Beetroot & white bean soup

July 10, 2021 1:06 pm / 5 Comments /

Beetroot & white bean soup

Except for a stock here this is my first soup I’ve cooked in the steam oven.  I had this idea to cook a roast beetroot soup, thinking that roasting the beetroot in their skins gives a more intense flavour until I realised that it would be a waste of time as steaming retains all the nutrients and flavour anyway.

So why is it that I haven’t cooked soups in here before?  I guess I didn’t have a deep enough solid steam oven tray until I purchased one and also I was concerned about the difficulty of moving a deep pan of liquid in and out.  In fact I shouldn’t have worried about either of these things.  Yes, I did buy a deeper pan but to be honest you could use any oven proof container you own that will fit into your steam oven and secondly, although you have to be careful of not tilting the dish full of soup it isn’t that difficult to maneuver you just have to be careful to keep it level.  It certainly was great not having to worry about the soup reducing or catching on the bottom of a pot and washing up one shallow container was a breeze.

I also liked that the finished soup was exactly as I made it, no need to add any water as the extra liquid generated by the steam oven was enough.  Perfect in fact, the soup was delicious, quick, with no extra salt (except what was in the packaged stock) and easy to make.  A delicious, well balanced soup that everyone will enjoy.  Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and chopped fresh dill to garnish.

Ingredients:  Serves 6-8

600g fresh beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 2 large)
1 large leek, thinly sliced up to the top leaves
2-3 carrots, sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large knob ginger, grated
1 tsp ground cumin
1 litre good vegetable stock
1 x 400g tin white butter beans, drained
Greek yoghurt and fresh dill to serve

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients, except butter beans in a deep, solid steamer tray or pot that will hold 3.5 Litres of liquid and place on the bottom shelf of the steam oven.
  2. Cook at 100°C steam only for 35 minutes.
  3. Open the door and stir half-way through the cooking time.
  4. Add drained butter beans and cook another 15 minutes.
  5. Cool slightly and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  6. Taste for seasoning.  If you used packaged stock you won’t need to season it at all.
  7. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of freshly chopped dill.
Posted in: Gluten free, Soups, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Spiced chicken

May 27, 2021 2:48 am / 4 Comments /

Spicy chicken

This is my lighter version of a recipe from Frank Camorra from the SMH last year that I thought would be a perfectly delicious thing to cook in the combi steamer.  You will get succulent, juicy chicken with a crispy skin as the steam and radiant heat will work together.  The automatic chicken program on the Miele is excellent but this time I have taken the back-bone out of the chicken and flattened it which will make it quicker to cook so use Combination mode for this one.

If you don’t have a Miele then some of the the other brands will also allow you to put in your time, temperature and moisture level.

Serve it with the Pearl Couscous with dried fig and coriander that I am also posting (and cooking in the steam oven).

Ingredients:

1 x 1.2kg Chicken
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 heaped teaspoons smoked paprika
2 heaped teaspoons ground cumin
2 heaped teaspoons ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, rind & juice
Olive oil to moisten marinade to a paste

Method:

  1. Mix all ingredients except chicken in a freezer bag or flat dish.  You may add a little oil here if you wish.  I find it turns the spices into a paste with the lemon juice which is better than a dry spice rub.
  2. Add flattened chicken and rub the paste all over the bird.
  3. Marinate overnight
  4. Before cooking, remove from fridge and place into the solid steamer tray
  5. Let it sit to come to room temperature, just before cooking drizzle with about 1/4 cup of olive oil.  I tend not to add the extra oil if I added it to the marinade paste.
  6. Ensure that fan cover is in place on the back wall to protect the fan
  7. Cook @ Combination mode 180°C plus 30% moisture for 45 minutes.  If your chicken is larger you will need to increase this time up to 1 hour.  I have also cooked a 2kg chicken for 1 hour 15 minutes (turning it over for the last 20 minutes) and it was cooked perfectly.  For a larger chicken baste about half way through cooking.  Turning did moisten the breast too.
  8. Remove from the oven, baste with the juices and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
  9. Cut into portions to serve with a bowl of natural yoghurt that has a little garlic added.

You can see the chicken is perfectly cooked.  It was so juicy and tender!  If you are cooking for a longer time I would probably cover it with foil for the last 15 minutes.  The juices were delicious, remove the fat and serve with the chicken too.

 

 

 

Posted in: Chicken, Combi Steamer, Gluten free, Main Courses

Hot cross buns

March 29, 2021 12:00 pm / 3 Comments /

Hot cross buns

Hot cross buns are even better cooked in a combi steam oven!  The addition of the moisture in the cooking process produces a lighter crumb and a delicious, crunchy top.  After all, this is how the commercial bakeries cook their yeast breads and buns so you know it is going to be even better cooked at home.

I use to make hot cross buns each year but now that I have a combi and I have to say that there is a remarkable difference.  I remember they were heavier and the top wasn’t as crunchy and delicious.  Worth using the proper bread flour rather than standard plain flour, it is now readily available in your usual supermarket.

It is nearly Easter so get baking now!  Another delicious treat for Easter from the combi steam oven would be the Brioche pear tart here

Ingredients:

450g strong bread flour + extra for kneading
7g dried yeast
50g caster sugar + 1tsp
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
225ml warm milk
1 medium egg, beaten
50g melted butter
100g sultanas
20g mixed peel
50g plain flour

For glaze:
2 tbsp apricot jam or marmalade plus a little water.

Method:

  1. Put the bread flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt in the bowl together with the mixed spice and cinnamon, mix well.
  2. Make a well in the centre and add the milk, egg and melted butter.
  3. Mix with a wooden spoon, then transfer onto a floured worktop and start kneading with your hands.
  4. Knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.  I needed quite a bit more flour as the mix is quite wet.
  5. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film. Put in a warm place for at least an hour or until doubled in size.   If your combi has a dough proving function you can put the dough in for this time and just leave it, turned off when the set program is finished.  Leave for about an hour in total until doubled in size.  The Miele program for proving is 15 minutes and you can find it in the Auto Programs, “Special”.
  6. After that time transfer back onto a floured surface flatten a bit and scatter over the sultanas and mixed peel.  Knead a few more times.
  7. Divide the dough into 16 even portions and shape into smooth round rolls. Place on the flat combi baking tray, greased or lined with baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to rise again for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Mix the plain flour with 4-5 tablespoons of water and 1 tsp of sugar. It should have a thick paste consistency. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe white lines on the rolls to make crosses.
  9. Bake on Combination mode 190°C + 90% steam for 15 minutes then add another cooking stage; 160°C + 30% steam for 6 minutes.
  10. Warm the jam or marmalade with a little water until melted.  Strain it into a clean bowl, removing any fruit.  Brush over warm buns when they are out of the oven.  Makes them look even better!

Delicious served warm with butter and a cup of tea 🙂

 

Posted in: Baking, Bread, Combi Steamer, Easter

Mexican beef short-ribs

February 2, 2021 2:54 pm / 3 Comments /

Mexican beef short-ribs

This is Neil Perry’s recipe which hit the top 2013 list here. The difference is that I have converted it to cook in the steam or combi oven.  Neil firstly boiled the short ribs for over an hour in a pot on the stove, changing the water twice then baked them in the oven for about an hour and a half so that the meat was falling off the bone. No need for all that messing around with a steam oven.  You can steam them instead of simmering (no need to bring to boil, replace water and wash up another pot) and then either cook them in the combi with extra moisture if you want a thinner sauce or if you only have a steam oven, bake them covered in a conventional oven.  Only one dish to wash up and preparation time is less.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

1 kg beef short ribs (ask the butcher for the thick, meaty end)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 long green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
large pinch sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground all-spice
400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tbsp pickled jalapeño chillies, chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
350ml chicken stock (I have reduced it, use more for a thinner sauce)
juice of 1 fresh lime
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked

Method

  1. Start this preparation a day ahead if possible.
  2. Place the ribs in the solid steamer tray.  Steam @ 95°C for one hour.
  3. Drain and set aside to cool.
  4. While they are cooking make the sauce:
  5. Heat the olive oil in a deep frypan that will fit into your oven or combi.
  6. Add the green chilli, garlic and spices and saute for 1 minute until fragrant.
  7. Now add all the other ingredients except the lime and coriander.
  8. Return the cooled ribs to the sauce and marinade overnight if possible.  Neil didn’t do this but it’s bound to give the ribs more flavour 🙂
  9. Next day cook in the combi oven on Combination mode 160°C + 30% steam, uncovered for 2 hours.  Stir and turn occasionally.  If you don’t have a combi then cook, covered in a conventional oven at 150°C.   I wanted a thick sauce that stuck to the ribs so I cooked mine, covered in a conventional oven for 3 hours.  They were delicious and the meat was falling off the bone.
  10. To serve stir in the lime juice and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
Posted in: Combi Steamer, Main Courses, Mexican, Party Food, Steam Oven

Chocolate & cherry panettone zucotto

December 31, 2020 3:25 pm / 1 Comment /

Panettoni zucotto

Years ago I discovered a great recipe for using panettone and made a strawberry Zucotto.  Everyone really enjoyed it and thought it was such a good idea as you always end up with at least half a panettone that no one knows what to do with.  This is a great alternative to using the leftovers as a bread and butter pudding in our warmer months and a nice way to incorporate the Italian Christmas tradition into your own Christmas or New Year celebrations.

The great thing about this recipe is you can make it a few days before and leave it covered in the refrigerator until you need it.  It makes a lovely addition to a Christmas dessert table if you have a large number of guests or even better for a dessert on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day or New Year’s Eve when you don’t feel like cooking.  Terrific also if you are travelling somewhere where you need to bring a dessert.  It packs easily into an esky with an ice-pack in its original pudding basin for a long drive.

The addition of the fresh cherries in the centre makes it a much lighter, fresher dessert than the traditional.

Ingredients:  Serves 10-12

100g hazelnuts
1/2 (about 400g) large panettone or most of the smaller size
3tbsp Cointreau liqueur
juice 1 orange (remove rind and reserve before juicing)
500g fresh ricotta
1 x 250g ctn mascarpone
80g (1/2 cup) icing sugar mixture
100g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbs finely grated orange rind
200g fresh pitted and halved cherries

Cocoa powder, to dust

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread the hazelnuts over a baking tray. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes or until toasted. Place hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins. Coarsely chop.
  2. Use a serrated knife to cut panettone lengthways into six 1.5cm-thick slices.  Arrange the 3 largest slices, overlapping slightly, around the side of a 2L (8-cup) capacity pudding basin. Place smallest piece of panettone in the base of pudding basin. Brush panettone with about two-thirds of the orange juice and Cointreau which have been combined making sure you cover all the sides and the base.
  3. Use an electric beater to beat ricotta, mascarpone and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth. Stir in hazelnuts, chocolate and orange rind until combined. Spoon half the ricotta mixture into the lined pudding basin, pressing firmly.
  4. Top with another layer of panettone which has been brushed on one side with the orange juice mixture
  5. Now layer pitted cherries over the panettone and top with remaining ricotta mixture.
  6. Top with remaining panettone slice brush with the remaining Cointreau. Place on top of this layer of pudding to enclose filling. Cover pudding basin with plastic wrap that comes over the sides of the basin and place in the fridge with a weight on top for 6 hours or overnight to chill.  Use some cans from the pantry as your weights.

Turn pudding onto a plate and dust with cocoa powder. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice-cream 🙂

Recipe adapted from Taste.com

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Desserts

Christmas mince pies

December 19, 2020 3:00 pm / 6 Comments /

Christmas mince pies

I have been making these traditional mince pies since I started the Cookwise children’s cooking classes in 2001.  I even found the original recipe hand-out that I gave the kids with the Santa picture on the top.  They are quick and easy to make as the dough is just all mixed in the food processor.

It was a boiling hot day when we made these and this dough is very forgiving.  We rolled it out and lined all the tins then baked them later in the day.  Just keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to do this.

I don’t bother making the fruit mince as the ‘Robertson’s’ jar tastes great.  The pastry is delicious and perfectly short.  Make lots as they won’t last!

Ingredients:  Makes 24

1½ cups Plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup Self raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup icing sugar
150g chilled butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
2½ tbsp. iced water
1 jar purchased fruit mince (for double quantity I used 1½ jars)
extra icing sugar for dusting

Method:

  1. Process flours, icing sugar and butter in food processor until well combined and mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
  2. Beat the egg yolk with the ice water and add into the flour with the motor running.   Process until mixture just starts to come together.
  3. Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
  4. Refrigerate for 1 hour
  5. Roll out and cut into shapes to line tins.
  6. Fill with 1 teaspoon of purchased fruit mince and cover with a star shape of pastry
  7. Bake at 180°C Conventional or 160°C Fan Forced for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden
  8. OR you can try in the Combi 180°C + 30% steam for 30 minutes
  9. When cold sprinkle with icing sugar to serve

Will keep for 5 days in an air-tight container (if they last that long 🙂

 

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Pastry

Time to make the Christmas pudding!

October 20, 2020 10:20 am / 8 Comments /

 

As the festive season fast approaches now is the perfect time to make the Christmas pudding!

Number one on Google for cooking in the steam oven for several years this recipe has become a firm favourite in my family.  Moist and delicious, it will easily serve 12-15.  There are many comments over the years for cooking instructions to make smaller puddings as well.  See the recipe here.  There is also a gluten free, quick sago pudding option here as well.

So if you didn’t make this pudding in your steam oven last year then try it now.  So much easier than watching a pot on the stove in case it boils dry, cooking it in the steam oven for six hours only means you have to refill the water container a few times which frees you up to do other things with your day!

Christmas pudding

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Desserts, Steam Oven

Salmon with pistachio crust on pearl barley salad

March 16, 2020 2:14 pm / Leave a Comment /

I love coming up with new flavour combinations, especially for healthy salads.  This dish was a winner for a recent special occasion.  It looks amazing but wasn’t difficult to cook at all in the combi although the salmon does need to be cooked separately.

Use your favourite combination of ingredients for the salad making sure that you have a variety of textures.  As the pearl barley takes the same cooking time in the steam oven as brown rice you can substitute this if you prefer and especially if you are gluten free.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

4 small fillets of salmon or ocean trout, skinned and pin boned
60g butter, softened
½ cup chopped pistachio nuts
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Grated rind of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Salad:
1 cup pearl barley, washed and drained
1¼ cups vegetable stock
1 bunch asparagus, cut into thirds
3 small, fresh radish washed
¼ cup chopped, fresh parsley
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate molases
1 tsp honey or to taste
pinch sea salt

Method:

  1. Firstly, cook the pearl barley in the steam oven with the stock on 100°C for 40 minutes.
    When there is two minutes to go on the timer, add the asparagus.  Close the door and let it finish cooking.
    Remove and set aside to cool.  Wipe out the steam oven.
  2. Now combine the softened butter with remaining ingredients for the salmon topping and set aside.  It should be a spreadable consistency.
    Lay a piece of baking paper in a solid steam oven tray, add salmon and spread butter mixture over the top of the fillets. Do this 10 minutes before so to let the salmon come to room temperature.
    Preheat combi oven to 170°C Fan Plus while you prepare the salad.
    Slice the radish with a mandolin or slice very thinly.
    Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake to combine.
    Add other salad ingredients now to the cooled barley, stir in half the dressing and set aside.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  3. Now to cook the salmon; Select Combination Mode 170°C + 90% moisture add salmon and cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked to your liking.  Obviously the size of the fillets will determine the cooking time.
  4. Plate up the salad and serve with the pistachio nut topped salmon.  Drizzle with a little dressing and garnish.  Yum!

 

Posted in: Combi Steamer, Dinner parties, Fish, Salads / Tagged: , , , ,

Perfect pavlova

January 23, 2020 12:00 pm / 4 Comments /

Pavlova

The classic pavlova is always a tradition in our house on Australia Day.   There is still the ongoing issue of who actually invented the pavlova?  Whatever and whoever wins on that score between us or the Kiwi’s is irrelevant to us – we just love it any day but particularly on Australia Day!

My tips for the perfect pavlova would be;

Use room temperature egg whites that are as fresh as possible, making sure that there isn’t one skerrick of yolk in it.

Make sure your bowl and the beaters are super clean.  Wash and dry them thoroughly in hot, soapy water first.

Don’t be in a hurry to add the sugar and certainly don’t add it in large quantities.  The trick is to let it dissolve before adding the next bit.

Make sure that it is completely stiff and doesn’t drop from the beaters at all.  You can then shape it on the circle you have drawn on the baking paper and smooth it out beautifully….

Cook it on a Conventional or Static Oven setting.  Not Fan Forced.  You don’t want to blow it around and you do need the elements on the top and bottom for the light browning that happens on a beautiful pavlova.  As the top and bottom elements are on be sure to place it in the centre of the oven.

Let it cool – IN the oven with the door ajar.  You can do this by sticking a wooden spoon into the top edge if your oven doesn’t stop at the appropriate spot.

Finally – it must be served with FRESH fruit, never canned as it just doesn’t stack up.  Remember it’s also gluten free!

Ingredients:  Serves 10

6 egg whites
1½ cups (330g) castor sugar
1 tbsp. cornflour
½ tsp white vinegar

300g cream, whipped
1 tbsp. icing sugar mixture
1 tsp vanilla essence
fresh fruit of your choice to serve but 2 passionfruit a must….

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to a very slow 125°C Conventional.  You shouldn’t use fan forced for a pavlova.
  2. Mark a 23cm circle on baking paper and put onto a flat oven tray.
  3. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer with a tiny pinch of salt until soft peaks form.
  4. Gradually add castor sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition until it is all incorporated and the meringue is well beaten and glossy.  It should be stiff enough to turn upside down without falling out of the bowl!
  5. With a large spoon gently fold in cornflour and vinegar.  Make sure it is all incorporated but do it gently – you don’t want to flatten the egg whites.
  6. Spread the mixture onto your paper circle and using a palette knife or spatula shape it into a huge, high circle.  Level the top.
  7. Bake in the slow oven for about 1½ hours.  Turn off oven.  You may have a couple of cracks, but that’s ok.
  8. Leave the Pavlova in the oven to cool with the door ajar.  This can be done overnight.  Stick a spoon or something in the door if your oven doesn’t have a stop at that level.  You will get a few more cracks now, as it cools.
  9. You can make it ahead of time and store, covered until required.  Not suitable to freeze.
  10. Before serving whip cream with icing sugar and vanilla.  Top Pavlova with cream and decorate with fresh fruit.
Posted in: Desserts, Gluten free, Party Food

Galette Des Rois

January 12, 2020 8:00 am / Leave a Comment /

Galette Des Rois

When my daughter was living in France on exchange she was delighted to learn that the French serve this delicious galette on the 6th January as part of their New Year celebration.

It is not at all difficult to make, basically just puff pastry and ground almonds like a frangipani tart.  This recipe is from the lovely book ‘Pies & tarts’ by Stephane Reynaud that I received for my birthday.

When cooking this use the combi if you have one, otherwise use Fan Forced or ‘Supercook’ as some brands call it.  Refer to my function chart here.  As I mentioned in my curry puff recipe, nothing makes puff pastry ‘puff’ like a combi!  Be sure to preheat the oven tray for this.  If you have a combi that also has bottom element only you could do a further stage with 10 minutes bottom element as part of the cooking time.  This will ensure you have a beautiful cooked base.  Or, even better, if your combi (or oven) has a function with the fan and bottom element then use that for the complete baking time. You cannot ‘blind’ bake this galette.

Ingredients:

375g puff pastry
180g blanched almonds
180g castor sugar
180g unsalted butter
4 eggs

Method:

  1. Preheat combi oven with the flat tray @ 180°C
  2. Grease and flour a 20cm tart tin.  I used the traditional French ‘ring’ that doesn’t have a base but a normal tin is fine but try using it without its base (so with baking paper on the bottom only.  See step 6).  This really does help brown and cook the base.
  3. Process the almonds with the sugar in a food processor until finely chopped.
  4. Melt the butter, add it to the almond-sugar mix then incorporate 3 eggs.
  5. Set aside the yolk of the remaining egg.
  6. Roll out two thirds of the pastry to 3mm thick.  Tear off a piece of baking paper large enough for the tin to place your galette on.  As the tin is preheating in the oven, assemble the galette on the paper.  Place the pastry in the tin, allowing the edges to hang over.
  7. Fill with the almond cream.
  8. Glaze the edges with the reserved egg yolk.
  9. Roll out remaining pastry and cover the pie, pressing the edges to seal.
  10. Draw a rosette pattern on top using the tip of a knife.
  11. Brush with egg wash.
  12. Slide the galette on its paper onto the hot oven tray.  Place back into the oven and bake on Combination mode 180°C + 30% steam for 30-45 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

Posted in: Combi Steamer, Desserts