STEAMOVENCOOKING with Tenina

So I taste this amazing dip in the States right? But it’s from Costco…and they don’t do a recipe blog, so once again, I’m trying to put stuff together to repeat the taste….Lucky for me I have the Thermomix, the food processor of the Gods….so should be easy yeah?  (Channeling Jamie Oliver right here!) Here is my ode to Artichoke Spinach Dip…without a sniff of Costco in sight!

NEED:
150 grams each sour cream and good whole egg mayonnaise (or make your own!)
200 grams feta cheese
100 grams parmesan cheese
1 jar (320 grams) marinated artichoke hearts
5 large cloves of garlic peeled
250 grams frozen spinach, thawed and drained (Pat dry with paper towel and squeeze excess moisture out before adding)
additional grated parmesan cheese to taste (Thermomix Speed 8 for 3 seconds)
(No salt is required in this recipe as the cheeses have plenty!)

DO:
Drain artichokes and prepare garlic.
Add all ingredients except spinach to Thermomix bowl.
Blend on Speed 8 for approx 30 seconds or until creamy in texture.
Add well drained spinach and pulse for 10 seconds until blended.
Taste and add salt if necessary.
Refrigerate until needed.
Place dip into heatproof bowl.
Sprinkle with grated parmesan and cook in hot oven until bubbly.

SERVE:
With Pita crisps, crostini, water crackers, fresh vegetables or corn chips of choice. Or you can be a bit pukkah (Jamie again!) and put the dip into a bread basket like I did…Wrap completely in foil leaving the top open to toast the parmesan. Wrap the lid in foil also to heat it up and cook in hot oven for approximately 20 minutes. Eat the basket as the dip goes down…I served this tonight for a big family dinner and there was not a crumb left…but then, they are a bunch of hungry horrors at the best of times!

Well if you haven’t heard or figured it out already, I am totally cheesy and so is this post. A nice crispy biscuit base and top and then a creamy, buttery, cheesey, vanilla-ery middle that requires at least 2 licks of the fingers! Oh what more could a foodie ask for really? Whilst this isn’t officially my recipe, I have to tell you that this is a better version than most…and what’s more, it took approximately 5 minutes all up, start to fridge, plus setting time of course! So yes, I was gorging down calories in less than a half hour! Shameful really.

NEED:
2 packs of Arnott’s biscuits
250 grams Philadelphia Cream Cheese
125 grams unsalted butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 sachet gelatine (10 grams) blended into;
3/4 cup warm water
generous tablespoon of real vanilla essence

DO:
Line a baking tray with straight sides with the Lattice biscuits, top side down.
In Thermomix bowl, whisk remaining ingredients on Speed 4 until blended.
(Around 1-2 minutes)
Pour onto Lattice base.
Top with more Lattice biscuits, top side up.
Try and line up the ‘joins’ of the biscuits for easy cutting and serving.

Unfortunately not sure if Lattice are available around the world. Please let me know if you have them in your country…and you’re not an Aussie! Enjoy!

I realise this is more of a suggestion than a recipe, and it certainly isn’t original in that I’ve eaten it or something akin to it before, but for all you desperados out there who occasionally need a sweet fix FAST, this is the page to bookmark! It is ideal as a school lunchbox snack (unless you are at one of those no treat schools) and if you are in a hurry to produce a slice that looks homemade; this is the one…so pay attention! My tweaked version of Mars Bar Slice. Enjoy your diabetic coma!
NEED:
3 Mars Bars (full size)
1 Boost Bar (or a 4th Mars Bar)
75 grams butter
3 cups Coco Pops
1/2 - full cup dessicated coconut
1 cup choc melts
4 tablespoons thickened cream

DO:
Put all candy bars in large glass bowl with butter.
Melt in Microwave/Grill on Microwave Function for 2 minutes.
Add Coco Pops, and stir vigorously, adding coconut to taste.
The mix should be very thick, if not add more coconut.
Push into square (9 inch) pan, working with damp fingers to smooth top.
Refrigerate until set.
Meanwhile melt chocolate with cream on Induction 2.
Spread over top of slice and set.
Remove from pan in one piece and cut into pieces.

So as you can see, a no brainer, no hassle, about 5 minutes total, easy to store, easy to eat ’slice’….not as creative as my usual entries I know, but everyone has their off days!

Now I know a lot of people think I talk drizzle, but on this occasion, I’m not referring to a weather pattern, a grumpy child or something you should really see a doctor about, but those amazing little additions to certain dishes that just seem to add pizazz and a little flair. Have you ever eaten a beautifully cooked steak and wondered why it just didn’t jump off the plate? It was nice, but nice isn’t good enough when you’ve spent $32 a kilo on fillet steak! Right?

SO;

Here are the Top Ten things to add to various meals and dishes to give you that ‘gourmet restaurant’ look, taste and most of all, reputation!

ONE: Gremolata is so great with most savoury things, that you should never overlook it and keep in your fridge as firm staples, garlic, lemons, parmesan and pine nuts! (Hopefully you have some parsley growing in your garden…and let’s not argue here, pull out any curly leaved parsley and replace it IMMEDIATELY with flat leaf or Italian parsley which has so much more flavour and is easier to eat!) Whilst not strictly a ‘drizzle’ a good dose of Gremolata can spice up steamed veggies, is wonderful on any kind of roasted meat, adds crunch and flavour to a toasted sandwich and of course is a wonderful topping on a salad.

TWO: Whilst we’re on the whole garlic, herb thing, if you have never made your own Pesto you are missing a flavour treat. The bought varieties, whilst getting better and better, can never rival your own. Pesto is fantastic on pasta by itself, as a dip or spread with crackers, on steamed veggies, as a pizza sauce, add lemon zest and juice and use as a fresh salad dressing. (see Harvest Salad) I use my Pesto Lemon dressing on a melting Camembert for a real treat. Now remember that a pesto does not have to have the same ingredients in it all the time! Pesto merely means crushed, so go to town with the flavoring of choice, (sun dried tomato, black or kalamata olives, basil, coriander, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, macadamias, parmesan, feta, strong cheddar and oil) Whiz and taste and you will come up with many concoctions…and bought dips or Pesto will never have the same appeal again!

THREE: Marinated Feta…Try cubing some fresh feta, (Danish is my latest craze) and placing it in a clean jar with some lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper (no salt) a garlic clove or two, possibly a whole chilli. Top up with a good quality olive oil…even add olives if you want. Leave this jar in the fridge for a couple of days and then serve with Steamed Vegetables, as a side dish or cold accompaniment to meat or fish, blend the cheese a little more and add some more lemon juice or vinegar and this drizzle will be awesome on most things! Get a loaf of crusty bread and use as a dipping oil. Pour over flat Turkish bread and then roast in a hot oven for only a few minutes. Serve with a salad of fresh greens! Gently steam asparagus, chop and mix with feta, then wrap in phyllo pastry, (follow package directions) and bake strudel in Microwave Grill for around 3-4 minutes. Eat immediately with a little more of the filling served on the side!

FOUR: Do the salsa! Carribean Salsa is again, not a drizzle, more of salad really, but so great with all things fried. Try it with Prawn Cakes, Steamed Fish Parcels or Crusty Fried Chicken! It adds color, oodles of flavor and lots of vitamins. You may find yourself adding this one to most Barbeque menus. Don’t use canned pineapple, whatever you do…it just isn’t the same! You could replace the pineapple with mango if you are lucky enough to have them in season.

FIVE: This is the last savory ‘drizzle’ I’ll allow! I think my favourite thing to drizzle’ on anything from roast meat to salad is a herb oil. Because the steam oven is so fantastic for blanching without the hassle, I do these all the time. You need to blanch whatever herb you are using to preserve the color…so if you have a steam oven, place the herb of choice (basil, mint, rocket and parsley, coriander..cilantro, even lemon grass if you strain the oil before using!) loosely in the steam oven tray and process in steam oven for about 1 minute tops! (No walking away from this one!) You want the herbs to be bright green and just a little softer than completely fresh! If they are hot, dunk in cold water, but they should be OK to puree in the food processor immediately. To every cup of tightly packed herbs, add one cup of oil. You can add chilli, lime juice, lemon juice, a pinch of salt. These will keep in the fridge, but should be used within a week for best flavour. Basil oil with lemon is terrific with roast chicken and I serve it all the time in the store to great acclaim!

SIX: Your fridge is naked without some lemon butter in it! As long as it is homemade!  I use Lemon Butter folded through cream on Pavlova, or for any dessert that needs a lemon twist for that matter. I love it in my Sour Cream Pastry in little tarts which you bake in a 160 degree oven for only about 8 minutes. The pastry stays crispy and the lemon is sweet and tangy. You can fold it though a fruit salad…not much, but just a drizzle! It is beautiful as a topping on pure vanilla ice cream…and should you be caught short for a quick hostess gift, tie a ribbon round the old jar of Lemon Butter and voila, the hostess gift with the mostess!

SEVEN: I always have frozen berries in my freezer and a quick sauce that you can make for pancakes, ice cream, dessert, plate decoration is to heat up 2 cups berries, with 1/4 cup sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice, generous teaspoon of vanilla extract and a tablespoon of vanilla custard powder. Bring to the boil on Induction 6, stirring occasionally. Serve hot or cold as the palate directs!

EIGHT: My favorite caramel sauce which is great with almost anything fruity (Sticky Date Puddings, Banana Crepes, as a dressing for Apple Crumble) is so quick, you could miss the whole thing if you blink! In a saucepan, melt 75 grams of butter, add 1 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup of whipping cream and when sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil (Induction 10). Just as you are ready to serve, add a dash of rum. Let the alcohol burn off and serve immediately. (This also stores well in the fridge.)

NINE: No list about drizzles would be complete without a chocolate sauce recipe…so my ganache is as follows: On Induction 3 melt 1 block dark chocolate (220 grams) with 1/2 cup whipping cream. At this point you may add sieved berries of your choice or as in the case of Raspberry Dream Cheesecake  a dollop of raspberry jam or some zest and juice from an orange. This sauce can be thinned down with more cream or butter if desired and is truly decadent eaten whilst hot over vanilla icecream…and SOOO easy!

TEN: What is the penultimate drizzle? I had to ponder this one, but as it is coming close to midnight, my quick decision is; Strawberry Dessert Syrup. Puree a punnet of strawberries with the juice of 1 orange and a generous amount of natural honey. Drizzle this over fruit salad, on the plate of a stunning dessert, over the cream on a pavolva, fold it through the cream for any dessert and don’t forget to add and mix and experiment and try something different. This too will keep in the fridge, or freeze it in iceblock form and use in a summer punch!

So there you have it…another night spent drooling at the computer…and now to bed and to dreams of what I must cook this weekend so I may photograph them for you! No wonder the kids are calling me a food nerd! Move over food…she’s a blogging nerd as well!

NEED:

1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped.

2 cloves garlic chopped finely

100 grams fresh Parmesan grated with Microplane Grater

!/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Zest of 1 lemon

DO:

Mix all together and use as a garnish for just about anything!

Particularly good with fresh steamed vegetables or Osso Bucco

USED:

NEED:
1 bunch baby carrots trimmed
1 yellow squash per person, cut in quarters
1 spear of brocollini per person
1 spear of asparagus per person
1-2 lemons
good quality cold pressed olive oil
250 grams Australian feta
Microplane Grater

DO:
Prepare vegies and process in steam oven for 12 minutes
Meanwhile mix the zest and juice of the lemons with a generous amount of oil
(This will vary depending on amount of servings)
Crumble the feta into a bowl and pour lemon mix over it. Marinate for up to a day.
When the vegetables are still warm, place in serving platter together and pour dressing over.
Serve immediately.

Pesto is so great for so many things. It has a bright fresh Italian flavour and is excellent with all types of pasta, even on it’s own! Fresh is always best and so the recipe here! Use as a pizza topping, in my recipe Pizza Scrolls, as a stuffing for chicken or just as a dressing on fresh steamed vegetables, or with roasted meat. Also serve reduced with more oil and lemon juice as a salad dressing. Or you can serve with cheese and crackers or as part of an antipasto platter…and hey Pesto, you have added a wonderful touch with little to no fuss!

NEED:
100 grams pinenuts
2 handfuls fresh basil leaves
5 cloves of peeled garlic
100 grams finely grated fresh parmesan. Use a MICROPLANE ZESTER/GRATER STAINLESS STEEL BLADE
(Don’t be tempted to buy ready grated.)
extra virgin olive oil

DO:
Gently toast pinenuts in a dry pan on Induction max. (Watch the whole time!)
Put the garlic, basil and cheese into a food processor and whiz!
Add pinenuts and then in a steady stream add at least 1/2 cup olive oil, possibly more.
Taste. Add more cheese if needed.

This is great to use as an accompaniment to CRUSTY FRIED CHICKEN or any roasted meat. Or change the pineapple to mango and suddenly your salsa has Pacific flavor that will enhance any chicken or pork dish as a side. It goes really well with rice as well.

NEED:

2 Plum tomatoes diced
2 tablespoons diced cucumber or green capsicum
2 tablespoons diced fresh pineapple
1 firm ripe avocado diced
1 tablespoon diced red onion
1 tablespoon fresh coriander chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

DO:

Place all ingredients in a glass bowl (not metal) and toss to combine.
Cover and store in fridge until ready for use.
Best made within a few hours of eating.

This  is lovely with chocolate melted chocolate (dark or white) as a dessert in it’s own right.
Otherwise use the plain version as an addition to Lumberjack Cake, Rhubarb and Apple Crumble
or any other dessert of your choosing.

NEED:

5 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/4 cup caaster sugar (depending on taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.
(Optional; subtitute 1/2 cup milk for 1/2 cup whipping cream)

DO:
Beat yolks with balloon whisk until lemon in color.
Heat milk and vanilla bean paste gently on Induction 4.
Add sugar to yolks and beat in.
When milk is steaming, add a little of the milk to the
egg mixture and whisk through. Gradually add egg mix to hot milk
stirring constantly. Cook until thickened.
The custard is done when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
At this point you can add chocolate which will melt with the heat of the mix.

NEED:
250 gms bacon
4 garlic cloves
2 brown onions diced
Diced vegetables of choice:
Capsicum
Celery
Carrot
Pumpkin
Broccoli
Potato
3 cobs of corn
salt/pepper to taste
1-2 litres real chicken stock
1 cup milk
½ cup cream (optional)
¼ cup flour
Optional grated cheese of choice (Parmesan, swiss or combination)

DO:
Prepare all vegetables, de-kernel corn, crush and chop garlic and dice bacon.
Fry bacon in dry stockpot on Induction 8.
Add vegies and fry until fragrant and bright in colour.
Add stock and simmer on Induction 6 for 10 minutes. (Use timer)
Meanwhile mix a paste with flour and milk. Set aside.
When vegetables are tender quickly pour in flour/milk mix and stir to thicken.
Add salt and lots of pepper. Before serving, stir in cream and cheese if so desired.

SERVE:

With CHEESY SCONE RING or fresh crusty bread.