5 Days, 5 Ways – Family Cooking with the De’Longhi Multifry

Ok.  Lets just start by saying I had NO idea what to expect when I was asked to get on board with De’Longhi and create some (hopefully?!) delicious and inspiring content around their new Multifry Multicooker.

The name is what threw me off.  This fabulous piece of Italian tech – which will never leave our bench-top again – is not a fryer in any traditional sense and is SO much more than that.  For me it’s definitively a Multicooker, a genius kitchen appliance that I think will become a household staple in years to come.

Things have been literally insane in our household over the past month.  Dave’s had a massive project on at work and things here at The Best Nest have been out of control busy.  Anything that can help us to minimise stress and maximise our time over the next few weeks until Christmas is being embraced with open arms!  Dave and I have used the Multifry Multicooker every day for the past 3 weeks and it’s been a welcome addition to the kitchen.  It’s so versatile, economical in terms of time and power and helps us whip up family-friendly meals that are both easy and delicious.  We are both IN LOVE……..with our new kitchen spaceship lol.

So, to show you the varied ways we use our new kitchen BFF, I’ve decided to highlight 5 different dishes we cooked over 5 days in our De’Longhi Multifry.

Enjoy!

5 Days > 5 Ways with the De’Longhi Multifry Multicooker

Monday > Bacon & Brie Quiche

Lord I love eggs.  Quiche and frittata are two of my go-to quick meal faves.  They are almost fail-proof and are packed with protein which keeps the boys fuller for longer.  This recipe is insanely good.  Like, this is the BEST quiche I’ve ever made.  You’ll love it too I guarantee it!

• 2 sheets savoury short crust pastry 
• 6 eggs
• 250ml milk
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 red capsicum sliced
• Sliced Brie to taste

Line the bottom of the De’Longhi Multifry bowl with baking paper.  Defrost the pastry sheets, combine into a ball and roll out on a floured surface to cover the bottom of the De’Longhi Multfry bowl so the edges stand up about 5cm.  Add the chopped bacon, mushrooms and salt and pepper.  Whisk eggs and milk then pour over the bacon mixture.  Arrange the capsicum and brie slices on the top.

Close the lid, select the OVEN program, set power level 2 at 35 minutes and press start.  After 20 minutes rotate the quiche 180 degrees using the greaseproof paper and finish the cooking time.

Serve with a green salad and pesto or chutney.

Tuesday > Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is my favourite rice dish but it is time consuming and can easily go wrong.  This was our first time attempting risotto in the Multifry and we were blown away – absolute perfection!  Creamy and perfectly balanced, I will never make risotto on the stove again, using the Multifry was way too easy. 

The Best Nest Mushroom Risotto Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil (Level 5 on the Multifry oil dispenser)

1 small onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

1 carrot diced

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup sliced button mushrroms

1 cup dried Porcini mushrooms – rehydrated

Salt and pepper to taste.

Add oil, onion, celery and carrot to the De’Longhi Multifry.  Turn dial to rice/casserole setting, power level 4 for 35 minutes.

After 5 minutes add chicken stock, wine, rice and mushrooms.  That’s it!  Enjoy your perfect risotto garnished with chives – we had spring onions lol.

Wednesday > Half & Half Pizza

The old family pizza quandary; I can’t stand Hawaiian pizza – or pineapple on pizza in general – and that’s the kids fave.  Cook once and eat twice by making a half & half pizza.

We used our own dough recipe which has been our family standard for years now; this is another tried and true recipe which thankfully required no adaptation to work beautifully in the Multifry!

The Best Nest Pizza Dough Recipe

• 2 cups flour
• 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup water

Add liquid after mixing dry ingredients.  This amount of dough will make two pizza bases.

Remove the paddle and oil the base of the Multifry bowl.  Roll the dough over the bottom of the base and spoon on your pizza sauce of choice.  Close the lid, select the PIZZA program at power level 2, set for 30 minutes and press start.

After 15 minutes apply your toppings.  We used pepperoni and cheddar cheese across the whole pizza and added feta and sundried tomatoes on the ‘adult’ side.

The non-stick surface is amazing, the pizza slid out of the pan easily with a fish slice underneath to support it.

Thursday > Easy Dinner! Frozen Fish ‘n’ Chips

Ethan, Dave and I all play touch on Thursday nights.  It’s hectic to say the least.  We usually eat up at the Rugby Club whilst Mum watches Nixie at home.  Look I’m not organic, free-range, raw, gluten-free Mum – sometimes the kids eat frozen chips and fish, it’s true lol.

Cooking frozen convenience food is another area in which the De’Longhi Multifry excels.  You don’t have to wait for the Multifry to heat up saving at least 10 minutes of cooking time.  Perfect for those evenings when kids need to eat – fast!  We all get caught out, and I always make sure I’ve got some quick dinners in the freezer for those crazy days when we just can’t get a ‘from scratch’ meal on the table.

I popped the paddle in the bowl, added the frozen chips, selected the POTATOES program on level 3 and pressed start.  After 12 minutes I added a piece of Sealord frozen hoki.

That’s it.

Dinner ready, perfectly crispy with no added oil.

Friday > Canned Peach Cake

We are not the family that has dessert every night following dinner.  Heck, we’re not the family that has dessert ever lol. But I love to bake cakes and they are also mega easy to whip up in the Multifry – I’ve made two cakes so far and they’ve both turned out perfectly.  The first was my Nana’s traditional Banana Cake (recipe here).  This required no adaptation to use in the De’Longhi Multifry other than doubling the recipe as the cooking bowl is quite large.

The second cake – Canned Peach Cake – is a recipe from De’Longhi’s Multifry App which is available free from Google Play or the App Store.  In this instance I used canned peaches but will be making this moist cake again throughout the summer when Golden Queen peaches are in season.  Can.  Not.  Wait!

Right now when you purchase a De’Longhi MultiFry Multicooker you’ll receive $50 cashback via redemption.
Promotion commences 1/11/2015 and concludes 10/01/2016.

But, I’m giving one lucky reader the chance to WIN a De’Longhi MultiFry Multicooker!  Enter via the widget below, good luck!

 

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