MasterChef finalist reveals secret for healthy cooking
MasterChef finalist Sara Danesin Medio has a passion to encourage everyone to cook and eat delicious home-made food, and she says it's about time everyone found out how to do it... Sara has revealed her secret weapon - it's a kitchen miracle called Thermomix which she describes as "my extra pair of hands". Designed for home use but so beautifully engineered that chefs love it too, Thermomix is set to change the cooking and eating habits of the nation.
Growing up in Italy where family meals are central to the way of life, Sara also grew up with her mother's Thermomix (known as Bimby in Italy). "Thermomix is famous with Italian housewives because cooking becomes so fast and easy, making it possible to serve nutritious meals made with fresh ingredients and love! I want to see everyone in the UK eating well, and that inevitably means more cooking at home. For people who are busy and have little time, I highly recommend Thermomix - it saves so much time and effort when you are cooking and it makes healthy cooking achievable and affordable."
At this time of year, many people are concerned about losing weight. Janie Turner, author of two Thermomix recipe books, says, "Losing weight through dieting is a short term fix. It's more important to take a positive approach and set out to gain health by eating well. Losing weight will follow naturally. Quick salads and beautiful puréed soups made in the Thermomix are two healthy defences in the battle against the bulge. Add to that the ability to choose your own ingredients and be in control of what you eat, and you have a chance to be successful with those New Year's resolutions! Thermomix saves time in the kitchen, improves your diet and quite literally changes lives for the better."
Thermomix food has stunning colour, texture and flavour. Why? Sara and Janie say it's because Thermomix cooks and stirs ingredients simultaneously with accurate temperatures and timings, meaning the results are tasty, enjoyable, wholesome and packed full of goodness. Thermomix is great for everyday family food and especially useful when catering for allergies and intolerances because you know exactly what is in the food you make and eat. For example, delicious sauces are so easy that ready-made versions with additives and preservatives become a thing of the past. Coeliacs can grind their own flours for tastier bread & cakes, and people with lactose intolerance can make their own non-dairy milks and save a fortune.
Pappa Al Pomodoro is a classic Italian tomato and bread soup - simple, easy and healthy. Made traditionally it can take 90 minutes - made with a Thermomix it's more like 14 minutes and for most of that time you leave Thermomix to do the cooking by itself... and Sara is delighted to tell you that with less effort you will also enjoy much better flavour, all with healthy ingredients and often with much less fat. This soup is a wonderful example - due to the fabulous blending that Thermomix achieves, it tastes creamy without adding any butter or cream!
Sara Danesin Medio will be launching a series of Thermomix Cookery Classes starting in February 2012. The theme will be "Rustic Italian Cooking" and will feature some of Sara's favourite Italian recipes.
Pappa al Pomodoro - Tomato and Bread Soup
Makes 1.8 litres. Serves 6.
75 g celery, cut in 1 cm lengths
1 clove garlic, peeled
400 g fresh ripe tomatoes, cut in quarters
15 g olive oil
1 Tbsp tomato paste/tomato purée
1 litre stock or water plus stock cube
1 tsp fine sea salt
250 g two-day-old bread, torn in pieces
1 to 3 slices of baguette/French stick per soup bowl
25 g parmesan, freshly grated
several grinds black pepper
6 basil leaves or 6 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
Use the built-in Thermomix electronic weighing scales to weigh celery, garlic, tomatoes and olive oil into the Thermomix bowl. Chop 7 seconds/Speed 5.
Add tomato paste, stock, salt and the 250g bread. Cook 10 minutes/100°C/Speed 1.
Blend the soup 2 minutes/100°C/Speed 8 to finish the cooking and finely blend at the same time.
Place the baguette slices into the soup bowls and carefully pour the soup over them - no need to pass the soup through a sieve as it will be beautifully smooth. Garnish with the parmesan, black pepper and a basil leaf or sprig of Italian flat-leaf parsley. Let the soup soak into the bread for 2 minutes then serve. Healthy, delicious, economical, fast, and easy.
