Easy Golden Pumpkin Soup

Golden Pumpkin Soup with a dollop of cream, spring onion garnishing and and a dash of paprika

 This pumpkin soup recipe is a winner in my books! Merely because  (1) it has only 3 main ingredients, (2) is unbelievably easy to make and (3) tastes simply divine.

3 main ingredients: Pumpkin, potato and roasted cashew nuts

I came across this pumpkin soup recipe while attending a cooking demonstration for the Thermomix TM31.

Using the Thermomix TM31, the pumpkin soup can be made under 20 minutes. Cooked under a controlled temperature of 100 degrees celsius and blended to perfection, the soup yields a texture that is so fine and smooth, it slides off your tongue right down your throat. It has a very simple, savoury and unadulterated taste.

I've made this soup both the conventional way as well as using the Thermomix TM31. The stark difference between the 2 cooking methods is that with the Thermomix TM31, it was way too easy and speedy to make and I get a finer puree with the high speed blending function.

Ingredients and Proportions (Serves 4-5)

350 g pumpkin, cubed
100 g potatoes, cubed
40 g roasted cashew nuts
700 g chicken stock or water
1 tsp of paprika powder
Salt to taste

Conventional Cooking Method
(1) Place pumpkin, potatoes and stock/liquid in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes on low fire until pumpkin and potatoes are softened.
(2) Throw in the roasted cashews,  a tsp of salt and a tsp of paprika powder and blend until fine with a handblender.
(3) You may adjust the thickness or consistency of your soup to your liking by adding in more liquid or fresh milk, teaspoon by teaspoon. Gently reheat the soup before serving.
(4) Garnish with a dollop of cream, thin strips of spring onions and a dash of paprika for that finishing touch!

Cooking with the Thermomix TM31

(1) Place potatoes, pumpkin and stock/liquid into the TM31

(2) Cook for 15 minutes on varoma at speed 4

(3) Throw in the cashews, salt and paprika

(4) Blend at speed 4 for 30 seconds then at speed 9 for another 30 seconds

(5) Add more salt or liquid to your desired taste.

Soup will have a fine, smooth and creamy consistency. The best thing about using the Thermomix TM31 is that the washing up is so easy. I've only got 1 thing to wash up - and that's the mixing bowl of the TM31.

Chicken Parmigiana

My version of chicken parmigiana is basically an oven fried/baked herb-crusted chicken with margarita topping (as in the pizza) - fashioned after the Herb Crusted Chicken that they used to serve at Dome Cafe and  the Chicken Parmagiana at Ben's General Food Store in Bangsar Village. Adding on the asparagus tips comes entirely from my love of the vegie!

Herb Crusted Chicken with Tomato, Basil and Cheddar Topping - and crowned with asparagus tips

This is a great main to make when entertaining at home. Its scrumptious appearance belies the ease in which chicken parmagiana may be prepared.

My version is more tomato-based and lighter on the cheeses, using cheddar as an alternative to the usual mozzarella and parmesan suspects.

The chicken pieces may be marinated and crumbed ahead of time and kept chilled in the fridge (up till a day ahead). Cooking the chicken pieces half an hour  before dinner ensures that chicken is succulent and piping hot when served.  Oven frying/baking enables bulk preparation as opposed to pan frying. Quantity is limited to stove and pan capacity, which in turn is ...well... rather limited in the confines of the regular home kitchen.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

For Crumbed Chicken

Arrange the following ingredients in the order above for ease of crumbing
(of course, you've got to lightly whip the eggs and mix up the flour plus the dried herbs)

2 whole chicken thigh fillets and 2 breast meat fillet 
(marinate the deboned chicken pieces with 2 tspn of salt) 

3 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried parsley

3/4 cup plain flour

2-3 cups bread crumbs

2 eggs, light beaten

A baking tray (lined with aluminium foil) and brushed with some normal cooking oil

Margarita Sauce Topping
Ready-made/Bottled napoletana tomato sauce
10g sprigs of fresh basil leaves
Grated cheddar cheese
6-8 Asparagus tips
2 medium sized tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds






METHODOLOGY FOR CHICKEN CRUMBING

(1) Lightly dust the both sides of chicken with the evenly combined flour and herb mixture

 (2) Quickly coat the floured chicken with the lightly beaten eggs 

(3) Drop the chicken into the bread crumb dish. Using your fingers, scoop the crumbs over the chicken. Press crumbs firmly into chicken to ensure that chicken is well crumbed on both sides.

 (4) Oil your your roasting tray. Place the chicken into an oiled tray. 

 Repeat processes (1) till (4) until all the chicken pieces are well crumbed. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. 

Crumbed chicken may be prepared ahead of time up to a day ahead before cooking.

COOKING AND ASSEMBLY OF THE CHICKEN

 Place your chilled crumb chicken into a preheated oven. Temperature of 200 degrees celsius with fan on for 20 minutes.

.

Mid way through cooking or when top side of chicken is golden brown, turn the chicken over. Continue to bake for a further 10-15 min before taking chicken out from the oven.

(5)  Place the sliced tomatoes on the crispy baked chicken. (At this stage, I'd used a pair of kitchen scissors to snip the chicken into half for smaller individual portions. This way I also get to check to see if the insides of the chicken is fully cooked)

 (6) Place the fresh basil leaves over the tomatoes.

 (7) Spoon the napoletana/tomato sauce over. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to soften the tomato slices.

 (8) Take chicken out from the oven, spoon another tbsp of napoletana sauce and sprinkle cheddar cheese onto each chicken parcel. 

(9) Crown each parcel with an asparagus tip or two and finish off with some bread crumbs. Return to the oven for the final time for a further 3-5 minutes. 

 I served my chicken on a bed of aglio olio (garlic coriander, chilli flakes) spaghetti. 

This was such a manageable recipe for 8-10 pax (limited only by your oven capacity). With some planning, the entire process was a breeze relative to the tasty and pretty results.

 I had also made some salad during the time the chicken was being baked. It was a pea-sprout, cherry tomatoes, mango and carrot salad tossed with some lemon juice and basil-infused olive oil.

Fresh thyme/coriander and whole grained mustard Roast Chicken

Fresh herb and whole grain mustard roasted chicken. One of the quickest and simplest dinners to prepare. And it's pretty yummy to boot too. The versatility of roast chicken as a main dish is amazing as it goes well with most side accompaniments - salads, vegies, root fibres, rice, almost anything in fact and still tastes great.

There are several variations of roast chicken which I love to prepare. This time around, it was a herb/mustard prep with spinach, red cherry tomatoes and potatoes as sides, all of which was readily available in my refrigerator.  My hubs only had to pick up the uncooked, whole bird from the nearest supermarket only 5 minutes away from home.

From the time he got home with the bird, it took less than an hour and a half before the chook was good to eat - 10 mins prepping the uncooked bird, 50 mins roasting time, 5-10 mins to get it table-ready plus 10 mins admin time in between this and that. 

Ingredients for Roast Chicken: (serves 4 assuming each person has a quarter of the chicken)

1 fresh, whole chicken (about 1.8 kg)

A fistful of fresh herbs (I used fresh thyme and coriander leaves this time around)

5 pips of garlic, finely chopped

1 and 1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 medium sized onions, cut in half

1-2 tbsp sea-salt for rubbing onto the chicken and cavity of chicken

Some oil for brushing

Methodology:

1.  Clean and dry the bird.
2.  Rub a tbsp of seasalt all over the external skin of the chicken, be sure to cover the thighs and the wings as well. An additional half teaspoon of seasalt goes towards rubbing the insides/cavity of the chicken. Set aside while preparing the herbs and seasoning.

3. Spoon a heaped tbsp of wholegrain mustard into a bowl. Add a tspn of finely minced/chopped garlic plus a fistful of herbs (in this case, it's fresh thyme and fresh coriander sprigs)

 4. Finely chop up the fresh herbs and mix well into the mustard/garlic mixture. I just used a pair of kitchen scissors to snip the herbs.

5. Pre-heat your oven at 200 degrees celsius.

6. Hold up the skin at the apex at the bottom of the chicken breast (that bit of exposed meat right above the cavity of the chicken in the pix). With your other hand, carefully insert your fingers between the skin and the breast meat and gently separate the skin from the meat, making sure that the skin doesn't rip. 

(Note : Photo was taken after I had stuffed the chicken. Was a bit cumbersome to maneuver the camera while working with soiled hands)    

7. Stuff the gap between the breast and skin with the minced herb/garlic and whole grain mustard mixture.

8. Place the halved onions and leftover thyme and coriander leave stems into the cavity of the chicken. Tie up the chicken.

9. Rub leftover herb mixture all over the chicken.

8. Place the chicken breast side down in a roasting dish on top of some potatoes (peeled and quartered/cut into manageable but chunky pieces). Pour 2 tbsp of water into the roasting dish.

10. Pop prepped chicken into the pre-heated oven. Activate fan mode as it circulates the heat for for more even cooking.

11. Remove chicken from the oven after about 25 minutes or when the back-side of the chicken and potatoes are golden brown (shown in the picture)

12. Place a plate under a wire tray and then arrange the half roasted chicken (breast side up) and potatoes (unbrowned side up) over it. (The plate is positioned to  catch the chicken drippings on the transfer of the chicken).

13. Brush the breast side of the chicken and the potatoes with some oil 

14.  Place the entire wire tray with the oiled half roasted chicken and potatoes back onto the roasting dish. Note that this time the chicken is suspended above the roasting dish (which has collected quite a bit of chicken drippings/juices by this time).

15. Add a 2 tbsp of water to the roasting dish. Return the chicken back into the oven for a further 20 minutes.

16.  When chicken is done, remove the chicken from the oven. Cover with foil while the chicken is left to sit . This keeps the  chicken from drying out.

17.  Place the spinach and cherry tomatoes into the roasting dish with the pan juices.

18. Return the roasting dish with the spinach and cherry tomatoes into the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 

(Note : Asparagus and beans are great to use too - quick to cook this way) 

19. Pour the remaining pan juices in the roasting dish into a small saucepan. 

20. Place saucepan over the stove and let it simmer for a minute. Thicken with either cream or flour. 

21. If using flour, mix a heaped teaspoon of flour into 2 tbsp of water first before adding into the sauce pan of chicken drippings/juices. Heat up for about 1-2 minutes until gravy thickens.

 22. Cut and remove strings. Carve chicken into quarters. 

23. Place a chicken quarter onto a serving plate, arrange the vegetables around it and spoon some gravy/thickened pan drippings over it .

Dinner's ready to be served!