REAL MEALS

Oh, how I miss this comfort food.  Sausages in a tomato sauce, with onion rings and celery and... and ... and...  just yum!  Served with mash and steamed veg.  Make sure you get a good blob of mash on the fork with the sausage and the sauce.  Well,  that's what I was aiming for and I got close I think.


INGREDIENTS:
700g - 1 kilo Failsafe sausages  (about 7-10 sausages)300g Pear Ketchup300g water1 leek - roughly choppedGarlic2-3 Spring onions - roughly chopped1-2 carrots - finely diced2-3 celery sticks - finely sliced1 tab malt vinegar Salt to taste  METHOD:
Place leek and garlic into TMX bowl and hit turbo for 2 seconds to finely diceAdd knob butter or little oil and saute on 100 degrees for 2 minutes on Speed 2Add all the other ingredients, except sausages, to the TMXAttach Varoma and place sausages in there, ensuring plenty of space for steam to come throughCook 100 degrees for 20 minutes on Speed 3Check sausages are coooked and cut each into 4 or more piecesPlace sausages into cas…

This recipe comes from Sue Dengate's 'Fed Up' book and is credited to someone called 'Birgit'.  That credit appears many times throughout the book, including a Pear Jam which is available commercially.  Which reminds me, I must make that jam again.

Anyway, this is what we use in place of Tomato Sauce.

INGREDIENTS:
1 large can of Pears in syrup 1/2 cup Brown Sugar1 tsp Citric Acid 1 tsp Salt
METHOD:
Put syrup into TMX bowl (leave the measuring cup lid out) and cook until reduced by half 100 degrees, 8-10 minutes, Speed 3Add all ingredients and cook for 20 minutes on 100 degrees Speed2 (MC out)When pear is thoroughly cooked and soft, put MC back on and puree by slowly going up to Speed 7 for 10 seconds. Keeps well in small lots in the freezer, while using one lot in a regular sauce bottle from your fridge
If you want to make chutney, just don't puree it.

I said to Mr Frillypants this afternoon, "How about a Beef and Leek Pie.  I want to try that recipe..."  "No."  he said.  "No more meat.  I want vegies!"  Alllllrighty then.  Vegies you shall have.  (In his defence, Mr Frillypants is a vegetarian-turned-omnivore and would be thrilled with 6 vegie and 1 meat meal per week.)

So vegie soup it is.

It occurs to me that some might look at this blog for inspiration (what the hell am I gonna make for dinner???) rather than recipes,  so it'd be worth me mentioning it.  Sure, Vegie Soup is different every time in every house.  But here's the recipe I went with today.

INGREDIENTS:
500ml or more Chicken stock (homemade) (make up with water to fill bowl once all ingredients in)1 leek, roughly chopped into 5cm pieces3 small spring onions, roughly choppedbutter or oil to sauteeGarlic to taste100g Pearl Barley50g Split Peas2 medium carrots, finely diced1 swede, finely diced1 medium potato, finely diced2 sticks ce…

Sausages? But sausages are 'Mystery Parcels', right? Full of all sorts of crap, right? Well.... yes. But not Failsafe sausages made by your friendly local butcher or chicken bloke. This recipe is from the Failsafe Cookbook. It makes 10 kilos. 10 kilos?!?!?!   Well, when you're making a special order and with the machines the butchers use, they may tell you that 10 kilos is the smallest order they can do.
I was all nervous about asking someone to make these for us, feeling like I sound like a nutter yet again. or some sort of 'food fascist'. Or just too precious to eat like the plebs. But really, don't worry. It seems these guys have heard, and catered for, it all!

So, write down the recipe (give credit where credit it due!), suck it up and head on in. Start with something like "Hi, I just wanted to talk with someone about making a special order of sausages?" Then it's easier from then. :) Remember to also ask for it to be put into usable portions.…

Nothing says 'Special Grown-up Party Food' like dip.  And not French Onion dip of the 80s (Sour cream plus 1 pkt French Onion Soup - delish!!) but a dip made with legumes, lentils, roasted spices, dukkah, tahini.....  Okay,  that's not what this is.  But the kids don't know, right?  Dip is dip?


Ingredients
1-2 cloves of garlic1 can chickpeas - drained and rinsed2 tabs Canola oil1/2 tsp Citric Acid50g Pear KetchupMethod
Whizz up garlicAdd all other ingredients and puree  5 Seconds on Speed 7 Keeps in fridge about 3-4 daysEstimated Nutritional Values calculated using: Food Standards Australia New ZealandNutrientQty per 100gEnergy (kJ)493.90Protein (g)6.21Fat, Total (g)2.24Fat, Saturated (g)0.25Carbohydrate (g)14.80Sugars (g)0.63Sodium (mg)383.29

I am sitting here, waiting for the electrician to call and tell me he's coming to fix the oven.  Sure, I could use this time to fold the washing...  but will the kids come home and ask for piles of folded, sorted clothes?  No,  they will ask for food.  "What's for afternoon tea?  What's for dinner?"  So...  I've made something for Ms C to replace the Peanut Butter she cannot have.  She can't take it to school where someone in her class is allergic to nuts,  but she'll enjoy it at home....  I hope.

I got the recipe from the RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook, pg 47.

Ingredients
330g raw Cashews4 tabs Canola oilMethod
Put nuts in TMX and lightly dry roast on Varoma temp, 30 minutes on reverse Speed 2.Once roasted, mill for 5 seconds at Speed 7Add oil slowly,  mixing at Speed 1 until you have the right consistency.  You're aiming for a spread.

Well,  that's what all the family said, anyway.  'Best ever, Mum'.   Well,  I've been making lentil pastas for a while now... variations on a theme.  This was the first time in the TMX and so I tried to be really careful with what I was adding.


Ingredients
2 cans lentils - drained and rinsed (keep separate)1 can kidney beans - drained and rinsedoil or butter1-2 cloves garlicl/2 - 1 leek - cut into chunkscarrot - peeled & grated (Yes, I could have used the TMX  to pulverise it,  but 9 month-old Mr JA hates the loud noise)zucchini - peeled & grated1/4 - 1/8 cabbagepeastsp salttsp citric acid1 - 2 tabs brown sugarMethod
put in garlic and leek into TMX and give it a quick whizz to chopscrape down and add butterSaute on 100 deg for 2 minutes on speed 1.Add 1 can of the lentils and kidney beans (retain a few beans to add whole later)A couple of whizzes on turbo will see it doneAdd carrot, cabbage, zuccini, peas (retaining a few), salt, citric acid and brown sugarCook on…

During dinner I was trying to think of something I could 'whip up' for dessert,  in the Thermomix.  After all,  we were eating a meal I made in the fry pan!!!  I thought of the TMS custard recipe (pg 155 'Everyday Cooking... for every family'),  which was done at the demo as a 'lemon custard' and wondered if I could do it with Carob.  Something edging close to chocolate custard...  but let's be honest;  carob is NOT chocolate.  Never will be.  The result was a custard similar in texture to those custard cups you can buy in the supermarket fridge dessert section.

INGREDIENTS 60 - 100 g sugar to taste (I used 75g)15g carob powder2 eggs500g milk1 tsp Vanilla extract40g cornflourWhite chocolate buttons (no flavouring etc)METHOD Place sugar and carob in TMX bowl and pulverise for 20 seconds on Speed 9Scrape down and add remaining ingredientsCook for 7 minutes at 90 deg on Speed 4.Once custard has cooked to your desired consistency, serve immediately
Verdict

Well,  t…

Things have changed!!!  Yesterday I ordered and paid for a new Thermomix.  So,  now I'll be trying to learn new recipes,  but with a new way of cooking.  If you haven't heard of the wonder-machine,  have a look at their website.  Now,  I'm pouring over TMX recipes to see if I can translate them into Failsafe.