed 3 for 7 minutes (add 3-5 extra minutes if you're cooking your chicken in this mixture)

Combine together in large serving bowl and top with grated cheese and black pepper if you wish.

Tomato Paste Concentrate

I got an amazing deal of a box of tomatoes - 10kgs so I was wondering what I could cook up......thought i'd try tomato paste.......here's the recipe:


1kg tomatoes 
15g sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Wash and cut tomatoes in halves, put in bowl and chop on Speed 9 for 15 seconds (go up slowly)
Add sugar and oil and cook for 40 minutes on Varoma on Speed 2
Scrape down sides and puree finer on Speed 5 for 5 seconds.

This didn't make a great deal of tomato paste I must say - I am shocked at how much it reduced to but I think it will taste great - tonight we'll find out, it's going on our pizza's and my husband is the pizza guru - so i'll let you all know what the outcome is.

TUESDAY TESTIMONIALS.........ON A WEDNESDAY...MMMM.....WHOOPS!

TESTIMONIAL NUMBER 5

A happy customer of mine shares her thoughts on the Thermomix!  

Well I was your very first demo hostess.!!

The night was a great success with everyone being amazed at just what the TM could do.

 We are just a family of 2 but it is often 4 people and I have found the thermomix to be really helpful. Like everyone else I guess have had my failures but after ringing Sarah and with her help have managed to work out why.

 I just love making risotto and just last week made aracine balls with the leftovers. They were yummy.
I find the more I use the TM the less I have to refer to the book to see speeds and temperatures etc. The scones are the best I've ever made (and I'd thought I was pretty good before) and if I haven't got buttermilk I just put a dash of vinegar or lemon juice in the milk .

I am 78years old and have just loved experimenting and going on line to the website forum with anything unusual I want to have a go at making.

Once again being able to ring Sarah with any queries I may have has been wonderful .I am sure you won't regret buying a thermomix

Milo Custard

Since I'm in Milo mood, thought I'd do a Milo Custard (a friend at school gave me the idea)  My kids just ate a bowl each for dessert - they loved it.

30g Sugar

40g Milo

30g Cornflour

2 Eggs

700g Milk

Add Sugar, Milo and Cornflour to bowl - Speed 9 for 10 seconds

Add Eggs and Milk - speed 3 or 4 for 8 minutes - 90 degrees

Eat straight away!  

I'm going to try and freeze it in small tubs and see what it's like for lunchbox treats (should defrost by recess time) 

Weekly Menu Plan - W/C 14th November 2011

Monday 14th November
Lasagne with Steamed Veggies in Varoma 

You will need - Bolognaise Sauce  and  White Sauce, Lasagna Sheets, Grated Cheese and whatever vegies you'd like to steam. 

Using a lasagna dish, put a little Bolognaise sauce down, then pasta sheets on top, then white sauce - repeat same process until lasagna dish is filled - usually can repeat about 3 or 4 times.   Always end with white sauce and lots of grated cheese.  Bake in hot oven (200 degrees) for about an hour - or until golden and cheese is melted.

Fill bowl with 1 litre of hot water and place veggies of choice in your Varoma - steam for 20 minutes or so or until tender.  Remember you can put your faster steaming vegies on the top tray and just slip that tray on top for the last 5 minutes or so.

Tuesday 15th November
Zucchini Slice with Garlic Bread


Zucchini Slice 


Garlic Bread - I just use some sliced Bread  or any bread recipe and top with butter and lots of fresh garlic chopped and a sprinkle of  herbs - bake under grill until butter is golden




Wednesday 16th November
Chicken Schnitzels  with Roast Veggies 


Chicken Breast cut in half (so they're thinner)
Old Bread
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
Assortment of veggies to roast - Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Onion etc. 

Using old bread to make breadcrumbs makes GREAT schnitzel crumbing......
Put bread into bowl and set on Closed lid position - Turbo 3 times


Lay veggies in baking dish and drizzle with oil (even throw in some garlic cloves if you like) place in preheated HOT 200 degree oven and bake until crunchy and cooked through
Dip chicken into flour then egg then breadcrumbs - repeat until all chicken is coated.
Shallow fry in oil until chicken in cooked through and crumb is cooked and golden
Serve with Roast Veggies
We don't have gravy often - but this would goes nicely with schnitzels if you're a gravy lover.....if someone could share their favourite recipe that would be great....


Thursday 17th November
Moroccan Lamb

Served with Sweet potato peas and corn - my kids LOVE Sweet potato - we almost eat it every night



Friday 18th November
Creamy Pesto Pasta
A favourite of mine for a very long time - even before TMX - except now I don't need to buy pesto - what a huge saving this is.....

Creamy Pesto Pasta

4 Tbsp Basil Pesto
300ml cream
1 tsp crushed chilli
400g spaghetti - already cooked (in tmx prior)
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top
Black pepper

Combine basil pesto, cream and chili in bowl and mix on Speed 3 - 90 degrees - 3 minutes 
Add hot cooked spaghetti and mix on Reverse - Speed 1 - 90 degrees - 1 minute
Serve into bowls and top with grated Parmesan

(for a runnier sauce add 150g water with 1 Tbsp of vege stock concentrate when adding cream)

Sometimes I don't combine the spaghetti in the tmx, i just use a huge bowl (especially if i'm doubling the recipe) and mix with tongs until combined - serve immediately

You can also add cooked chicken to this - but this is typically a Friday or Sunday night quick dinner that can be done in minutes - especially if the pasta is already cooked.