Applesauce Thermomix

A bunch of apples are sitting in the kitchen on the counter and are not getting any better.

I bought them for a cake, which I did not bake. It is too hot in the moment. I eat cherries out of the fridge and melons. But now my apples are getting a bit wrinkly. It 's time to make some applesauce.

Recipe

850 g apples

1 lemon, 50 ml water with pear juice

1 tbsp vanilla sugar, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 dash cinnamon

I used the apples with the peel. Just cored them and cut in medium chunks. I threw them in the Thermomix T31 with the lemon juice.

Added sugars, pear water and cinnamon.

Cooking on 100 C for 9 min speed 1 with no stopper in. Then 25 sec on speed 5 to blend thr applesauce.

Tasty, even hot.

Chicken Lentil Salad with Curry Sesame Dressing

I have some chicken breast left.

I checked the Austrian food magazine and found an idea to use it up. But I made the recipe my own way, because I had the wrong lentils, no sugarsnap peas and no uncooked chicken.

The dressing was the one in the magazine.

But in the end the result was amazing and it looked like the photo they had.

I found a small can of cooked brown lentils in my storage. They only needed 3 min in the microwave after getting rid of the liquid.

Recipe for 1:

150 g chicken breast cooked

1/2 can of cooked brown lentils

3 green onions, 2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

1 Romaine lettuce head

Dressing:

4 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp mild curry, 1 tbsp black sesame seeds, 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper

Cut the green onions in 1 inch pieces and the garlic in slices. Heat up the olive oil and sauté both 3 min. Cut the chicken breast in finger thick pieces and brown them in the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

In the same pan in more oil sear the halved lettuce on both sides.

Heat uo the lentils. Put them on the plate first. Then the lettuce. Add chicken and veg and season all with the dressing.

 

Chicken Soup from Styria, Austria

This recipe is from the same issue as the Raspberry Cake.  It is called a Styra classic.

For a good result, there is a lot of work to do. I fought a bit with the "translation" of the recipe. It is in Austrian German. That differs in many words.

First step is the preparation of a chicken soup. I had a box of chicken wings in the fridge. I wanted to cook them in the Air fryer. Instead they went in a pot with vegetables and spices and were cooked for 45 minutes. The chicken stock went through a fine mesh sieve in a jar. That went in the fridge over night. Taking the fat off the next day makes it better for the soup.

First step on the second day was simmering the chicken breast in the stock. But it was no longer only the stock. White balsamic vinegar and bay leaves were added. Then the chicken breast came out after 15 min and rested covered on the side.

During that time cook the potatoes. Peel them and cut in two pieces. 

Cutting the veggies in Brunoise or small cubes takes time. But the visual effect in the soup later is great. Take your time and a sharp knife. Cook the veggies in the stock. Don't be surprised if they are still al dente after 12 min. The vinegar in the stock is the reason for it.

Melt a lot of butter in a pan and sauté the potatoes for 10 min, turning them often. Chop some parsley to finish them.

Chop chives and start with a soup ladle full of veggie soup. Cut slices from the chicken breast and add that with some buttery potato to the soup.

Grated horseradish on top and some chives and the soup is ready to serve. Best serve it with an additional plate. People will cut the chicken and the potatoes easier that way.

Ingredients for 4:

200 g carrots, 200 g kohlrabi, 40 g leek, 120 g celeriac

2 bay leaves, 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

750 ml homemade chicken stock

80 g horseradish, 30 g chives

400 g potatoes

40 g butter, 2 tbsp parsley

Breakfast Turkish style

This breakfast reminds me of Çilbir.

But it is not. The Turkish yogurt is seasoned with garlic and lemon zest. I saw zhst on a Facebook Reel and thought, why not. And with the addition of spices and fresh dill it was amazing. 

A fresh picked small cucumber from the pot behind the house is a nice component to the breakfast. It was not in the original reel I have seen.

Recipe for 1:

2 soft boiled eggs

200 g Turkish or Greek Yogurt

1 tsp garlic paste, zest 1/3 lemon

Lemon salt, pepper, Zaatar, Sumac

Fresh dill, olive oil

Bread fried in olive oil

Yesil Fasulye vegan - Turkish green beans in tomato sauce

I made this dish before, but as a non vegan one. That was a complete meal with ground beef and eaten with rice.

The way the dish is cooked this time means not only it is vegan, but it is part of a Turkish meze and can be eaten either warm or cold. A side dish to go with many others. I love this food culture.

I made tomato sauce the day before and only used some of it.  Now I can use it up completely, no food waste. 

Ingredients:

500 g long pole beans

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, 3 garlic cloves

120 g homemade tomato sauce

200 ml veg stock

1 tbsp paprika paste, 1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Pul Biber, 1 tbsp pomegranat syrup

Salt, pepper, parsley

Just wash the beans and top and tail them. Cut them in 4 cm pieces.

Chop onion and garlic and sauté them in olive oil. Add both pastes and the pul biber and give it 2 min. Now in with the beans and the stock and tomato sauce.

Season with pomegranate syrup and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat and cook until the beans are soft. That takes 12 to 15 min. Add parsley.

Puff Pastry with savoury Beef filling

Buttery puff pastry, yeah! I found an other NON VEGAN roll of puff pastry. Now I need a filling.

I bought a bag of organic beef mince without any idea what to do with it. Something like a Sausage Roll idea came up. I went all out with the seasoning part of the ground beef. 

Fresh majoram and parsley with dry spices, mustard and caper apples. A bit wild on the first glance. Red Bell Pepper with onion and garlic was not enough for me.

But the mixture went well and I spread it all over the rectangular puff pastry. Next a good amount of cheese on top and then a roll up.

I transfered the long strip to the baking sheet and took a knife to cut one inch pieces to open it. That made it easier to take off slices after baking.

200 C for 25 min.

Ingredients:

250 g ground beef (organic)

275 g puff pastry square

1 red bell pepper

6 caper apples

3 garlic cloves, 1 green onion

Fresh parsley, majoram 

2 tsp whole grain mustard, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, herbes de Provence, salt, pepper

40 g Bavarian mountain cheese

Tropea Onion Sauce with Bloodpudding and Pasta Casareccia

My last souvenir from my trip to Calabria. The onion had to go. 

Typical for the area is Fileja pasta. Long strands of thin pasta dough wrapped around a thin wooden skewer. Too much work for one person.

I used a Calabrien recipe, but I added some protein to it. The bloodpudding is from a local farmer and very tasty. When you put it in the pan, it melts in to the sauce.

The tomata passata that was needed in the sauce, I did not use. I made my own tomato sauce in the Thermomix with the fresh first tomatoes from my garden and the last ones I bought in the shop.

Recipe:

150 g pasta

1 large red Tropea onion

2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Calabrian herb mix

120 g tomato sauce

80 g bloodpudding

1 hand full basil, grated pecorino

The preparation takes a bit of time. Cook the tomato sauce first, then cut the onion in 6 mm rings and sauté them in olive oil with a bit of Italian seasoning and pepperoncini. On medium heat that will take 20 min.

Make some room in the pan and brown the bloodpudding on both sides. When it distinetgrates, add tomato sauce and some pasta water. Cook for 10 more min. During that time drain the pasta and keep some of the water.

Rip the basil and stir the pasta in the sauce. Add basil and cheese. Check the seasoning.