Moussaka

Moussaka
SERVES: 4 - 6
PREPARATION: 30 MINS + 40 MINS STANDING TIME 
COOKING: 1 HR 10 MINS

This little recipe comes not from a cook book or foodie magazine but from  Better Homes and Gardens  which is a bit of a lifestyle home improvement TV show that also has a magazine :). This recipe is From one of their regular chef's Fast Ed, from a section called Food in a Flash.....nothing fast about making this one lol. It's been yonks since I have had Moussaka and I'm looking forward to it. :p From the April 2010 Issue. 


Ingredients
2kg eggplants, cut into 1cm thick slices
1/4 cup salt flakes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
600g beef mince
400g can diced tomatoes
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp brown sugar
1 bunch oregano, finely chopped (I couldn't get fresh so had to use 2 tsp dried oregano)
Salt and Pepper to season
1 cup breadcrumbs
150g grated vintage cheddar cheese
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp plain flour
400ml hot milk
1 tsp ground nutmeg
120g grated parmesan
300ml cream, very cold
4 egg yolks 

Method

Preheat oven to 190C. Sprinkle eggplant with salt flakes and stand in colander for 20 minutes. Rinse well, then pat dry. Set a frying pan over a medium heat and cook eggplant in half the oil for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel.

Briefly fry onion and garlic in remaining oil, then add beef mince. Stir with a whisk to remove any lumps and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Add tomato, allspice, sugar and oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then set aside.

Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs over base of a 26cm square baking dish and top with a third of the eggplant. Top with half the mince mixture and half the remaining breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat with eggplant, mince, breadcrumbs and cheese, then top with remaining eggplant. 

Combine butter and flour in heavy based pan and set over a medium heat, stirring well. When mixture resembles wet sand, whisk in milk (don't forget it has to be hot milk! I forgot!) nutmeg and parmesan. Bring to the boil then remove from heat. Whisk in cream, then stir in egg yolks. Pour mixture over Moussaka, put in oven and bake for 1 hour. 

Set aside to cool for 20 minutes before serving. 

Serve with Greek Salad. 

My Notes

I found I needed more oil when frying off the eggplant 

I think the cheese sauce was too thin and needed more flour, will see how it comes out when cooked.....


Well this is one recipe which won't be repeated! what a shame! It was just a awful gluggy gray mess. The cheese sauce was really floury. So much effort went into it as well :( oh well you can't win them all...........now what am I going to do with the leftovers?  

Saturday Night - Chicken Ricotta & Lemon Pie

Chicken Ricotta & Lemon Pie 
SERVES: 6
PREPARATION: 15 MINS 
COOKING: 30 MINS 

Well this one wasn't made on a Sunday but close! Saturdays tea is from another recipe I have tried out from the 1st MASTER CHEF magazine. It was really tasty! read my notes at the end for a couple of things I noticed. You can make this in an oven proof frypan (which I don't have) or a spring-form cake tin (which I do have!)

Fabulously zingy pie packed with greek flavours, great cold the next day for lunch as well! give it a try. 

Ingredients 
250g baby spinach
650g chicken breasts thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
2tsp chopped rosemary leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
7 sheets filo pastry
1 lemon zested
6 eggs 
1 1/2 tbs plain flour
200g ricotta

Method

Preheat oven to 220C. Place spinach in a bowl, pour over boiling water and stand for 1 minute or until spinach has wilted. Drain and then refresh under cold water. Squeeze dry and chop finely.

Place chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, rosemary and tbs of oil, and combine.

Heat a 26cm oven-proof or regular frying pan over high heat. Cook chicken in 2 batches, for 1 minute each side or until browned. Transfer to a bowl and reserve pan if using an oven proof one.

Brush reserved pan or a 26cm spring form cake pan with 1 tbs oil. Working quickly, fold 6 sheets of filo pastry in half, then arrange in the pan so they overlap, covering the base and extending 2cm above the rim. Drizzle with the remaining 1tbs oil. Cut the remaining sheet of filo pastry into shreds and scatter over the base (this helps to keep the base dry). Add the chicken. reserving juices in the bowl. 

Add lemon zest to chicken juices, then add eggs and flour. Whisk to combine. Pour over chicken. Scatter with spinach and ricotta. Scrunch overhanging pastry to form a rim. (see my notes)

If using an oven-proof pan, place over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes, then transfer to oven and bake on the lowest shelf for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling has set. If using a cake pan, bake for 20 minutes (see my notes) on a heavy based baking tray. Serve straight from the pan. 

Tips

Don't brush pastry edge with oil, as it will brown too quickly. 

If the pastry turns golden before the filling sets, cover the top of the pie with baking 

paper. 

My Notes

I generally prefer to work with the filo pastry from the fridge section of the supermarket (Antoniou Fillo) as I find it a lot easier to work with than the frozen type. However when you can't get hold of it the frozen type will have to do. It's really important to bring the pastry to room temperature in the box for at least an hour before you use it, otherwise it just crumbles. In between keep the pastry covered with a clean dry tea towel. 

Instead of scattering the spinach and ricotta over the top after the egg mixture was added, I added it before hand to get a more even distribution through the pie rather than just over the top. 

the 20 minute cooking time was NO where near the filling being set, I cooked mine for 35 - 40 minutes before filling was set. However I used a 22cm spring form cake pan and this could be the reason why.