Eggplant something or other (moussaka)

I found I did get the basis of this recipe from a WP blog  Mostly Greek Eggplant Mousskasa , Eggplant Moussaka    after a search for eggplant recipes.

The eggplant is my fav meal, and at times better than the chicken or beef or used as a filler with meat.  So here we go.

I used ground pork instead of beef

I stuck with the cinnamon spice for the Greek style taste of the tomato sauce

some canned diced tomato for the suace

a bit of melomel replaces the wine

process the tomato sauce

salt and let sit for while to draw out some water, test fit in the baking dish

brush with olive oil, broil till browned, both sides

make the bechamel sauce

into the baking dish

add the tomato sauce

top with the bechamel and some grated parmensan, bake.

after baking, let cool a bit.

excellent flavor the eggplant, tomato sauce and bechamel compliment each other

not overly watery or runny, just right, perhaps a glass of wine and a chunk of fresh bread.

 

 

 

 

 

Apple with cardamon sugar,ginger and cinnamon

Illustrations,

Apple sections , grind cardamom seeds with sugar , grate ginger and cinnamon bark over apple (those adverse to sugar, honey is an alternative.)

Microwave several minutes, or bake

Not only pleasing to the taste but aromatic to your kitchen as well.

Apple cranberry crisp

It’s fall weather time and if the cold blast prewinter weather cools you off then it’s apple crisp time.

Recipes abound, this one I like that adds the cranberries for tartness. You can cut back or eliminate the sugar with a substitute if you please.

4 apples (or whatever harvest will give you.)

1 & 1/2 cup cranberries,( I keep a few bags in the freezer)

1/3 cup sugar (or substitute)

3 tbls AP flour Or substitute

Zest (I used lemon juice)

Topping:

1/2 cup flour or equivalent (some rice flour substituted)

1/2 cup oats, either quick cook or steel cut ,your preference.

1/3 cup light brown sugar or substitute

1/4 cup almonds sliced

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, fresh grated for me.

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl, I lined a 10 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, and added the mix.

You can rinse out and dry the bowl, add the rest of the topping ingredients, mix with a pastry blender, spread on top, bake in a 350 degree farenheit oven for about 30 – 40 minutes.

Let cool slightly, best with rich vanilla ice cream, and /or whipped cream.

From the oven

Plated, yes I ran the broiler for some char!

Apple Squares

A pie that turned into a bunch of squares. I was going to go for a pie but decided to spread the whole thing on to a sheet pan. I followed the dough recipe from the Cuisinart food processor by mixing the dough as directed and before it actually comes together, placing it plastic bags and squeezing it to a disk , then refrigerate for an hour. Butter was the fat utilized.

The apples were then prepped with fresh grated cinnamon, all spice,and nutmeg with both shaved solid brown sugar and granulated brown sugar. (and a touch of grated ginger root). To provide some structure bread crumbs were added also.

The dough rolled out very easy both top and bottom.

The squares ready to go, with a small one on the side.

Trimming into squares

Well, I went this far, so I added sugar and chocolate icing.

COFFEE?

 

Sweet cinnamon bread

Just some dough from the fridge, last night batch of dough. Made some sausage dumplings.

Grease a pan add dough balls. Grate fresh cinnamon sticks, then sprinkle brown sugar. Let rise then bake.

Mmmmmm light cinnamon and sugar flavor.

Cinnamon Toast

Cinnamon Toast

A few ingredients that had been on the shelve plus bread and butter.

You need not have to use the same ingredients, usually  caster/brown sugar and ground cinnamon will suffice.

 

cooking with coconut milk (chicken)

One of the ingredients I’ve been slowly  incorporating into recipes is coconut milk. From Thai grilled shrimp to this,  it uses some similar elements for a different take on chicken. As the story goes there are probably more ways to cook chicken than anything else.

First step, thawing out and thin slicing some boneless chicken breast, many in the freezer at this time.

chicken fillets with spice paste

Thin cut chicken breast

Next using Thai spice paste, rub the chicken and stack the fillets, let stand for about an hour, I find that this is a quick acting spice paste so a meal can be prepared with a shorter lead time than an overnight marinate.

ground hot pepper, allspice,cloves, cassia bark star anise,celery seed, fenugreek, ginger and turmeric in center.

Free hand a spice pallet, here cinnamon, fenugreek, allspice, peppercorns, ground hot smoked pepper, whole peppercorns and the like. One of my attempts at assembling a combination. Researching some recipes revels that the ingredients are often dictated by what was locally grown and available at the time even depending on the weather and harvest conditions and may be influenced by religion. I opened the spice closet.

 

toasting or sputtering the whole spices

Heat a small amount of oil and flash or sputter the spices quickly, add the sliced onions ,sliced lemongrass and a bit of water to prevent burning.

quickly add the slice onion and lemongrass.

Cook the onion and spice mixture several minutes , add water along the way if necessary till translucent. remove to a plate.

pan fry quickly the chicken breast till just done

Yes the breast are huge!  This was slicing from only one piece.  When all are browned, return to the pan.

Add the coconut milk, grated turmeric and ginger and several tomatoes along with the previously cooked onions and lemon grass.

Mix slightly, cover and simmer till heated through. Taste and adjust spices. I was surprised ! The coconut milk evened out all the spices, taste was more than I expected even a bit of heat with the sweetness of the coconut milk.

plated it up with rice and cool cucumbers.

The chicken was fork tender, not overcooked. A pleasant alternative to conventional chicken gravy,  a lighter sweeter taste.

 

Red braised pork belly

From: An Island Chef

The Online Cookery School

modifications of measurments and ingredients

• About 1 lb pork belly
• Water
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons mead
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon rock sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• Star anise pods
• Cassia bark
• Ginger
• Garlic, garlic scapes

Here we go…. Prepped….

Blanch the pork belly, drain and dry

Melt the sugar with oil….

Start braising the pork belly in the syrupy liquid.

You can see the caramelisation and shiny result.

MMMMM…. Have to taste a sample.

Added some garlic scapes in place of the Spring onion.

Plated up, added some sesame seeds, because I add them to a lot of dishes.

Tasty dish, I will try this with chicken wings !

Chocolate Shortbread olé

A chocolate type cookie , easy to make, cinnamon and a bit of chili powder. I choose to use smoked chili powder and it is way in the background in the taste of the cookies.

From a Nestle recipe book, instead of pecans , walnuts were used.

• 8oz chocolate bits, ghirardelli chocolate chips used
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 inch cayenne pepper (smoked dried chili flakes used)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans, (walnuts used)

Melt the chocolate

Mix the sugar and butter till fluffy, add the melted chocolate.

Combine the flour, cinnamon and chili pepper, and stir into the above.

Stir in the nuts.

Shape into 1 inch balls (or use a scooper)  and then press them to flatten with a glass bottom coated in sugar.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

My cookies were a bit dry but none the less, very good.

prep, toast the walnuts, melt the chocolate

cookie dough

press with a sugar coated cup

ready to bake

cooling

Chicken Curry

From Food 52 Meera Sodha’s Mum’s Chicken Curry

• A spicy chicken dish , I scaled the recipe in half and used 2 chicken thighs , bone in with the skin.
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil (canola, olive etc.)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 , 1 and 3/4 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 1, 1 and 1/4 inch ginger root, peeled and grated
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 fresh chilis, green
• salt
• 3 or 4  oz strained tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon yogurt, plain whole milk
• 1 lb or so chicken, the thighs are had were large so two we close to 1 lb
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

No surprises here, this is  similar to a braised dish and no marination or browning of the chicken is required. As always if you measure and prep the ingredients, the recipe goes easy.

I found these plastic sheets for cutting at the local Job lot, inexpensive and easy to clean plus the diced ingredients can be funnelled right into the pan. Cumin seeds are on the order list, none in stock so I used ground cumin for the saute step.

So in the butter and oil sputter the cumin seeds and cinnamon. Add all the onion and cook till very golden, low medium heat, 10 to 12 minutes. Pound up the chilis and ginger and garlic in a pestle to a course paste, very fragrant ! Add it to the onion mixture. cook for additional 2 minutes.

Now add the paste just cook the following a few minutes layering the ingredients.

Now go with the tomato paste , ground cumin, turmeric, salt to preference and whisk in the yoghurt, cook till heated through.  Add the chicken.

Lid the pan and slow simmer about 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are done. Finish with the final addition of the ground nuts and garam masala. Flat breads or rice is a good side.

Tomato is the dominate flavor with a spicy finish not too hot. The curry is rather thick and towards the end of the recipe before the chicken was added, I added additional water. Its may be due to the fact or store bought yogurt is thick with no liquid.

I would probably go with more ginger and garlic, but with these many individual flavors additions, it also depends on the quality and freshness of the spices and herbs utilized that could affect the ratio and your preferences.