MONTHLY MOUTHFUL GOES OUT TO DINNER

Not sure about you, but things have gone crazy at HQ. SO much is happening, so hold on to your hats and stick around for the ride. Keep an eye out for lots of exciting things all over Australia and if you haven't already wrapped your laughing gear around one, look out for the new Meat on the Menu cookbook available to order from April 1st.
We have some terrific recipes as usual for you to COOK, EAT and VOTE for; Looking forward to lots of votes this month as all voters will go into the draw for a maintenance pack (MC, spatula, Butterfly, basket).

First up (and Jeff pipped my post here), from South Australia. Amanda McInerney sent this to me quite some time ago and I was looking through my dusty files and found it. Easy, quick and tasty hot or cold, it was a winner for dinner for me!

Iced Pea and Mint Soup

Ingredients
6 spring onions/shallots
20g olive oil
1L stock or equivalent water and 1tbsp TM stock concentrate
500g fresh or frozen peas
Generous handful mint leaves
Method
Cut spring onions/shallots into 2 or 3 pieces and place into TM bowl with olive oil.
Chop for 3 seconds on speed 6.
Add stock and peas and cook for 8 minutes at 100ºC on speed 1.
Add mint and cook a further 3 minutes at 100ºC on speed 1.
Puree for 1 minute by bringing speed up slowly to speed 10.
Chill for 4 hours before serving. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt, or drizzle of cream and sprigs of mint to garnish.

Secondly a main to write home about: Thanks again to South Australia, and consultant Laura Kempt, clearly the foodie culture is amongst our TM users.

Moroccan Chicken Curry

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1 onion peeled and quartered
Zest 1 lemon
¼ tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, allspice, turmeric and coriander
40g olive oil
900g stock or equivalent water and 1 tbsp TM stock concentrate
Salt and pepper to taste
250g basmati rice
30g currants
30g toasted pine nuts
400g chicken thigh fillet cubed
100-150g pumpkin peeled and cubed
1 red capsicum sliced
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 tin chick peas drained or equivalent dried, soaked and cooked
1tbsp cornflour mixed to a paste with a little water

Method
Place garlic, ½ the onion and ½ the lemon zest into TM bowl and chop for 3-4 seconds on speed 6.
Scrape down sides of bowl and spices and oil. Sauté for 4 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.
Add stock and season to taste.
Place rice into basket and rinse under running water. Place basket into TM and stir through currants, pine nuts and remaining lemon zest.
Place cubed chicken, pumpkin, capsicum and remaining thinly sliced onion into Varoma dish and tray and set Varoma into position. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper, stir through.
Cook for 20 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.
Remove rice, fluff with a fork and place into ThermoServer.
Add spinach and chick peas to Varoma and cook a further 5-10 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1 until chicken and pumpkin are fully cooked.
Keep warm whilst you make the sauce by adding cornflour paste to TM bowl and cook for a further 4-5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 3 with MC off.
Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables and serve with rice immediately.

Another stunning, restaurant quality main (or could be adapted as an entree) comes from South Australia as well...thanks to our customer, Judy Edwards!

Savoury Prawn Crepes

Ingredients
1 batch crepes (see February 2010 Calendar)
100g fresh bread
60g cheddar cheese cubed
500g green prawns
220g water
110g white wine
1 small onion peeled and quartered
90g butter
5-6 spring onions, shallots cut into 3 pieces each
3tbsp flour
110g cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Place bread and cheese into TM bowl and mill together for 10 seconds on speed 9. Set aside.
Shell and de-vein prawns, reserving shells. Rinse well and place with heads into TM bowl with water, wine and onion. Cook for 10 minutes at 100ºC on Reverse + speed 1. Drain through basket and keep stock, discarding the shells.
In clean dry TM bowl, place 30g butter, spring onions/shallots and chop for 3 seconds on speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula and cook for 2 minutes at 100ºC on speed 1.
Add prawns and cook for 4 minutes at 100ºC on Reverse + speed 1. Place all into ThermoServer and set aside. (Mixture will continue to cook in ThermoServer. Don’t be tempted to overcook the prawns if they are not quite done.)
To make sauce place remaining butter into TM bowl with flour and cook for 1 minute at 100ºC on speed 2. Add 200g reserved prawn stock, cream and seasoning and cook a further 4 minutes at 90ºC on speed 4. Add to prawns in ThermoServer until use.
Lay crepes out and spoon filling into the center of each one. Roll up and place into baking tray or dish, seam side down.
Sprinkle with breadcrumb, cheese mixture and bake in hot oven for 5-10 minutes until heated through. Serve with fresh salad and a jacket potato or chunky fries.

This recipe is ideal for a dinner party as you can make it ahead, refrigerate and simply heat in the hot oven for around 20 minutes before service.
Last but not least, and to give SA a break, this time from NSW, a consultant, Emma Mount has provided us with a delicious tid bit to go with coffee, Burnt Butter Biscuits...and no, the butter is not 'burnt'. The name refers to the method of browning butter to enhance the flavor of the end result...to great effect I must say!

Burnt Butter Biscuits

Ingredients
130g butter
100g castor sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla essence
300g SR flour
Almonds, walnuts, jam, chocolate drops, to decorate (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a baking tray with paper and set aside.
Place butter into TM bowl and cook for 20 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.
Cool slightly.
Add sugar and egg and beat together for 20 seconds on speed 4.
Add vanilla and flour and with dial set to closed lid position, mix for 5 seconds on Interval speed.
Use damp hands to roll small balls of dough and place onto prepared tray. Press nut (if using) into center of each ball and bake 5-7 minutes until golden.

There you have it...another great selection to COOK, EAT and VOTE for...please get your replies in ASAP and we will take it from there. Watch for another issue of 'From the Vault' coming to your inbox soon.

In the meantime, happy Thermomixing!