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.

 

 

 

 

 

Smoking it

Just some chicken and pork. Figured I’d do a bit of BBQ. Made the rub for the season. Didn’t get to make the BBQ sauce so I used sweet baby Ray’s , a bit too sweet for my taste so I just served it on the side.

Let the rub stay on the meat at least overnight

Fire up the coals , get the temperature in the zone

I go heavy on the smoke

Just about done

The coals were still going strong so a few potatoes were smoked after the meat. I used mesquite pellets, I add some that have been soaked in water and some dry to temper the temperature. Also a sprayer bottle of water is used to regulate the temperature of the coals.

The meat is refrigerated so I gave a small supply of smoked meats for meals.

Chili Bean Wrap

A simple chili bean mix , made a few flour tortillas to wrap it up.

Saute some diced green peppers, in this case 1, add some diced onion and saute till translucent. Add some seasonings. Now some boneless pork ribs thin sliced are added in, the pork cooks quickly and then add can of Rotel tomatoes with chili peppers. The seasonings can be your choice, a bit of ground cumin, cumin seeds, dried cilantro, etc. Perhaps some garlic or garlic powder. The red chili beans were cooked in the microwave to hurry them along, in water to cover and then at low power for about 20-30 minutes. As the beans cook, let the tomato mixture simmer and reduce and add liquid like some broth or wine and continue to simmer. When the beans were finished, add to the tomato mixture and simmer to incorporate.

A quick mix of water, bacon fat, salt and flour to a dough, rolled and browned in a hot cast iron skillet for the wraps. A bit of yogurt for topping, nothing fancy. (but a few diced green onions would look nice for the picture and a sprig of cilantro)

soups

Several drafts to publish of previous cooking fall under the category of soup so here they are in one posting. A vegetable fresh soup is similar in prep to a salad. Even with the hot weather it seems that a bowl of soup has a cooling effect.

Veggie broth with porcupine meatballs

The porcupine meatballs was from a recipe originally with a sweet tomato sauce.

Not too many ingredients in the meatballs let the flavor of the meat be present.

• 1 lb. meat (I used pork for this recipe).
• 3/4 cup jasmine rice
• 1 egg
• 3 green onion minced
• 1 tsp. fresh garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds

Minced up the meat and additives in a food processor, I gave the rice a quick buzz to break into smaller pieces. Jasmine rice not available. The minced meatball mix  was refrigerated as I prepare some vegetable broth.

Using a scooper, it’s easy to make the meatballs.

Broth to the simmer, with the meatballs till cooked

Plate up hot broth, meatballs, thin cut veggies and noodle.

Minced chicken soup

 

Another recipe using rice flour noodle

Chicken Gizzard Soup

Whats good with soup, my daughters recipe for Zaatar Twists, just use puff pastry

barbecue Satay

• 2 pounds pork loin, cut into strips (or chicken)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 tablespoon molasses
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Place wooden skewers in a pan and cover with water to cover and let soak about an hour to prevent the skewers from burning during grilling. You could skip this step and broil the pork on a broiling pan instead.

Combine the water and brown sugar in a pan and over medium heat, simmer till the sugar dissolves increase the heat till the mixture reduces to a syrup.

Remove from the heat and add in soy sauce, lime juice, molasses, onion, garlic, ginger root, coriander and pepper, mix until well combined.

Marinade the pork in the sauce reserving about 1/4 cup for basting. Refrigerate for about one hour.

Thread the pork onto the skewers, grill untill tender or broil without the skewers till tender.

Served with couscous and large leaf lettuce.

 

 

 

Sausage stuffing

A small recipe,  ingredients and quantities by eye.

Course diced pork

Bacon

Bacon fat

Seasonings of choice

green onion

Garlic

Combine the above in a food processor and with plastic wrap, roll and  tie into sausages. Refrigerate at least overnight.

Diced bread crumbs

Diced celery and onion

Seasonings, Bell’s or other

Salt and pepper

Stock or water

Prepare the traditional stuffing recipe, saute the onion and celery with butter, the bread cubes were placed in an oven beforehand to dry out somewhat.

Mix and add enough stock to dampen the mixture. Add the sausage meat.

Place in a buttered pan and bake at about 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Good as a side dish or small meal with salad.

Egg and sausage

A food processor makes a quick task of making sausage meat, a bit of pork diced to facilitate chopping then add spices of what you like. I added some bacon for the fat content and other  spices and herbs. Stored in a plastic bag refrigerated at least overnight gives me fresh sausage meat to use in recipes or alone as a patty.

broiled sausage pattie,served on a large peice of toast with some green lettuce,egg and a cup of Mexican (origin) coffee.

Hunter’s stew

Another version of several types of meat roasted together.
Salt pork

Duck fat

Duck quarter

Duck wing

Chicken feet

Beef rib

Pigs foot

Duck neck

Duck giblets

Onion

Carrots

Shredded carrots  (leftover from a previous recipe)

Garlic

Seasonings

Several hours in a slow oven.

Debone and  shred meat , falling off the bones anyway. Reserve and refrigerate for future use. Excellent for  stew, soups etc.

Tandoor oven

A makeshift Tandoor oven for chicken and pork….

Pork Fried Rice

Easter dinner (yet to be posted), left us with leftovers, one of the advantages of hosting dinner is that when cooking a meal that you don’t often have , you allow for extra, both for giving out “take out ” containers to guests and having leftovers available during the week.

Diced pork from a crown roast was sauteed to brown and reserved. Add one cup of rice to a heavy skillet along with a bit of oil and shallots. Stir to coat rice and cook shallot slightly.

With heat at high, add 2 cups broth, stock or whatever to skillet. Let the mixture boil uncovered about 5 minutes till most of the broth dissipates. Sprinkle soy sauce over rice mixture till your satisfied with the taste and color. I add a bit of dried red pepper flakes here.

Depending with the type of rice continue cooking over low heat a few more minutes or shut the flame down and cover. Go do something else for about 15 minutes.

I just put the diced pork on a plate and plated the rice over it.

Perhaps if i wasn’t so hungry I would have added some celery and onions.
Served with a White House Honey Porter
https://peabodypico.wordpress.com/2016/03/27/64-white-house-honey-porter/