Moussaka
2 eggplants;
or 7 medium potatoes;
or 1 eggplant & 4 potatoes;
or 4 lbs. zucchini
1 Tbls. vegetable or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. ground beef
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 tomato paste can of water
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. crushed dried mint
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Optional: 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and/or 1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Parmesan Sauce (see below)
Prepare chosen vegetable(s): Peel eggplant(s) and slice into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Sprinkle generously with salt, place in deep bowl, and cover with cold water. Cover with a dinner plate to keep submerged, and let sit at room temperature 1 hour. Then rinse a drain thoroughly when ready to use.
And/or peel potatoes and slice 1/8-inch thick; soak in bowl of cold water. Drain thoroughly when ready to use, and salt lightly.' Or, slice zucchini 1/4-inch thick; salt lighlty.
Heat oil in saucepan, and sauté onion and garlic; add meat and brown until pink is gone. Drain off fat; add tomato paste, water, and seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Butter a 3-qt. oblong baking dish; add a layer of eggplant, potatoes, or zucchini, and sprinkle lightly with pepper. Pour over half of the Parmesan sauce. Add all of the meat sauce as the next layer. Layer remaining potatoes, eggplant, or zucchini over the meat; sprinkle lightly with pepper, and pour remaining sauce over all. Bake at 375F 1 hour (or until potatoes are tender) and the top is lightly browned. Allow to stand about 10 minutes before cutting into squares. [Freezes well, wrapped in foil. To serve, thaw and bake at 400F about 20 minutes.]
Serves 6-8
Parmesan Sauce
4 large eggs 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 2 cups milk 1/2 tsp. salt dash of pepper 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Beat eggs to light froth. Melt butter in heavy saucepan, and stir in flour. Cook one minute, and remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Continue stirring and boiling one minute, then remove from heat. Stir a small amount of the hot sauce into the eggs, then stir the eggs into the saucepan. Blend in salt, pepper and cheese, and use as directed in Moussaka.
Ed's Shortcut Stroganoff
1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey,
or beef steak, cut into bite-size cubes;
or 18-24 frozen meatballs, microwaved & halved)
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
(1-3 tsp. olive oil)
1/3 cup dry vermouth or sherry
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
4 oz. sliced mushrooms (fresh or canned)
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
(or dill or 2-3 pinches dried rosemary)
1/2 tsp. fresh grated orange rind and 1 tsp. sugar
(or 1-2 tsp. orange marmalade)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika (or more to taste)
black & red pepper to taste
4 oz. Neuchâtel cheese, cut up (or 1/3+ c. sour cream)
Optional: 2-3 Tbls. brandy or cognac, heated
Hot cooked egg noodles or fettucine Optional: 3-4 dollops sour cream Optional: 1-2 Tbls. chopped fresh parsley Optional: 2 Tbls. sliced almonds, toasted Brown meat with onion and garlic, using a little oil if needed. Add wine, and boil about 30 seconds. Stir in soup, mushrooms and seasonings; cover and simmer about 30 minutes (or till tender if using cubed beef, about an hour; add more wine if needed).
Turn off heat (you can let the mixture sit a while at this point--just reheat to a simmer, then remove from heat before proceeding); add cheese and stir till melted thoroughly. If desired, pour brandy over & carefully ignite by touching a lighted match to edge of pan. Serve over pasta, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream sprinkled with parsley/almonds and more paprika, as desired.
Yield: 3-4 servings
Beef Provençale
1/2 lb. bacon, diced 4 tsp. minced garlic 4 lbs. boneless chuck, chopped into bit-size pieces 2-3 cups dry red wine 1 cup water 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dried thyme 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary 1/2 tsp. pepper 2 bay leaves 1 pound button mushrooms 1 bag of frozen baby carrots 1 15-oz. jar of pearl onions (NOT PICKLED!), drained 1 cup of pitted ripe olives a cup or so of chopped parsley (no stems)
In dutch oven, Saute bacon with garlic; add beef, and saute till browned. Add 2 cups wine, water, seasonings, mushrooms, and carrots. Bring to boil; reduce heat, and simmer, covered, about an hour, stirring occasionally. If needed, add more wine. About 10 minutes before serving, add onions and olives. Immediately before serving, remove bay leaves, and stir in chopped parsley. Serve with buttered egg noodles.
Serves 8-10
Pastitso (Pasticcio)
1 box (13-14 oz.) whole wheat penne,
cooked, drained, & tossed with 1-2 tsp. olive oil &
a dash each of garlic powder and seasoned salt
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
2-3 tsp. minced garlic (or 2 fresh cloves, crushed)
1 Tbls. oil (or butter)
2 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
8-9 oz. tomato paste
1 c. water
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried mint
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
2 eggs, well beaten
4 c. Bechamel sauce (see below)
Nutmeg
Saute the onion in hot oil until golden; add the garlic and meat, stirring until fully cooked. Stir in cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, pepper and salt; add the tomato paste, water, oregano & mint and mix well; cover and simmer for 5 minutes, then uncover and simmer 20 minutes; remove from heat and allow to cool while making the bechamel.
To the cooked macaroni, stir in 2 cups of the bechamel sauce; layer half of the noodles in a large buttered casserole.
Stir a little of the meat sauce into beaten eggs (to prevent curdling) and then thouroughly mix the egg back into meat mixture; layer all of the meat on the first layer of macaroni. Layer on the remaining half of the macaroni and top with the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg and bake in preheated oven at 350F degrees for approximately an hour. (You might want to loosely cover with aluminum foil the last 20 mins. to keep from browning too much.)
[Freezes well, wrapped in foil. To serve, thaw and bake at 400F about 20 minutes.]
Serves 8-10
Bechamel Sauce
8 tbsp. butter 8 tbsp. flour 4 c. warm milk 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. white pepper Dash of nutmeg 2 c. Parmesan cheese 4 beaten eggs
Melt the butter, add the flour and stir over medium heat until light golden. Add the warm milk and stir until sauce is thick. Slowly stir some of the sauce into the eggs, and then add the eggs back into the sauce and stir. Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheeses.
No comments:
Post a Comment