ankita, Author at One Girl and her Thermie

Spinach Mousse with Parmesan Cream

2 Comments / Baking (Savoury), Dairy, Eggs, Starters, Vegan & Vegetarian

This Spinach Mousse with parmesan cream is light, rich and super tasty. This recipe works really well as a starter with some sautéd mushrooms or as a main course with a substantial salad and vegetables on the side. It’s a stunning dish.

This recipe was taught to me by Elias Pontikos, a former Advisor on my team. Elias was a greta foodie and did many commercial demonstrations in his time. Trained as a Chemical Engineer, he loved the Thermomix because of it’s high technical ability and he always converted the best recipes. I believe this one was originally by Simon Hopkinson.

Spinach Mousse with Parmesan Cream

Ingredients

8 dariole moulds buttered and lined with a disc of greaseproof paper.
120 grams cooked spinach
2 large eggs
500 grams double cream
70 grams parmesan
salt and pepper
nutmeg
15 grams butter

Method

Put the parmesan in the TM bowl and grate for 10 to 15 seconds/speed 10. Prepare the dariole moulds by buttering them well and dusting them with some of the grated parmesa,n and placing the disc of greaseproof paper at the bottom of the dariole mould.
Put the spinach, eggs, 250 grams of cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into the TM bowl and blend for 1 min/speed. Pour into the prepared moulds, dividing the mixture equally.
Add 1/2 litre of water to the bowl and place the moulds in the Varoma basket. Cook for 20-25 minutes/speed 2/Varoma temperature or until firm to the touch.
To make the parmesan cream, add 250 grams of cream to the TM bowl with the parmesan and season to taste.
Cook for 10 minutes/speed 2/ 100ºC or until the cream thickens to a suitable coating consistency. Tip out the cooked spinach mousse from the moulds and cover with sauce.

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Sardine spread

Leave a Comment / Fish, Snacks, Starters

Learn how to make this super quick sardine spread. Great for sandwiches, on toast or to dip vegetables. Don’t knock this one until you’ve tried it. This sardine spread is one of those recipes that you can keep in your fridge, as the flavour develops with time and it’s great to make a day or two ahead.

This recipe was first introduced to me by my Advisor, Leonie Harvey, who adapted from Thermomix Super Summer Recipe card 1983. Leonie is a keen cook and has had a Thermomix for over 40 years, so her repertoire of recipes is vast and numerous. She is also a keen bread maker, so watch out for hints & tips from her for this too.

Dal Makhani

2 Comments / Vegan & Vegetarian

Dal makhani or dal makhani is a popular dish from the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. The primary ingredients are whole black lentil, butter and cream. In Hindi, dal means lentils and makhan is butter, so butter lentils is the best translation I can give for this fabulous dish.

This dal makhani recipe from Alfred Prasad infuses ginger, garlic, ground spices, and tomatoes with an indulgent cream sauce to delicious effect. This is a wonderful Punjabi black dal to cosy up to on a rainy day, paired with naan bread or a fragrant bowl of rice. Kasoori Methi is available to buy online or in Indian supermarkets.

This wonderful recipe has been converted to the Thermomix but the original can be found, here on the Great British Chefs website.

Almond and tomato salmorejo

Leave a Comment / Soups, Starters, Vegan & Vegetarian

Salmorejo, gazpacho’s richer, deeper cousin, is a cool, creamy soup. I found this almond and tomatoe salmorejo recipe in the Guardian’s ‘20 best easy summer recipes – Part 1‘ and having read the recipe was so easy to convert to the Thermomix.

Salmorejo is a purée consisting of tomato and bread, originating from Cordoba in Andalucia, south Spain. It is made from tomatoes, bread, oil, garlic. Normally, the tomatoes are skinned and then puréed with the other ingredients. Of course, using a Thermomix we don’t have to waste time skinning the tomatoes as when we puree the dish at the end, the Thermomix will beautifully blend skin, pulp and seeds into one smooth soup.

Written by Monika Linton, this salmorejo de tomate con almendras ‘zoco’ – almond and tomato salmorejo is absolutely delicious. She advises to choose the ripest, tastiest tomatoes you can find. Traditionally, the soup is served with grapes or little cubes of piel de sapo melon.

Monika Linton, founded Brindisa in 1988, retailing products from some of Spain’s best food producers. She opened the first Tapas Brindisa restaurant in 2004 and there are now four Brindisa restaurants across London.

Photo credit: Almond and tomato salmorejo. Photograph: Martin Poole for the Observer

Watermelon Juice

1 Comment / Breakfast & Brunch, Drinks

Watermelon juice couldn’t be easier to make. You don’t need a fancy schmancy juicer, just a blender. Nice and refreshing with plenty of crushed ice, it’s easier to make than you may think with Thermomix. I thought my watermelon juice was perfectly sweet without any added sugar, but I added a squeeze of honey for that extra zing.

Watermelons are mostly water — about 92 percent — but this refreshing fruit is soaked with nutrients. Each juicy bite has significant levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids. There’s even a modest amount of potassium. Antioxidants help prevent damage, and cancer. Your body uses vitamin B6 to help break down proteins, so the more protein is consumed, the more vitamin B6 is needed. Potassium, although a relatively small amount is in watermelon, helps balance fluids in your cells. Low potassium levels sometimes cause muscle cramps.

Brown Rice, Herb and Fennel Salad

Leave a Comment / Gluten Free, Noodle, Pasta & Rice, Salads

Now that I’ve tried it, I highly recommend this brown rice, herb and fennel salad.

Are you one of those people (like me) who read this title and quietly said to themselves, “Brown rice, no. Fennel, no”. Well, that was me and my words of wisdom are ‘don’t knock it, until you’ve tried it’. This delicious brown rice, herb and fennel salad recipe comes from Tenina Holder’s, Tenina’s America cookbook and when Tenina came to London recently, this little recipe was on the class menu and by far once of the real winners of the day. So good, that in just I’ve already made it six times in the past 3 weeks. It gets the kids thumbs up and fussy husband ate it too.

Brown rice adds so many great qualities to the salad. It has a nuttiness and slightly chewy texture that makes it just delicious. You can serve it alone, as I have done many times since the class or pair it with jerk chicken or a piece of salmon to add some protein.

Peri Peri Chicken

Mini Apple Loaf Cakes

Leave a Comment / Baking (Sweet), Dessert, Snacks

These apple mini loaf cakes truly are a heavenly combination of cake and fruit, lightly spiced with vanilla and cinnamon. I made them recently for my mother-in-law’s birthday (you can’t have a celebration without a cake, right?) Mama isn’t keen on standard cakes or cheesecakes, so I thought something slightly different would do the trick. These certainly were a huge hit.

These apple mini loaves are great for gift giving and make a wonderful bread to serve at breakfast and to pack for lunch. It’s so simple to make individual portions and decorate them beautifully. I don’t know why I don’t this more often.

Credit: This recipe is in Everyday Cakes Collection produced by Thermomix UK and also available on Cookidoo Platform. Link to this Apple Mini Loaf Cookidoo recipe for guided cooking is here.