Planning ahead

We had this pasta dish for dinner over the weekend (big hit by the way, very yummy, read review here) and the pesto recipe made about twice as much as I needed to marinate the chicken.

So, being very procrastinatey and lazy, I froze the leftovers in ice cube trays to have on hand whenever the mood takes me. I'm thinking another pasta dinner, dip with rice crackers, beans and celery sticks, as a sandwich spread, anything really!!!

Pear and Oat Muffins

I'm imagining lots of batches of pear muffins in my future and this lot are the first. I'm also sure that I won't make the same batch twice. 

Ha! I laugh in the face of recipes!!!

 

This recipe is very loosely based on a pear cupcake recipe from an old Women's Weekly cookbook but I've made significant changes, the main one being it's made in the Thermomix!

Pear and Oat Muffins

2 large pears, very ripe, peeled and grated

290g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

120g softened butter

50g sugar

130g maple syrup

4 eggs

50g rolled oats

Squeeze grated pear to remove most of the liquid, reserve liquid for another use.

Add flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, syrup 

and eggs to bowl and mix Speed 4 for 10 seconds

Add grated pear and oats and mix on Reverse, Speed 4 for 10 seconds.

Fill greased muffin trays 2/3 full and bake at 170C until cooked.

I made mini-muffins and they took about 15 minutes.

Tips:

I significantly reduced the amount of sugar in the original recipe. If they're not sweet enough for you just add more sugar.

We make mini-muffins and this recipe made 52. They're the perfect size for lunch boxes, a quick snack or for a sit down with a cuppa - decaf of course!

What the family says:

Actually, they didn't say anything, they were too busy scoffing them down. 

I'm not sure how many of the 52 will make it to the freezer ...

 

How adorable are these toddler hands helping? Bless!

Vegetable Stock Paste

Vegetable Stock Paste has been a staple in the fridge since getting the Thermomix. It adds a great flavour to lots of dishes and I couldn't not have any despite the Failsafe diet being very light on the veg!

 

 

"Thor" full of Failsafey vegie goodness

Failsafe Vegetable Stock Paste

1/3 bunch of parsley (it was about 30-50g)

2 cloves garlic

1/2 leek

300g celery

100g brussel sprouts

100g green beans

 30g sunflower oil

100g salt

Chop all ingredients except oil and salt on Speed 6 until finely chopped, about 10 seconds. I had to use the spatula through the lid to make sure everything moved around and was evenly chopped.

Add oil and salt and cook on Varoma, Speed 1 for 20 minutes.

Slowly increase to Speed 9 and blend for 1 minute until smooth.

Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge.

Tips:

The original recipe calls for 150g salt to preserve the stock paste, with that much salt it should last for 6 months in the fridge. I reduced the salt because it was way too salty and we don't use that much salt in our cooking. 

With only 100g of salt the fridge life will be reduced but it's not a problem for us as we go through about a jar a month!

You could reduce the salt even more but I like 100g, it's a good round number and easy to remember!

What the family says:

As this is hidden in most of our savoury dishes, they don't even know it exists!

Our Daily Bread

I've been making our own bread for a few years now but always wholemeal, sometimes sourdough, spelt or rye and never, ever white bread!

As white flour is Failsafe and I'm still not sure about wholemeal flour I'm taking the "better safe than sorry" approach and only using white flour for baking.

After reading the Shopping List I'm a bit confused about wholemeal flour. In the bread section it says white or wholemeal bread but in the flour section it doesn't specify and even says that whole grains should not be eaten often. If anyone can clarify please leave a comment or email me!

I make bread any one of three ways - by hand, in a Kenwood Chef stand mixer or in the Thermomix. Variations for each are below.

Everyday White Bread

750g flour

10g salt

20g dried yeast

10g sugar

250g milk

250g water

Mix together salt and flour.

Mix together yeast, sugar, milk and water.

Mix wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine.

Knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place in covered bowl in a warm place to rise for about an hour, depending on ambient temperature.

Punch dough down and knead lightly.

Shape into two loaves, or whatever shape take your fancy!

Leave to rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes or so.

Bake at 180C for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.

Kenwood Variation:

Insert dough hook.

Place all ingredients in bowl and mix on Minimum speed until combined.

Increase speed to 1 and knead for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Follow above instructions for rising, shaping and cooking.

Thermomix Variation

These measurements are too much for the Thermomix. 

Halve the recipe for use in the Thermomix.

Place all ingredients in bowl and mix on Speed 5 for 10 or so seconds to combine.

Set dial to Closed Lid position and mix on Interval Speed for 1-2 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Follow above instructions for rising, shaping and cooking.

Tips:

On a cooler day use warm milk and water to speed up the rising process

I generally make two sandwich loaves, but this recipe is good for rolls, garlic bread, plaits, baguette, cob loaves, whatever your heart desires!

The Family Says:

After years of not having white bread the boys and Mr Failsafe are loving it!
Me? I'm not so sure.