old chris new tricks

Stroganoff is traditionally sautéed beef in a sauce made with sour cream, mustard and often mushrooms. Legend has it that a French chef won a cooking contest in 1891 with a recipe he named after his employers, the wealthy and influential Stroganov family.

It wasn’t long before Beef Stroganoff became popular around the world. Vegetarian versions simply omit the beef. To make it vegan, you’ll find my sour cream made with cashews is a deliciously rich and creamy dairy-free alternative.

• 1 brown onion, peeled and quartered
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 25g EVOO or oil of choice 
• 2 teaspoons vegetable stock paste or 1 stock cube
• 100g white wine
• 50g tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons plain flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 20g lemon juice
• 500g mushrooms, sliced
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 1 small teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 100g Vegan Sour Cream (see recipe in SAUCE ’n’ DIPPITY)
• 100-120g baby spinach (optional)

Place onion and garlic into TM mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides. Add oil and sauté 3 min/100°C/speed 1.

Add stock paste or cube, wine, tomato paste, flour, paprika, lemon juice and mushrooms. Cook 5 min/100°C/REVERSE speed 1.

Add tamari, mustard, vegan sour cream and spinach if using. Cook 5 min/100°C/REVERSE soft speed.

Serve with pasta, rice or mashed potato, and a vegetable side dish such as steamed broccoli.

This came about because there were only two for dinner, I had one zucchini and a stalk of celery to use, and I wanted a side dish to serve with cannelloni.

It turned out to be a very tasty little salad.

• 1 zucchini
• 1 stalk celery
• 14 pitted Kalamata olives and a teaspoon of olive ‘juice’
• A few sprigs of fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pine nuts
• Gound black pepper

Slice zucchini in fairly thin rounds and place in microwave-safe serving dish. Lightly spray with water, cover and microwave for 2 minutes.

Allow to cool a little, add sliced celery, olives, mint leaves, lemon juice and oil. Toss gently, sprinkle with pine nuts and give a good grinding of black pepper.

This scrummy yummy trifle is so fresh and summery, it will be a fabulous finale to your Aussie Christmas feast. And you can make it beforehand so it’s ready to decorate and serve.

We find yoghurt is a lighter, fresher and healthier alternative to custard or cream. Of course, use any type of yoghurt you prefer.

If you want to make it totally dairy free and/or gluten free, choose the cake that best suits your dietary requirements.

• 3 x 250g punnets strawberries
• 3 x 170g punnets blueberries
• 2 x 170g punnets raspberries
• ¼ cup cherry brandy
• 900g panettone, cut into cubes
• 3-4 fresh mangoes, cut into cubes
• 2 x 450g tubs soy vanilla yoghurt

1. Set aside some of the strawberries, blueberries and raspberries for decoration.

2. Halve or slice remaining strawberries and combine with remaining blueberries. Add cherry brandy and leave to marinate for a few hours of even overnight. (I prefer not to marinate the raspberries so they don’t become ‘mushy’.)

3. Place half the cubed panettone in the base of your trifle dish. Cover with half the marinated berries and dot with half the raspberries. Cover with half the cubed mango, then spread with one tub of yoghurt.

4. Repeat step 3. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

5. Decorate with remaining berries and serve.

Rocket into the the holiday season with this fresh and festive salad.

I suggest you first toss the rocket separately with the dressing, then just top it with the pieces of avocado and mango. That way they won’t become battered or bruised. Finally sprinkle with dried cranberries and crushed macadamias.

SALAD

• 1 large avocado
• 1 large mango
• 4-5 handfuls of fresh rocket
• 1 handful of dried cranberries
• 1 handful of crushed macadamia nuts

DRESSING

• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                
• 1 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar                      
• 1 teaspoon honey                                       
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Chop the mango and avocado into even-sized cubes and set aside. 

Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine. Place rocket in a salad bowl, add dressing and and toss gently.

Cover with cubed avocado and mango, then sprinkle with cranberries and crushed macadamia nuts.

This stunningly simple frittata is packed full of tasty smoked salmon and fresh asparagus, and uses just five ingredients. Unlike traditional frittata, which is usually started on the stovetop and finished under the grill, you just bake it in the oven.

As it can be made ahead and served cold or at room temperature, it is always a hit at picnics or a welcome addition to your buffet table.

• 2 bunches asparagus (approx. 16 spears)
• 8 eggs
• 100g rice milk (or milk of choice)
• 250g chopped smoked salmon
• 2 dessertspoons fresh dill

Preheat oven to 170°C and line an ovenproof dish with baking paper.

Trim asparagus and slice into 2.5cm lengths, setting aside some of the tips. Place remaining pieces in a microwave safe dish, spray with a little water and microwave for approx. 2 minutes.

Place eggs and milk in TM bowl and blend 10 secs/speed 4. Add asparagus, smoked salmon and dill. Stir for 20 secs/REVERSE speed 3.

Pour into prepared dish, decorate with reserved asparagus tips and bake for 30-35 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut into pieces and serve. 

Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop garlic, chilli, ginger and turmeric onto spinning blades through hole in lid.

Discard roots and dark green ends of leeks, cut in sections, halve lengthwise and rinse, separating layers to remove sand and grit. Roughly chop. Add to TM and chop 4 sec/speed 4 and scrape down sides. Add oil and cumin, and sauté 3 min/120°C/speed 1.

Add sweet potato and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides and repeat if necessary. Add stock cube and water. Cook 20 min/100°C/speed 1 with simmering basket instead of MC on lid.  

Replace MC and blend 1 min/ speed 5-9, increasing speed gradually.

• 500g water plus extra
• 12 eggs
• 250g packet ready-cooked baby beets
• 500g Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 dried chillies
• 1 cinnamon quill broken in half
• 2 small bay leaves, torn slightly
• 2 star anise
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 40g raw sugar              

Place water in mixing bowl and 6 of the eggs into simmering basket. Cook 15 min/120°C/speed 1. Remove simmering basket with aid of spatula and run under cold water. Leave eggs in sink with cold water until cool enough to handle, then peel.

Top up water in mixing bowl and repeat with remaining 6 eggs. Discard cooking water.

Place peeled eggs in sterilised jar. Open pack of beets, cut to desired size and add pieces to jar with eggs. Pour any residual beet juice from pack into mixing bowl. Add vinegar, spices, salt and sugar and cook 5 min/100°C/speed 1. While still warm, pour over the eggs and beets in sterilised jar, ensuring eggs are covered completely. Seal and once cool, store in fridge.

Allow at least 5-7 days before eating. The longer they’re left the more colourful and flavourful they’ll become but use within 3 to 4 months.

450g water
7g dried instant yeast
450g plain flour
100g starter
10g salt
45g rolled oats
25g each pepitas, sunflower seeds and linseeds (flaxseeds)
20g each sesame and poppy seeds
10g honey
20g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra sesame seeds

Place water and yeast into mixing bowl and heat 2 min 30 sec/37°C/speed 2. Add flour and starter. Knead 1 min/dough mode until combined. Rest for 30 minutes.

Add salt and knead 6 mins/dough mode until smooth and elastic.

Add oats, seeds, honey and oil. Knead for 2 min/dough speed. Leave for 1 to 1½ hours.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Transfer to lightly oiled loaf tin and leave until risen to about level with rim on tin. Dampen top with wet spoon or lightly spray with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool in tin for 5-10 minutes then transfer onto a wire rack.

It’s so easy to have freshly ground coffee at home, thanks to the Thermomix. We’ve found it is best not to do any more than 250 grams of beans at a time and that the following method is just right for plunger coffee.

Up to 250g coffee beans

Place beans in TM mixing bowl and grind 10 sec/speed 9. Scrape down sides and grind a further 8 sec/speed 9.

• 1 small whole lemon, roughly chopped (no pips)
• 1 small granny smith apple, cored and cut into eighths
• 300g raw sugar
• 750g ripe peaches (weight after being stoned, skin left on)

Place two or three clean jars upside down in Varoma dish with lids arranged around them and cover with Varoma lid.

Place lemon, apple and sugar in TM bowl. Chop 8 sec/speed 9 and scrape down sides.

Add peaches and chop 3 sec/speed 5. Cook 20 min/105°C/REVERSE speed 0.5 with simmering basket instead of MC on lid.

Replace simmering basket with covered Varoma containing jars and cook a further 20 min/105°C/REVERSE speed 0.5.

Transfer into the sterilised jars, seal firmly and turn upside down until cooled.