Nutmeg – Keeper of the Kitchen

If you’re looking for a low effort and incredibly delicious hearty food this time of year, mash is always a winner. It goes so well with so many different meats and is versatile as it’s own dish, or as a topping – such as shepherds pie or fisherman’s pie. This Root Vegetable Mash, however, is a delicious alternative to stodgy potatoes. It’s also a really useful one to have in your repertoire if you regularly do roasts as I always find I have a carrot here and a parsnip there that didn’t make it into the meal.

The bonus of a root veg mash that doesn’t include potatoes is that it doesn’t run the risk of being gloopy.

This recipe is good with any variety of root vegetable, really, and I find so long as it totals up to about 550g it’s hard to go wrong. Some people require exact amounts, so this is the most recent version of the root vegetable mash that I’ve made. I had a large rutabaga (swede) and a few left over carrots so decided to turn them into a quick mash for a light, but filling dinner.

You can make this completely fat free – which in this case also makes it dairy free – but I really like the bit of butter in this. I find it makes it rich enough that I’m not craving chocolate pudding at the end.

Swede And Carrot Mash

Author: Keeper of the Kitchen

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: serves 2

Ingredients

400g Swede chopped into 3 – 4 cm chunks
150g Carrot chopped into 3 – 4 cm chunks
Pinch of Nutmeg
40g Salted Butter (optional)
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Instructions

Regular Instructions

Boil or steam vegetables as you normally would – about 30 mins till they are soft
Drain and in a bowl, add butter, vanilla and seasoning.
Use a masher or food processor to mash everything together until the vegetables reach a lumpy or smooth texture, as you prefer.

Thermomix Instructions

Fill the Thermomix to half way through the internal steamer basket and fill with root vegetables.
Put the lid in place and boil for 20 – 25 minutes/ Varoma / Speed 3
Stick a knife into one of the larger pieces of vegetable to check that it’s fairly soft
Pour out the water, but don’t drain too thoroughly – a tablespoon or two of reserved water is helpful
Tip the vegetables into the Thermomix bowl and chop for 45 Seconds/Speed 5
Add nutmeg, butter and seasoning and mix another 15 Seconds/Speed 5

For Garam Masala, I’ve discovered, there are about as many recipes as their are people making it. There isn’t one authentic, or one original recipe, but rather it seems to be a matter of personal choice.

For a long time I would say that I didn’t like curries. I think this was because every curry I ever had from a takeaway was just an overkill of hot and I didn’t find that very pleasant. It was only when a friend served me a curry she made that I realised that there was a world of flavour out there that I knew very little about. Over the recent years I’ve learned to enjoy curries – but only those I make, so that I manage the heat!

Garam Masala is the foundation for many North Indian and South Asian dishes, but I’ve also learned that it can add amazing flavour to any meat dish without specifically making it a curry. Garam Masala actually means ‘warm spices’ and that’s precisely what these spices do – they add a warm depth of flavour to the meal.

As with all spices, if you’re able to blend it fresh when you need it, the flavours are stronger and richer, but I make a small amount at a time so that I make a fresh batch every month or so. You can freeze this and take it out as you need it, or just store in an airtight container.

DIY Garam Masala

Recipe Type: Seasoning, Spicemix

Cuisine: Asian, Indian

Author: Luschka

Prep time: 2 mins

Cook time: 1 min

Total time: 3 mins

Serves: 200g

Since I prefer to make this mix up fresh as often as possible, I keep the quantities small, meaning the Thermomix scales aren’t useful here, so this recipe uses a 5ml teaspoon and a 15ml tablespoon.

Ingredients

1 Whole nutmeg
10 Whole cloves
1 Cassia Stick (sold as cinnamon sticks in supermarkets)
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
2 tbs Coriander seeds
1 tbs Cumin seeds
1 tbs Fennel seeds
1 tbs Cardamom pods (about 6 pods)
1 tsp Cayenne pepper (add more if you prefer a hotter spice, or substitute for dried chillies)
1 tsp Turmeric

Instructions

If you’re using a Thermomix, you can add all the ingredients to the bowl and whizz at[b] speed 10 / 20 seconds[/b]. Check inside to confirm, but everything should be a fine powder.
If you’re not using a Thermomix or similar high powered blender, add the first four ingredients, and blend for 30 seconds or until broken into pieces. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for a further 30 – 60 seconds depending on your blender, until all the spices are crushed.
Store in an airtight container and use within a month for the best flavours.