Moussaka after Bath

I love cooking. When we go on vacation we rent apartments or houses rather than staying in hotels because I want to be able to cook the local foods. But, once in a while, I really appreciate someone else doing the cooking.
Yesterday my husband and I were driving back from Bath. My parents watched the kids so that we could get away for a long weekend. Although we 'took the waters', soaked, steamed and saunaed ourselves into malleable, relaxed oblivion (the kind of relaxation that you think- hope- will never go away), as we drove nearer to home and hit gridlock traffic I began to tense up. We wouldn't be arriving home until well into the evening now-- what would I cook for dinner?
As we pulled into the drive I was working out the Rubick's Cube in my mind of different pairings with the only food I knew we had in the cupboard, potatoes (Baked? Boiled? Sauteed? With cheddar, or butter? Maybe mashed...). We opened the kitchen door, threw our bags in and caught a wiff of something far better than boiled potatoes. My mom had made moussaka which was baking in the oven. She was there in the warm kitchen tossing an enormous Greek salad.
We sat down to dinner and it all tasted so good.

Sophia's Moussaka
My mother has a friend from Greece. This is her recipe.

4 small eggplant (aubergine), washed, skin left on
4 large potatoes, washed, skin left on




Bechamel Sauce
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
3 and 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 and 3/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 regular (not large) container ricotta (I know, vague)

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound minced (ground) beef or lamb (or use same amount chopped mushrooms for vegetarian)
2 tablespoons tomato puree (paste in US)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350F (165F). Slice the eggplant (aubergine) and potatoes both lengthwise quite thin (about 1/2 inch). Spray a baking tray with non-stick spray, place the eggplant and potato slices on it and bake for just 15 minutes or until soft.

2) While the vegetables are baking, make the bechamel sauce. Gently melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Once it is frothy, sprinkle in the flour and stir continuously until it smells nutty, but is no more than golden in colour. Now pour in the milk and stir until thick. Sprinkle in the nutmeg. Remove from the heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Now, whisk the 2 eggs in a separate bowl and slowly whisk them into the sauce- they will cook in the warmth of the sauce, but do not put the sauce back on the heat. Taste and season with salt.
Set aside until ready to assemble.

3) In a large saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add in the onion and garlic. Cook until soft then add in the mince beef or lamb or the chopped mushrooms. Cook until no longer pink, then lightly drain (if even necessary) and stir in the tomato puree (paste), oregano and thyme. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper. Set aside.

3) Grab a large casserole dish, 9" by 13" is good. Spray it with non-stick spray and layer in half of the potatoes and on top of that, layer in half of the eggplant and half of the meat or mushrooms. Spoon the entire container of ricotta over top and repeat the layer of potato, eggplant and meat or mushrooms. Finally, pour the bechamel sauce over top and sprinkle the 1/4 cup Parmesan. The moussaka may be made ahead and stashed in the refrigerator until ready to bake for up to one day.


Bake in a 375F (185C) preheated oven for 45-60 minutes. Covered the first half, the lid or foil removed for the last part of baking to create a golden top.

Boreks

These are Turkish pastries, light and crunchy stuffed with any number of fillings. The pastry, called ‘Tufka’ is similar to phyllo, just not quite as delicate, and can be bought at Middle Eastern markets. If you can’t find Tufka, substitute two sheets of phyllo per borek.

Mince Filling

There is some synergy that occurs when beef, lamb, cumin and oregano are mixed—no one flavour stands out, rather they all meld into one of the most delicious, savoury tastes this side of Istanbul.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped (red, white, yellow—whatever you got)

2 cloves garlic, minced

250 grams, 8-9 oz minced (ground) beef

250 grams 8-9 oz minced (ground) lamb 

1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt

A handful of chopped, fresh parsley

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour in the vegetable oil and allow to heat up. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, then add in the beef and lamb. Sauté the meat until it is just cooked, then drain off all fat, return the meat to the pan, add in the seasoning (except parsley) and continue to sauté and brown the meat.  Once done, remove from heat and toss in the parsley. Allow to cool completely before stuffing.

Enough for about 16-20 boreks

Cheese Filling

I love that feta is at once salty and slightly sour. This makes a tasty hors d’eouvre for vegetarians as well as carnivores.

2 blocks (200 grams/7 oz. each) Feta, crumbled tiny

Loads of freshly cracked black pepper

½ teaspoon dried dill weed

6-8 thin green onions, trimmed and sliced thin

1 scant teaspoon sweet paprika or hot paprika, for spice

2 handfuls of freshly chopped parsley

2 eggs, beaten

Mix everything together until relatively smooth. Stash in the refrigerator until ready to use. Enough filling for about 16-20 boreks.

To Roll

Have 40 Tufka triangles at the ready. Alternatively, use 80 phyllo triangles. Keep either type pastry, under a very lightly dampened cloth to prevent drying out.

Spread 1-2 tablespoons filling along the bottom of the wide end of the triangle...

Fold the sides in...

and roll into a cigar shape. Repeat with the rest.

Place boreks snugly on a baking tray and brush with more melted butter. Scatter sesame seeds on top, if you like.

Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Lemon and Garlic Marinade

This is a really simple marinade that I did last night for mixed kabobs of beef and lamb. I grilled them and served them on top of crisp, mixed greens with a plain, minted yogurt dressing and fresh, spicy olive focaccia. It was a perfect Friday night supper.

Marinade
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, slightly bruised or chopped

Whisk everything together in a bowl or blitz in a small food processor. Pour over meat of choice and marinate in the refrigerator. For beef or lamb marinate at least 2 hours but up to 6. For chicken, minimum 1 hour, maximum three. For seafood, minimum 30 minutes, max 1 hour.

When ready to grill, dab the marinade off of the meat (it can cause flare-ups from the flames that will char the meat), salt and pepper the meat liberally and grill to your liking. Serve hot!

Enough to marinate roughly 1 and 1/2 pounds meat

Grilled Boneless Leg of Lamb

This is delicious~ Crunchy and slightly charred on the outside, tender and juicy inside. It needs the 24 hours of marinating time to achieve the full flavor.

Marinade
5 fresh sage leaves
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped off
3 twigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Juice of half a juicy lemon
Several grind of fresh cracked black pepper
½ cup oil (veg or olive oil)

2 to 2 and ½ pound (1.25 kg) boneless leg of lamb, flat (not rolled)
Sea salt

1) Blitz all the marinade ingredients with an immersion blender, in a small food processor or a regular blender. Place lamb into a zip top plastic bag, pour marinade over it and stow in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning a few times to evenly marinate.

2) When ready to cook, removed from the meat from the marinade (discard), pat dry with kitchen towel and liberally rub all over with sea salt. Grill, covered over a prepared charcoal (preferable) or gas grill for 12 minutes per side (for rare) to 15+ minutes per side (medium to medium rare)-- times vary according to thickness of meat.

3) Allow the meat to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 4-6

Köfte

One of the main meat dishes in Turkey, köfte were probably a forerunner to Western cultures’ hamburgers and meatballs. Made with equal parts lamb and beef (or sometimes just one of the two), they can be shaped into ping-pong ball size for meatballs, or mashed down to form mini-burgers. They are also sometimes shaped into logs about the size of a hotdog then skewered and cooked. Grilled, broiled, baked or sautéed, köftes are savory and delicious.

300 grams (¾ pound) ground lamb
300 grams (¾ pound) ground beef
3 tablespoons finely minced shallot
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 packet Saltine crackers, pulverized (or ¼ cup cracker or bread crumbs)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1) Mix everything together with your hands, until well combined. You can cook right away or stash in the refrigerator, covered for up to 24 hours (a couple of hours in the fridge will allow the flavors to meld and deepen).

2) When you are ready to cook: Shape the meat into ping-pong ball size rounds. Cook as is, or mash down gently to make small burgers. They can also be shaped into a log and threaded on to a skewer. Grill, bake, broil or sauté. The easiest is to sauté: Set a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Allow it to get hot. Do not add any oil if the meat you used is fatty-- if you use lean, add a bit of veg oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the burgers or meatballs into the pan, cover (with lid cracked) and cook until brown on one side (about 5 minutes), then flip, cover and cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes more. Keep warm in a very low oven while you cook the rest.

Makes about 35 small meatballs or burgers. Serve with tahini-köfte sauce, crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes and warm pitas.

Spicy Pork, Lamb, Beef or Chicken Vindaloo

Spicy, savory and slightly tart-- Vindaloos are great to serve for foodie friends.

Sauce


1/3- ½ cup white vinegar
2 cans diced tomatoes
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1~ 3” piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 small red chili peppers, seeds removed (add more for spicier flavor)
2 tsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. garham masala
¼ tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. mustard seeds (or 1 tbsp. dry mustard powder)

2 small red onions, chopped
1 kilo pork, lamb, beef or chicken, cut into 1”cubes (the cheaper the cut, the better the flavor)

1) Pre-heat oven to 150C/300F.
2) Put all ingredients for sauce into a blender or food processor and puree.
3) Place chopped onion and cubed meat into a lidded, oven-proof pot, add sauce and stir well.
4) Cover pot and place in oven. Bake for 1 ½ hours, taste for seasoning, add salt and more spices (if desired), turn up the heat to 200C/400F and cook an additional 30 minutes.


Serve with Basmati or jasmine rice and a cooling yogurt sauce.