In The Kitchen
Easiest Recipe for Making Moussaka
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Ingredients:
• Aubergines – 1 kg
• Vegetable oil – 160 ml
• Onion (large) – sliced finely
• Minced beef – 450 gms
• White wine – 1 glass
• Fresh tomatoes – 350 gm or tomatoes (drained of their juice and chopped) – 1400 gm
• Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
• Ground all spice – 1 tsp
• Salt and black pepper – to taste
• Oregano – 1 tsp
• Grated parmesan or kefalotiri or gruyere choose – 25 gm
• Chopped parsley
For the Bechamel Sauce
• Butter – 80 gms
• Flour – 80 gms
• Warm milk – 600 ml
• Salt and white pepper – to taste
• Grated parmesan or gruyere cheese – 30 gm
• Egg yolks – 2
For the Topping
• Grated parmesan cheese, gruyere or kefalotiri cheese – 60 gms
• Breadcrumbs – 4 tbsp
Method:
The moussaka needs to be baked inside an oven. You need to use a roasting container, this can be either a square or an oblong and it needs to be around 25X25 cm or 39X28cm. now the best thing to do would be to spread your work over a span of two days. You can simply cook the meat a day before and your moussaka won’t suffer at all. Make sure that you don’t do this with the aubergines; they need to be friend on that day. You need to top and tail these, but make sure that you don’t peel them. You can rinse them and then cut them into lengthwise strips and them soak them in water which is salted for half an hour then rinse them and squeeze them and then drain them and pat them dry. Then fry them in vegetable oil and dry them on absorbent paper.
Then sauté the onions in the vegetable oil and add the meat to it till the lumps start to break down and the color changes. Then put the wine, tomatoes, salt, pepper and spices, cook for 20 minutes. To make the sauce melt the butter and stir the flour in then add milk and seasoning and stir continuously. Let this simmer for 10 minutes till it becomes thick and take the pan off the heat and add the cheese and egg yolk. Don’t let the sauce boil after adding this. This is a kind of thick sauce which will sit over your mixture.
Next you need to assemble everything. First the base should be covered with half of those friend aubergines and then the half of the meat mixture should be spread evenly on top of that and then it should be covered with the rest of the aubergines. Then you spread the remaining meant and cover it all up with the sauce. Then grated cheese and bread crumbs should be sprinkled over this. You need to pre heat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and let this bake for around an hour till you see that a golden crust has formed. Let this stay for around 5 minutes before you start to serve it, this will help you cut it easily.
Ingredients:
• Aubergines – 1 kg
• Vegetable oil – 160 ml
• Onion (large) – sliced finely
• Minced beef – 450 gms
• White wine – 1 glass
• Fresh tomatoes – 350 gm or tomatoes (drained of their juice and chopped) – 1400 gm
• Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
• Ground all spice – 1 tsp
• Salt and black pepper – to taste
• Oregano – 1 tsp
• Grated parmesan or kefalotiri or gruyere choose – 25 gm
• Chopped parsley
For the Bechamel Sauce
• Butter – 80 gms
• Flour – 80 gms
• Warm milk – 600 ml
• Salt and white pepper – to taste
• Grated parmesan or gruyere cheese – 30 gm
• Egg yolks – 2
For the Topping
• Grated parmesan cheese, gruyere or kefalotiri cheese – 60 gms
• Breadcrumbs – 4 tbsp
Method:
The moussaka needs to be baked inside an oven. You need to use a roasting container, this can be either a square or an oblong and it needs to be around 25X25 cm or 39X28cm. now the best thing to do would be to spread your work over a span of two days. You can simply cook the meat a day before and your moussaka won’t suffer at all. Make sure that you don’t do this with the aubergines; they need to be friend on that day. You need to top and tail these, but make sure that you don’t peel them. You can rinse them and then cut them into lengthwise strips and them soak them in water which is salted for half an hour then rinse them and squeeze them and then drain them and pat them dry. Then fry them in vegetable oil and dry them on absorbent paper.
Then sauté the onions in the vegetable oil and add the meat to it till the lumps start to break down and the color changes. Then put the wine, tomatoes, salt, pepper and spices, cook for 20 minutes. To make the sauce melt the butter and stir the flour in then add milk and seasoning and stir continuously. Let this simmer for 10 minutes till it becomes thick and take the pan off the heat and add the cheese and egg yolk. Don’t let the sauce boil after adding this. This is a kind of thick sauce which will sit over your mixture.
Next you need to assemble everything. First the base should be covered with half of those friend aubergines and then the half of the meat mixture should be spread evenly on top of that and then it should be covered with the rest of the aubergines. Then you spread the remaining meant and cover it all up with the sauce. Then grated cheese and bread crumbs should be sprinkled over this. You need to pre heat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and let this bake for around an hour till you see that a golden crust has formed. Let this stay for around 5 minutes before you start to serve it, this will help you cut it easily.
Croatian Recipes You Have to Try Out!
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
Pasta Tatters or Mlinci
Ingredients:
• All purpose flour – 1 pound
• Eggs – 2
• Roasting pan dripping – ¼ cup
Method:
You need to put the entire flour in a mixing bowl and then you have to make a well in the middle of it. Then you add all the eggs and you have to add water to it also. But then it has to be enough so that you can make a pastry which is stiff. Then you have to roll the dough out and then cut it out into square pieces which are flat. Then you need a hotplate where you have to dry them out. If you don’t have a hot plate you can use a warm stove burner or a hot ungreased skillet or even the oven on a baking tile or a even on a pizza stone. You need to make sure that they are brown on both the sides. Then tear this into pieces. You don’t have to worry about how uniform you make it. After this put it in an oven proof dish.
Then boil water so that you can soak the mlinci in it and soak it in the water for 10 minutes. Then you rain it and then you can use it any recipe of your choice or with any other dripping. You either serve this with a salad or you serve it with a meat dish.
Roast Turkey with Pasta
Ingredients:
• Turkey (12 pounds) – 12 pounds
• Salt and pepper – to taste
• Apple – 1
• Oil or butter – ¾
• Mlinci – 1 pound
Method:
You need to pre heat the oven to around 350 degrees. Then you have to grease a pan for roasting using either butter or oil. Then you have to salt the turkey which you have cleaner and then you put the entire apple inside the body cavity of the turkey. Then at the bottom of the roaster you need to add a bit of water.
Then you place this in the oven for around 4 hours. You need to coat it very periodically with the butter or the oil. Then when you see that the turkey is done you add the mlinci to it and then roast it for another half an hour. This time is require for the mlinci to soak the drippings which are there in the pan.
Pasta Tatters or Mlinci
Ingredients:
• All purpose flour – 1 pound
• Eggs – 2
• Roasting pan dripping – ¼ cup
Method:
You need to put the entire flour in a mixing bowl and then you have to make a well in the middle of it. Then you add all the eggs and you have to add water to it also. But then it has to be enough so that you can make a pastry which is stiff. Then you have to roll the dough out and then cut it out into square pieces which are flat. Then you need a hotplate where you have to dry them out. If you don’t have a hot plate you can use a warm stove burner or a hot ungreased skillet or even the oven on a baking tile or a even on a pizza stone. You need to make sure that they are brown on both the sides. Then tear this into pieces. You don’t have to worry about how uniform you make it. After this put it in an oven proof dish.
Then boil water so that you can soak the mlinci in it and soak it in the water for 10 minutes. Then you rain it and then you can use it any recipe of your choice or with any other dripping. You either serve this with a salad or you serve it with a meat dish.
Roast Turkey with Pasta
Ingredients:
• Turkey (12 pounds) – 12 pounds
• Salt and pepper – to taste
• Apple – 1
• Oil or butter – ¾
• Mlinci – 1 pound
Method:
You need to pre heat the oven to around 350 degrees. Then you have to grease a pan for roasting using either butter or oil. Then you have to salt the turkey which you have cleaner and then you put the entire apple inside the body cavity of the turkey. Then at the bottom of the roaster you need to add a bit of water.
Then you place this in the oven for around 4 hours. You need to coat it very periodically with the butter or the oil. Then when you see that the turkey is done you add the mlinci to it and then roast it for another half an hour. This time is require for the mlinci to soak the drippings which are there in the pan.
Top Pie Recipes
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Chicken and Leek Pie
Ingredients:
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp
• Chicken breasts (large and cubed) – 4
• Butter – 1 tsp
• Large leeks (washed and cit into 1 cm thick rounds) – 3
• Plain flour – 1 tbsp
• White wine – 125 ml
• Chicken stock – 200 ml
• Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese – 100gm
• Parsley (chopped) – 1 tbsp
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp
• Filo pastry – 2 sheets
Method:
You need to olive oil in a frying pan which is sturdy and then you have to cook the chicken till you see that it becomes tender. This will take around 10 minutes; you will have to stir quite often while you cook. Then you remove it from the pan and then you leave this on a side. If you use cooked chicken then you can overlook this stage.
Then you have to add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan and then soften your leeks with this. Make sure that it doesn’t change color. This is going to take 5 minutes. Then you sprinkle the flour over this and cook it. Keep stirring all the time for another 2 minutes.
Then you have to stir the wine in along with the chicken stock. Then you have to bring this to a simmer and cook this for around 5 minutes, till you see that it has gotten lightly thick. Then you add the Philadelphia and stir this till you see that it has melted and formed a sauce. After this you need to add a dash of water if you see that it looks thick.
After this you need to bring the chicken back to the pan and then you add the parsley to this. Then you spoon the mixture into a shallow pie dish which h is of 1 liter and is oven proof and you let this cool. Then you have to brush the edge of the pie dish with the olive oil. Then you unroll the filo pastry and lay one of the sheets of this pastry over the pie dish.
Brush it with the olive oil again and repeat the process with the other sheet. The overhanging pastry should be scrunched up and then folded onto the surface of the pie and finally you have to brush olive oil on it once again. You then bake this in a pre heated oven which is at 190 degree Celsius for around 30 minutes. Till you see that it turns golden and you serve it from the dish.
Chicken and Leek Pie
Ingredients:
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp
• Chicken breasts (large and cubed) – 4
• Butter – 1 tsp
• Large leeks (washed and cit into 1 cm thick rounds) – 3
• Plain flour – 1 tbsp
• White wine – 125 ml
• Chicken stock – 200 ml
• Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese – 100gm
• Parsley (chopped) – 1 tbsp
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp
• Filo pastry – 2 sheets
Method:
You need to olive oil in a frying pan which is sturdy and then you have to cook the chicken till you see that it becomes tender. This will take around 10 minutes; you will have to stir quite often while you cook. Then you remove it from the pan and then you leave this on a side. If you use cooked chicken then you can overlook this stage.
Then you have to add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan and then soften your leeks with this. Make sure that it doesn’t change color. This is going to take 5 minutes. Then you sprinkle the flour over this and cook it. Keep stirring all the time for another 2 minutes.
Then you have to stir the wine in along with the chicken stock. Then you have to bring this to a simmer and cook this for around 5 minutes, till you see that it has gotten lightly thick. Then you add the Philadelphia and stir this till you see that it has melted and formed a sauce. After this you need to add a dash of water if you see that it looks thick.
After this you need to bring the chicken back to the pan and then you add the parsley to this. Then you spoon the mixture into a shallow pie dish which h is of 1 liter and is oven proof and you let this cool. Then you have to brush the edge of the pie dish with the olive oil. Then you unroll the filo pastry and lay one of the sheets of this pastry over the pie dish.
Brush it with the olive oil again and repeat the process with the other sheet. The overhanging pastry should be scrunched up and then folded onto the surface of the pie and finally you have to brush olive oil on it once again. You then bake this in a pre heated oven which is at 190 degree Celsius for around 30 minutes. Till you see that it turns golden and you serve it from the dish.