Moussaka

I absolutely love this dish, and will almost always order it at a Greek restaurant (kinda predictable that way). With the Killarney crew coming over, and Will otherwise engaged, I can make dishes to my heart's conent. (He doesn't like eggplant. Tragic, I know).

Anyhoo. How convenient that I'd recently gotten a new pyrex dish: 9x13, that was absolutely perfect for my last batch of lasagne ^^. I got this recipe here, and made a couple of changes. Hopefully, it'll still be ok.



Ingredients:
~1 lb potatoes
~ 4lbs eggplant
4 slices of bread, processed into crumbs
8 egg whites

4 cups ground beef
2 onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup grated cheese


Bechamel Sauce:
1 cup salted butter
1 cup flour
4 cups milk, warmed
8 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp cinnamon



Method:
Peel and boil the potatoes until they are just done. Drain, let cool in the pot and slice into 5mm thickness.

Peel the eggplants so there are alternating strips of peel left on them. Slice to 5mm thickness. (I just used the thick slice insert of the v-slicer)

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line baking sheet with foil and lightly grease.
Add a splash of water to egg whites and lightly beat with a fork.
Dip eggplant slices in the egg whites, then coat with bread crumbs.
Bake in batches for 15 minutes on each side.
Remove from oven and lower temperature to 350F.


Meat Sauce:
In a large pot or pan, brown the beef.
Add onion and saute until translucent.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add wine and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit.
Add cinnamon and crushed tomatoes.
Simmer uncovered to reduce. (~15 minutes) to a thick sauce. 
Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Bechamel Sauce:
In a double boiler, or metal bowl over simmering water, melt butter. Add salt if using unsalted butter to taste.
Using a whisk, add flour, whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Cook for a minute, but do not brown.
Add warmed milk in a steady stream, whisking continuously.
Simmer until it thickens a bit, but does not boil.
Remove from heat and stir in beaten egg yolks and pinch of nutmeg.
Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.


Assemble moussaka:
Lightly grease a baking pan. (I used a 9x13 and a 8x8). Layer like so:
- potatoes
- eggplant
- meat sauce, reamaining egg whites
- cheese
- eggplant

Pour bechamel sauce over the eggplant.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until bechamel is golden brown.
Cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.


Comments:
You can make this ahead of time and refridgerate. Just make the bechamel sauce when you're about to bake it.

Make sure the cinnamon you have is fragrant. I personally think the cinnamon makes the dish, so use more if the cinnamon is not coming through.

We had red wine on hand (a leftover bottle of a mix that wasn't very good for drinking), but if you don't have it, I don't think it'd be a huge deal; just make sure to add some sugar. Wine generally helps to bring out flavours and make it fuller bodied.

The original recipe just called for the bechamel sauce to be heated over low heat. I went with double boiler to be safe, as it is more forgiving of momentary lapses.


Verdict:
Good, if I do say so myself ^^

Lasagna

Yesterday was my first half day in a long time, so I thought I'd make something.

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings, though Will ate 2 in one go)
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, rinsed and drained
250g or so of ground beef
1 tsp of ginger paste (optional)
1 bottle/can of pasta sauce
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
Seasonings (oregano, sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne)
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, and squeezed of excess water
1 tub cottage cheese (500g)
340g mozzarella, shredded


Method:
In a large bowl, mix together cottage cheese and spinach.

In a large pot, brown the beef with ginger.
Add mushrooms, carrots and pepper.
If the mushrooms release a lot of moisture, drain, and add pasta sauce and zucchini.
Cook the sauce and season as you wish.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Assemble the lasagna:
Put a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a rectangular pyrex dish.
Layer like so:
Noodles. Trim the noodles to fit and use the trimmings to fill in gaps.
Sauce. Sprinkle with a bit of mozza.
Noodles.
Spinach and cottage cheese mix.
Noodles.
Sauce with some mozza.
Noodles.
Sauce and top with the rest of the mozza.

Bake until the cheese is bubbly. Then broil at 400F to brown the top.

Enjoy!


Comments:
This filled my pyrex to the very brim and there was still sauce leftover. A large Corning casserole dish could probably hold more, and the noodles would probably fit better too, with each layer having 3 noodles, instead of a length of just short of 1 noodle, and a width of just more than 2. (Provided, of course, that the noodles come in standard sizes). Oh, and it was a lot of cottage cheese for that size dish.

I don't like that beefy smell, so hence the ginger.

Things probably would've gone faster if I had used the v-slicer.

This is a bit blurry, but there are the layers.

Verdict:
A bit of work, but worth it! Cheaper and waaaaaay healthier than the frozen stuff.

Pasta Milano

One of my go-to dishes at Macaroni Grill was this. To be quite honest, I don't remember how it tastes, only that it was cream based, with mushrooms, bowties, and chicken. For whatever reason, I remembered it having asiago cheese. How fortuitous that asiago was on sale ^^. Through the magic of google, I found this recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4)
500g bowtie pasta, cooked and drained
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 chicken chicken breasts, butterfly-cut
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
thyme
sage
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
500mL half and half
1 tsp chicken boullion
150g asiago cheese, finely grated
1 tbs cornstarch
4 tbs sundried tomatoes, chopped.

Method:
Fry bacon, drain and put into a large bowl.
Fry the chicken. When it is almost done, add in garlic, thyme and sage.
Remove from heat, let rest a few minutes, then slice and add to bacon.
Sautee the mushrooms until they release their moisture. Add the contents of the pan, including the mushroom juice into the meat bowl.
Turn the heat to medium/medium-high and heat up the cream.
Whisk in cheese and boullion and mix until the boullion has dissolved, and the cheese has mostly melted.
Stir in the cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs of water.
Add in the meat, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes and heat through.
To serve, toss with pasta.


Comments:
I only later remembered that it was called Pasta Milano and went a-hunting for the recipe. It's just as well, because the first recipe I found didn't even call for cheese.

This really needs something tangy, like capers or sundried tomatoes, or even just lemon juice to offset the bitter aftertaste of the cheese.

It is not necessary to make this totally smooth (I don't even know if it's possible, because I didn't have a whisk.


Verdict:
I like it, but I don't think it's quite on the mark.

Linguine Carbonara

We had breakfast for dinner the other night (oh, so good!), and had sausage, bacon and eggs leftover. Not sure what to do with the sausage, but bacon and eggs calls for carbonara! I haven't had this since SE Asia last year (I know, weird place to have it). Carbonara from a jar is just disgusting (I had it in Sydney), so here's to hoping that I've got better luck making it from scratch!

Original recipe here.

Ingredients (4 servings):
500-600g linguine
2 cups frozen peas
8 slices of bacon, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
4 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork.
1 brick (~100-200g) freshly, finely grated parmesan
4 tbs olive oil
freshly cracked pepper

Method:
Fry the bacon pieces until cooked, then lightly sautee with garlic.
Drain the oil, and set the bacon aside.
Cook the pasta.
Add in peas during the last bit of cooking.
Drain the pasta and DO NOT rinse with cold water.
Return the pasta to the pot and toss with bacon, and some olive oil to prevent the pasta from clumping. Use more oil as necessary.
Mix the cheese into the bowl with the eggs, and then the mixture to the pot.
Toss the pasta until thoroughly mixed, and the cheese has melted.
Serve with pepper.


Comments:
There's supposed to be onions in this, but I forgot to pick it up when I got the cheese.
When I made this, I didn't realise that we had used the same amount of pasta, but I had halved the other ingredients. The end result was a bit dry and bland.
The egg is cooked by the heat of the pasta. If you don't feel good about eating egg that's barely cooked, you could turn on the stove again, but I imagine it would stick... like lots.
There is a HUGE price difference between parmesan from the deli and parmesan from the dairy area. We used the dairy stuff, and it was fine.
I had an epiphany partway through the meal that I'd forgotten to toss with olive oil. The stuff was quickly clumping and it was dry. I was almost done, so it didn't matter, but the portions for lunch the next day were remedied, and survived.



Verdict:
I liked it, despite the little mishaps.

Tiramisu

This was a very food-filled weekend. After going into Nicole's for takoyaki and okonomiyaki, a couple of my cousins came over for a potluck. I made tiramisu for dessert, definitely tried and true ^^

Ingredients (Serves 6-10)
3 eggs, separated
0.25 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
475g mascarpone
1-2 shots rum (optional)
1 cup coffee
1-2 shots coffee liquer
200g ladyfingers
cocoa powder for dusting


Method:
Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
Beat yolks, sugar and vanilla until creamy.
Add in mascarpone and rum and beat until smooth.
Fold in egg whites.

In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together coffee and coffee liqueur.

Spread a thin layer of cream on the bottom of a large bowl (2.5L) or rectangular pan (9x13).
Hold the ladyfingers so the flat side is parallel to the counter. Dip the bottom half into the coffee mixture.
Place the biscuits as a single layer, then spread the cream.
Arrange the next layer of biscuits so they are perpendicular to the first layer.
Finish with a layer of cream.
Cover and chill in the refridgerator for at least 3 hours for the biscuits to soften.
Just before serving, sprinkle with cocoa.

Comments:
If you are worried about bacteria, quickly rinse the eggs with hot water. Be careful not to leave the eggs in the water, or they will cook. You could also probably bypass this by using whipped cream and cream of tartar to give it volume.

Ladyfingers will soak up the liquid quickly, so don't keep it there, or it will disintegrate. If the biscuits still feel hard, don't worry. They will soften between the layers of cream.

Liquor is optional; it just gives it more flavour.
The easiest way to sprinkle cocoa powder is to keep some in a spice shaker and just shake it out. Any clumps should separate.

The ingredients for this are rather expensive, but it's worth it. You can get both the cheese and the ladyfingers at Italian markets for slightly better prices.

This is rather rich, so it would be a good idea not to serve restaurant-sized portions after a big dinner.


Verdict:
Did I not say "tried and true"? ^^ I love it, but Will's not so into desserts, so I can only make this when we have people over.

Eggplant Roulade

I got this from the show "Fearless in the Kitchen" on the W network. LOVE the show, especially since it makes me feel better about myself. (The people on that show start off as EPIC failures as cooks, but they get really good at the end).

They are little rolled eggplant appetizers, with cheese, dried fruit and nuts on the inside.


Ingredients: (makes about 12 bite-sized rolls)
1 long eggplant
4 oz cranberry bleu cheese
pecans
olive oil for frying


Method:
Cut the eggplant in half so you get two short halves.
Slice into 1/4" slices lenghtwise, so you have about 12 slices all together.
Fry them in batches, about 3 minutes per side.
Let cool.
Just before serving, roll a bit of cheese and nuts into the eggplant slice. Hold with a toothpick.
Warm in the oven set to 325F until cheese is softened.


Comments:
It was diffiuclt to cut the eggplant into equal thickness, which then makes it hard to cook all of them without overcooking. Once the eggplant is overcooked, you can't really roll it.

Keep a close eye for when the cheese just starts to soften; you don't want all that cheesy goodness to ooze onto the pan and be forever lost.

The original recipe called for currants and pine nuts. Currants are hard to find here, and pine nuts are crazy expensive. I was originally going to substitute the currants with dried cranberries, but the cranberry was already in the cheese, so I skipped it.


Verdict:
Good. I liked the cheese-fruit-nut combo. Would be mm mm good, but the bleu cheese was a bit too sharp, even with the mellowing effect of the cranberry.


Next time:
I would use a less crumbly cheese that is great with fruit, like havarti or brie. It was rather messy to get the bleu cheese off my knife and onto the eggplant.

I would also consider roasting the eggplant in the oven, because I got really impatient waiting for them to fry. Maybe also, to get that nice browned flavour, I would set it on the top rack and broil it at the very end of the roasting time.

I am also curious as to whether or not this would be good as a round... as in cut them into round slices, roast them, cool them, then top with cheese and nuts and bake in the oven. I'm not entirely convinced that toothpicks are compostable, so this would be one way to get around that.