An Unauthentic Moussaka

One of my wife's favourite ingredients is aubergine so when two turned up in this week's vegetable box I came up with this recipe to make the best of them. I also still have a glut of beetroot so added a couple of grated beetroot into the sauce to make it go further.

Serves 5-6

Ingredients
2 Large Aubergines sliced length ways about 5mm thick
500g minced lamb
2 medium raw beetroot grated coarsely
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 large onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano

Olive oil

1 pint milk
1 large knob of butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
100g blue cheese

2 sheets of dried lasagne 

1 ball of mozzarella

Method:
Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and minced lamb and fry until the lamb is no longer pink. Add the beetroot and herbs and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and a splash or red wine or water to loosen the sauce if needed. Season with salt and pepper then simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the aubergines.

In a bowl coat each slice of aubergine with olive oil ad season with salt and pepper, then fry off in batches. It is easier this way to control the amount of olive oil otherwise the aubergine soaks up a lot of oil. Fry each side until browned (about 2-3 minutes on each side).

Make a cheese sauce with the milk, butter, flour and cheese. The method I use is to put all the milk, flour and butter in a saucepan and heat until all the butter has melted and the sauce has come together - you will need to stir pretty much constantly. Add the blue cheese (or strong cheddar) and stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.

In a large rectangular dish put in half of the tomato and mince sauce. Layer over half of the aubergine slices. Pour over half the cheese sauce. Add the sheets of lasagne (I use these to separate the cheese and meat sauces and to give a bit of structure to the dish). Repeat the meat, aubergine and cheese layers then top with the mozzarella torn into shreds.

Cook in a moderate oven for 30 minutes or until t top is golden brown and starting to crisp at the edges. Serve with a green vegetable or salad. Leftovers are even better the second day!

Aubergine Bake

We love aubergines we do. They take up the savoury flavour of anything they are coked with and in particular fit in well with aromatic North African spicing. So after a brisk bit of work in the garden I threw this together.
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
1 medium aubergine cut into 1/2 cm rounds
250g minced beef (or lamb)
1/2 a pepper (diced)
1/2 a courgette (diced)
1/2 a can of chopped tomatoes
1 large onion (finely chopped)
6 button mushrooms (diced)
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
olive oil
salt and pepper

For the topping:
1 egg
50ml milk
50ml yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
handful of grated chedder

Fry the meat in a little oil until brown, add the onion, courgette, mushrooms and pepper and fry until softened. Add the spices and tomatoes and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Fry the aubergine slices in olive oil until softened and lightly browned.

In an oven proof dish layer the sauce and the aubergines. Beat the topping together and spoon over the top of the meat and aubergine layers. Bake in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes until browned and bubbling. Serve with a green salad or peas and garden beans.

For a vegetarian option replace the mince with cooked lentils, beans or extra vegetables.

Cottage Pie

The endless dilemma: Cottage Pie or Shepherds' Pie. Common wisdom is that the former is made with minced beef the latter with minced lamb and I'm not going to argue with that. In any case my version would shock any cottager or shepherd! Amounts serve four with enough left over to make a pasta sauce for my next two lunches!

For a vegetarian option replace the mince with more beans or cooked lentils.

Ingredients:
400g minced beef
1 can tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 large onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 courgette
1/2 red pepper
1 bay leaf
2 carrots finely chopped
4 chestnut mushrooms chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper

For the topping:
1 large parsnips
3-4 small potatoes
2 small Jerusalem artichokes (or more parsnips, potatoes, swede)
Knob of butter
Grated cheese
Grated nutmeg

Fry the mince in a little oil then add the onion, pepper, courgette and mushrooms. Fry for a bit longer then add the remaining ingredients bring to the boil then simmer for 30 minutes.
Cook the vegetables for the topping in plenty of salted water until soft then mash with the butter, cheese and nutmeg.

Put the sauce in a oven proof dish then cover with the mash and dot with butter and perhaps a little extra grated cheese.
Cook in hot oven until the top is golden brown and crispy.

Serve with green veg or a crispy salad.

Left Alone In The Butchers...

My wife made the mistake of leaving me alone in a great butchers today after I'd been drinking coffee. By the time she had come back I'd bought a kilo of diced venison, 1/2 a kilo of minced beef and three large pieces of oxtail - all organic and looking very tasty.

The mince and the venison have been put in the freezer leaving the oxtail for tomorrow night's supper.

Watch this space!