Moussaka

What what?! An oven-baked dish right smack in the middle of a heat wave? Girl, you cray-cray!

But let me explain the rationale behind this rather unconventional choice for a meal in July:

July = hot = beautiful weather = beach = Mediterranean sea = Greece = Moussaka. See? Barely convoluted :D


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
- 2lbs eggplants
for the meat sauce: 
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 15oz can diced tomato, with juice
- 1 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste

for the white sauce:
- 2 cups of milk (normally whole, but I used skim)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup AP flour
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup grated feta cheese


RECIPE:
- preheat your oven at 350F
- slice the eggplants thinly (~1/8 inch), salt them and put them on a dish cloth for an hour so they can release water

- in the mean time, fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes on medium-low heat, until translucent and soft

- add the meat and brown for a few minutes on high heat until cooked through

- add the remaining ingredients for the meat sauce, stir well and let simmer covered for about an hour on low heat

- while the meat sauce is cooking, prepare the white sauce: start with a roux. Melt the butter over medium heat, and add the flour, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. It will bubble and fluff up

- add the milk in one go, and whisk immediately to avoid lumps. cook for a few minutes on medium-low heat, until the sauce thickens to pancake batter consistency

- remove from heat and stir in the grated feta cheese and beaten egg; reserve on the side until ready to assemble the Moussaka

- when your white sauce is cooling and the meat sauce is finishing cooking, shallow fry the eggplant slices (patted dry). To minimize the oil intake, I used a cooking spray and fried the slices in batch, about 1-2 minutes per side over medium-high heat

- you can now proceed to the assembly: start with a layer of eggplants, and spread half of the meat sauce on top, then add a second eggplant layer, other half of the meat sauce and finish with a third eggplant layer. Pour the white sauce on top and smooth out with a spatula


- bake in a 350F oven for an hour, until beautifully golden

- enjoy!!

PS: this keeps extremely well and tastes even better reheated. You can also freeze leftovers in batches and enjoy your Moussaka during cold winter days :)

Bacon Cheeseburger from scratch

After nearly a two-month cooking hiatus, I'm back in the kitchen.

I was browsing a few of my favorite blogs last week, and found this recipe for hamburger buns at foodwishes (seriously cool blog btw!). It took about a second before I decided a homemade bacon cheeseburger was how I was going to get back on the horse.

Enjoy! This is well worth your time :D


INGREDIENTS (8 buns)
- 3 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- a dash of salt
- 1 pack active dry yeast
- 1 egg and a splash of milk for the glaze


RECIPE:
- prewarm your oven at 375F
- mix the yeast, water and 1/2 cup of the flour in a bowl and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature until foamy to activate the yeast

- add the melted butter, egg, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture and stir until smooth

- add the rest of the flour and using a dough hook, knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy and form into a ball

- place in a bowl with a little bit of oil, cover with foil and let rise for about 2 hours in a warm place until doubled in size (in the closed oven for example- off, of course)

- after 2 hours, drop the dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten with your hands in to a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. cut into 8 equal sized bits and form into small balls

- flatten the dough into discs and arrange on a baking sheet lined with a silicone sheet (or parchment paper). cover with film (do not tighten the film, just place it on top of the discs) and let rise at room temperature for another hour until the discs have doubled in size

- prepare a glaze with the egg and a splash of milk, and brush over the buns very lightly

Note: if you have sesame seeds, now would be the time to sprinkle them on top of the buns (I skipped that step because I just did not have any at home)
- bake at 375F for about 15 minutes, until golden

- slice the buns in half when they are cool to the touch. Use one for your burger and freeze the remaining sliced buns in bags and they will be ready to pop in the toaster oven next time!.
- Enjoy your homemade burger from scratch!!! I used 90% ground beef, maple smoked bacon, sharp cheddar, romaine, ketchup and homemade pickle.

omnomnomnom....

Summery watermelon and tomato salad

Summer is right around the corner!

The temperatures here on the East Coast are flirting with the 90s, and I'm stuck home with shingles which leaves me unable to go out and enjoy the sun with my friends *insert sad face here*.

But that does not mean I can't prepare myself a nice, light and delicious meal! No siree!

I took advantage of home delivery online grocery shopping and indulged in the heaviest, freshest, water-gorged fruits and veggies and stocked up my fridge ;)

Here's what I came up with for lunch.


INGREDIENTS (for 1 person as a meal, or 2 as a starter):
- 2 cups of diced watermelon
- 5 medium cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 large basil leaf (or 2 small)
- 3 small sprigs of fresh tarragon
- a pinch of freshly ground coriander seeds
- salt, pepper
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


RECIPE:
- put the watermelon cubes and tomato quarters in a bowl

- pick the tarragon leaves, roll inside the basil leaf and chop finely

- sprinkle the tomatoes and watermelon with the herbs, coriander, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil

- toss well and serve as a meal salad alongside a perfectly fried egg, and a tall glass of sugar-free pink grapefruit lemonade

- enjoy and feel healthy!