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Moussaka

Moussaka recipeSounds all posh and expensive, but really it's not.
 
Ingredients:-
 
750g/1lb 10½oz Lamb mince (Beef and Pork worked in ours)
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp dried Oregano
1½ tsp dried Mint
½  Cinnamon stick. grated
1 tbsp plain flour (Gluten free if required)
400g tin chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp Tomato purée
2 Aubergines, cut into 0.5cm slices
1 tbsp salt, plus extra for seasoning
100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
500g/1lb 2oz Maris Piper Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper
 
For the white sauce:-
 
Margarine
Flour
Milk
Salt & Pepper
Grated Italian style Cheese
 
 
Method:-
 
(1) Put the Mince, Onion, Garlic, Oregano, Mint, and Cinnamon in a large heavy-based frying pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring to break up the meat.
(2) Stir in the flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add the Tomatoes and Tomato purée and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mince is tender and the sauce has thickened. Season again if needed and set aside.
(3) Meanwhile, place the aubergine slices in a colander and sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
(4) Rinse the aubergine slices under cold running water and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan and fry the aubergines for 2–3 minutes on each side, adding more oil when necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
(5) Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain in a colander under running water until cold.
(6) Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
(7) To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a few seconds, then gradually stir in the milk. Add half the Italian style Cheese. Simmer the sauce gently for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
(8) Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the sauce to cool. When cooled, stir in the egg.
(9) Spoon one-third of the meat sauce into a shallow ovenproof dish large enough to hold 2.5 litres. Cover loosely with a third of the potatoes and then a third of the aubergines, just arrange them roughly on top. Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with the aubergines. Pour over the white sauce, making sure it covers everything in a thick, even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheese. Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until deep golden-brown and bubbling.

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DIY Black Bean Sauce, eat well on universal credit

We have a handy Chinese supermarket where we can get things like Fermented Black Beans, which is rather cool. To be honest we could have bough this in a jar. But it wouldn’t have tasted anywhere near as good and it wouldn’t have been as much fun. Fun is part of the cooking gig after all?

Ingredients:-

3 Tbsp of Fermented Black Beans
2 Tbsp of Garlic, minced into 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of Black Treacle
3 Tbsp of Soy Sauce (Gluten free for us)
1 Tsp of White Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp of Cornflour & 2 Tbsp of Water mixed to a paste
2 Tbsp of fresh Ginger, Minced
2 Tbsp of Shaoxing Wine
½ a Tsp of Sriracha
The green tops of 2 Spring Onions, finely chopped

Method:-

(1) Soak the Black Beans in water for an hour, drain and mash.
(2) Mix in the Garlic in Oil and the Ginger.
(3) Add to a pan over a low heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
(4) Add all the other ingredients except the Cornflour mix.
(5) Simmer for 20 minutes.
(6) Stir the Cornflour and water as it will have settled and add.
(7) Add to the sauce and simmer for a few minutes until thickened.

This make about 500ml of really strong Sauce. We’re having the remainder with slow braised Pork Shoulder this evening.

 

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