Beef Stew with Aubergines Purée

In Istanbul they call this dish “hounkiar beyienti” that means “the Royal court’s choice”! In case you wonder why, just try it!

Ingredients

• 1k beef (topside or brisket) cut in portions
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 can (400g) tomatoes, finely chopped
• ½ teacup of dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2-3 sprigs of parsley
• salt
• freshly ground pepper

For the aubergines puree

• 5-6 medium sized plum aubergines, roasted
• 500ml fresh milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ small onion
• 1 clove
• a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
• salt

Method

Warm the olive oil in a casserole-type pan and brown the meat on all sides for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and the finely chopped onion and stir fry them until they become translucent. Then smear the tomato purée on the bottom of the casserole. Pour in the wine and wait for the alcohol to evaporate, then, add the parsley, allspice, bay leaf and finely chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle with the sugar, drizzle with very little water and season to taste. Add as little water as possible, during cooking, to help condense the flavours, so as to end up with a much tastier food. Put the lid on and simmer over a low heat until the meat melts in the mouth and the sauce thickens, that is for approximately 1h and 30 minutes.

For the aubergines purée: Pin the clove in the halved onion and place it in a casserole along with the milk. Warm it up.Melt the butter gently in a saucepan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with a whisker for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, discard the onion, then, add the milk, a little at a time, constantly stirring. Put back on heat and simmer gently until the sauce thickens.  When ready remove from heat and add the salt and the nutmeg. In the meantime peel the roasted aubergines and mash their flesh in the food processor. Add them in and combine everything well. To serve, place the purée on a plate, top it with the meat and pour the rich sauce over.

portions 4

Preparation Time 20 minutes

Cooking Time 105 minutes

Source: argiro.com.gr

Briam

Ingredients

•     Pepper
•     1 can chopped tomatoes
•     Salt
•     2 eggplants
•     Dried thyme
•     4 medium potatoes, cut in similar cubes
•     Nutmeg
•     5 large zuccini,
•     2 bay leaves (dafni)
•     1/2 cup olive oil
•     2 onions
•     4 cloves garlic

Directions

1. Chop zuccini, potatoes and eggplants to small cubes.

2. Chop onions into 4 pieces each and crush the garlic cloves.

3. Place all the vegetables in a baking pan and mix them together.

4. Add olive oil, a dash of nutmeg, a dash of thyme, the bay leaves as well as salt and pepper, mixing everything together well.

5. Preheat oven at medium heat and bake for an hour. Keep adding a little bit of water at intervals to make sure the mix doesnt fry in the pan.

6. Remove from oven, allow some time to cool and serve warm.

Note : Dish is suitable for vegetarians. Serves 4 people.

Source: Greekrecipes.gr

Imam Baildi

Ingredients

•     Salt
•     500gr [1 lb] of onions
•     Pepper
•     500gr [1 lb] Aubergines (4 or 5 items)
•     4 cloves garlic
•     oregano
•     sugar
•     Parsley
•     150ml Olive Oil
•     500gr [1 lb] of tomatoes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350C (180F).

2. Peel and slice the tomatoes.

3. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and slice the parsley.

4. Cut the stalks off the aubergines and rinse them well.

5. Slice the aubergines on one side only making them able to be opened up like a book without breaking them.

6. Add a little bit of oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the aubergines all around.

7. Remove the aubergines and place in an oven dish (side by side) and season them with salt, pepper and oregano.

8. Saute the onions and garlic in the frying pan and slightly golden then add the chopped tomatoes and parsley along with a cup of water. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Sprinkle a touch of sugar in the mix and stir well, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

10. Carefully stuff the aubergines with the mix, using a small spoon while making sure not to break them. Once all the stuffing has been distributed place the saucepan in the preheated oven.

11. Bake for 40 minutes, sprinkling water once or twice on them during this period.

12. Remove from heat and leave in room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Source: Greekrecipes.gr

Stuffed Eggplants (Melitzanes Papoutsaki)

Ingredients

•     1 egg
•     150g (0.35 pounds)grated gruiere cheese
•     nutmeg (grated)
•     olive oil
•     1 cup full fat milk
•     6 medium tomatoes
•     Butter (salted)
•     2 cloves of garlic
•     all purposer flour
•     1 large onion
•     fresh parsley
•     225gr (0.5 pounds) minced meat
•     pepper
•     5 medium size eggplants
•     salt

Directions

0. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F), Preheat a frying pan, and have ready a saucepan and another frying pan.

1. Finely chop 4 of the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Also slice the other 2 tomatoes and set aside the slices on a plate.

2. Finely chop the onion and the garlic and set aside.

3. Finely chop up about half a cup of parsley.

4. Wash the eggplants and cut off the stems. Slice the eggplants in half (lengthwise).

5. Using a small spoon remove seeds from the core and discard them. Then use a knife and a spoon to remove the pulp from the inside of the eggplant and deposit it in another bowl. Be very careful not to rupture the skin of the eggplant while scooping it out.

6. Finely chop the inside of the eggplants and set aside.

7. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil in a preheated frying pan and sautee the onions and garlic. Once the onions begin to run golden add the chopped eggplants and stir the mix for about 3 minutes.

8. Add the minced meat to the mix and keep stirring till the meat begins to brown. Then add the chopped tomatoes, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

9. Reduce the heat and allow the mix to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Check occasionally to see if the liquid has been absorbed, if it has remove from the heat.

10. While the mix is simmering in the frying pan you can make the Bechamel Sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat. The moment the butter melts completely add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir well so that there are no lumps of flour.

11. Gradually Pour 1 cup of of milk while continuing to stir. Once the mixture becomes creamy remove from the heat (its important not to overcook it). Add a pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

12. Allow a few minutes for the sauce to cool down and then add 1 egg yolk and stir really well.

13. Sautee the eggplant halves on both sides using a touch of olive oil. Do not overcook, you only want the eggplants to soften up a bit.

14. In a backing pan, place the eggplant halves and use a spoon to fill each one with the meat/tomato mix we ended up with in step 9 and add a teaspoon of Bechamel sauce over each one.

15. Add a slice of tomato over each eggplant and then divide the grated Gruierre over the eggplants.

16. Cook for approximately 90 minutes on the lowest rack position(Bechamel and cheese should be brown by then).

Produces 10 pieces, served hot or cold.

Source: Greekrecipes.gr

Moussaka (2) - (Mousakas)

NOTES

Primarily, Moussaka relies on the taste and flavour of the aubergines; if the aubergines are not fresh enough, it is not worth embarking on making moussaka, as it involves a lot of work. People wrongly assume that dubious aubergines can be disguised with a layer of minced meat and a milky white sauce and served as a "glorious" Moussaka; it will be a waste of time.
Greek : Μουσακάς
Serves / Yields : 6 persons
Season:Spring,Summer

INGREDIENTS

•     1 kg aubergines (large or/and elongated variety)
•     160 ml vegetable oil (about 1 teacup)
•     1 large onion, finely sliced
•     450 gr. minced beef
•     1 glass white wine (not retsina, but aretsinoto)
•     350 gr. fresh tornatoes, 1400 gr. tomatoes, drained of some of their juice and chopped
•     teaspoon ground cinnamon
•     teaspoon ground allspice
•     salt and black pepper
•     1 teaspoon oregano
•     25 gr. grated parmesan, kefalotiri, or Gruyere cheese
•     some chopped parsley

    Bechamel Sauce

•     80 gr. butter
•     80 gr. flour
•     600 ml warm milk
•     salt and white pepper
•     30 gr. grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese
•     2 egg yolks

    Topping

•     z 60 gr. grated Parmesan,Gruyere or kefalotiri cheese
•     4 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs

METHOD

Moussaka should be baked in the oven. Use a roasting container, eitber square or oblong, approximately 25x25 cm or 39x28 cm. It is recommended that you spread the work involved over two days for your convinience; one can easily cook the meat the day before, witbout the Moussaka suffering at all. Do not do the same with the aubergines; they should be fried on the day.

Aubergines
Top and tail the aubergines, without peeling them. Rinse them, cut them lengthways in 75-mm thick slices and immerse them in salted water, for 30 minutes.Take them out, squeeze gently, rinse, then squeeze them again. Drain them in a colander and pat dry. Fry them in hot vegetable oil until they become pale golden on both sides; you can either deep-fry them, which is easier but they absorb a lot of oil, or shallow-fry them. In either case, drain them on absorbent paper on a flat platter before serving, so that most of their oil will dribble away.

Meat
Sautee the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, until it looks glistening. Add the meat and sautee together, stirring, until all the lumps are broken down and the meat starts to change colour. Pour in the wine, add tomatoes, sliced finely, the spices, salt and pepper and the oregano. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time in case it sticks. Then mix in the grated cheese and parsley.

Bechamel Sauce
Melt the butter and, away from the heat, gradually add the flour and stir to amalgamate. Return to the heat and gradually add the milk and seasoning, stirring continuously. Simmer for 9-10 minutes, stirring, until it has thickened considerably. Withdraw the pan from the heat, let it stand briefly, then add the cheese and the egg yolks. Stir to amalgamate them. Do not let the sauce boil after this. It should by now be a thick bechamel, to enable it to sit on top of the meat mixture and form a kind of crust.

To assemble, cover the base of the roasting dish with half of the fried aubergines, then spread half of the meat mixture evenly on top of them and cover neatly with the remaining aubergines. Spread the remaining meat and sauce evenly over the top and cover neatly with the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese all over the top, and the breadcrumbs. Moussaka from Macedonia may contain a layer of thinly sliced roun potatoes which have been fried first. Bake in a pre-heated oven, gas no.4/ 350 grades F/ 180 grades C, for 1 hour, untit a golden crust is formed all over the top. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving, in order to be able to cut it more easily. To serve, cut into square or oblong-shaped pieces, about 8 cm thick. It should be quite dry by then and the pieces should ideally stay intact.

Source: Greek-recipe.com

Melitzanosalata [ Eggplant Salad ]

Ingredients

•     1 οnion
•     4 eggplants
•     Salt
•     Pepper
•     2 cloves of garlic
•     1 tomato
•     3/4 cup olive oil
•     1 tablespoon vinegar

Directions

1. Wash all vegetables well.
2. Grate onion and place in a bowl. (do not use a very big onion)
3. Cut tomato into small pieces and set aside.
4. Crush garlic and set aside.
3. Preheat oven at medium heat.
4. Put eggplants in a baking pan and bake them in moedium heat until they become soft (aprox. 1 hour). Dont worry if the eggplant skins burn a little.
5. Take eggplants out of the oven and while still hot remove their skin.
6. Cut eggplants into small pieces over a large bowl.
7. Add onion, garlic, tomato, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and blend together.(Depending on the texture you want the dish to have you can either use a wire sift and lightly mix it or use an electric mixer and create the more creamy version).

Source: Greekrecipes.gr

Eggplant Casserole - (Melitzanes me kreas sti katsarola)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 1 4 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 lb. ground lamb or beef
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 med red onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 2 slices bread, cubed

METHOD

Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the eggplant, cover, remove from heat and allow to stand while preparing the rest of the casserole. In a large skillet, brown the meat and add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Continue to saut until vegetables soften. Season with 1 tsp salt, sugar and pepper. Add bread, tomato sauce and cheese. Drain eggplant and add, mixing well. Place in 3 quart covered casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until nicely brown.

Recipe from www.bitsykitchen.com

Greek Octopus With Eggplants (Htapodi me Melitzanes)

Octopus is a polular seafood dish in Greece, though it is an acquired taste. I previously posted the recipe for Octopus With Pasta and this is another popular recipe, where the octopus is prepared with eggplants and potatoes.

Ingredients

1 ½ kilos octopus
4 eggplants
4 medium potatoes cut into cubes
1 large onion grated
3 cloves chopped garlic
4 fresh, ripe tomatoes with skin removed and grated
100 ml olive oil
100 ml red wine
400 ml water
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste


Preparation

Remove the stems from the eggplants and peel in stripes – peel one length of skin, leave one length, peel another length etc.

Cut the eggplants into cubes approx. 2-3 cm

Put in a bowl of water with 1 tablespoon salt.

Cover with a plate to keep the cubes under water.

Clean the ink from the octopus and remove the eye.

Cut the tentacles into 5cm lengths.

In a heavy bottom pan heat the oil and then add the octopus.

Fry until all the liquid from the octopus has gone, but the oil remains.

Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes.

Ad the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the red wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and bay leaves and simmer for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, add 400 ml water, drain the eggplants well and add them along with the potatoes, salt and pepper to the mixture.

Cook for approx. 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

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Greek Briam

 

 

Another easily prepared dish. This can be eaten hot or cold and is delicious when accompanied by a large slice of Feta cheese.

Ingredients

½ kg potatoes

½ kg courgettes

½ eggplants

2 green peppers

1 medium onion sliced

2 large ripe tomatoes pureed

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley

100 ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

500 ml water

Preparation

Cut all the vegetables into round slices approx. ½ cm thick.

Place all the ingredients in a large shallow oven dish, making sure they are well mixed andevenly spread.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour or until no water remains, only the oil.

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Greek Vegeterian Mousaka

 

 

Most people probably know of Moussaka as a "classic" Greek dish, but Vegetarian Moussaka is not quite as well-known. We find it really delicious and many people who are not vegetarian have said that they actually prefer it to the "normal" moussaka, which is made with meat and not mushrooms.

Try it and I'm sure you'll like it!

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes suitable for frying
4 large courgettes
8 medium eggplants
½ litre frying oil

For the Sauce

1kg button mushrooms

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 onions finely sliced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 bay leaves

½ cup olive oil

For the Béchamel

1 litre fresh milk
250g butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
200g grated parmesan cheese (2/3 for the béchamel and 1/3 to sprinkle on top of the béchamel)

Preparation

Slice the potatoes, courgettes and eggplants lengthwise into ½cm slices.

Deep fry them – first the potatoes, then add the eggplants and finally add the courgettes.

Remove them and place them on absorbent kitchen paper to drain off as much oil as possible.

The Sauce

Gently fry the onions in a large pan.

Add the crushed garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms and continue stirring.

Add the tomatoes and bay leaves.

Add the parsley.

Continue heating until all the juice has been absorbed and you have a thick sauce.

Béchamel

In a heavy-bottomed pan gently heat the butter until it melts.

Add the flour and stir continuously.

Add half of the milk and continue to stir with a whisk.

When the mixture starts to thicken, add the rest of the milk whilst stirring continuously.

When it starts to thicken again, lower the temperature to the minimum and add the grated cheese and then turn off.

In a deep oven dish place a layer with half of the potatoes at the bottom.

Add a layer with the courgettes on top and then a layer with the eggplants.

Spread the sauce on top.

Add a final layer with the remaining potatoes on top of the sauce.

Add the béchamel on top and sprinkle the remaining cheese over it.

Bake in a pre-heated moderate oven for approx. 40 minutes or until it has turned a golden colour on top.

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Eggplant papoutsakia

Ingredients

5 large round eggplants

For the Sauce

½ kg Mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped Parsley
2 Onions finely sliced
2 crushed Garlic cloves
2 Bay leaves
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 tin chopped Tomatoes

For the Béchamel Sauce

1 litre milk
¾ teacup flour
250g Butter
200g grated Parmesan Cheese (2/3 for the béchamel sauce and the rest to sprinkle on top of the eggplants)

Preparation of the Eggplants

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and leave them in salted water for 1 hour.

Remove them from the water, squeeze them and then place them upside down in an oven dish with the vegetable oil.

Bake them in a pre-heated moderate oven for ½ hour.

Remove them and place them without the oil in a clean oven dish facing upwards.

Preparation of the Sauce

Fry the sliced onions lightly in a large pan.

Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms and continue stirring.

Add the tomatoes and the bay leaves.

Finally, add the chopped parsley.

Keep on the heat until all the liquid has been absorbed and you have a thick sauce.

Preparation of the Béchamel Sauce

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan gently heat the butter until it melts.

Add the flour and stir constantly.

Add half of the milk and continue stirring with a whisk.

When the mixture starts to thicken, add the rest of the milk, stirring all the time.

Once it starts to thicken, lower the temperature to the minimum, add the grated cheese and turn off the heat.

Place 3 tablespoonfuls of the sauce on each of the eggplants and then add 2-3 tablespoonfuls of the béchamel sauce.

Sprinkle the eggplants with the rest of the cheese.

Bake them in a pre-heated moderate oven for ½ hour or until the béchamel has turned a golden colour.

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Greek Eggplant rolls (Bourekakia)

These are delicious little rolls that you can have as a side dish or as part of a buffet. Ideally, the Greek cheese anthotiro is used, but if this is unavailable, riccota can be used. Likewise, the Greek hard cheese kefalograviera is used ideally, but if this is unavailable, parmesan can be used (the Italians have a few nice cheeses as well :) ) As stated in the recipe, you should get sun-dried tomatoes that have been preserved in olive oil.

Ingredients

1 kg long aubergines

500g anthotiro (soft cheese like ricotta)

4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, that have been preserved in a jar of olive oil.

2 tablespoons of the olive oil that the tomatoes were preserved in

250g kefalograviera cheese (or parmesan) grated

250 ml sunflower oil

1 tablespoon chopped basil leaves

For the sauce

1 fresh, long green chilli pepper, chopped

1 litre puree from fresh, ripe tomatoes

1 whole garlic (small) chopped

1 tablespoon basil leaves, chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Sauce

Saute the garlic for 2 minutes in the olive oil.

Add the chilli pepper and sauté for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add the tomato puree, salt and pepper and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the sauce is ready.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chopped basil on top and stir well.

Eggplants

Remove strips of the eggplant skin, so that the eggplants have alternate ‘stripes’ of skin and no-skin.

Slice the eggplants lengthwise into strips of approx. ½ cm thickness.

Place them in salty water for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove from the water and drain well.

Fry the eggplant strips in the sunflower oil in a heavy bottomed pan.

Remove and place them on kitchen paper to drain the oil.

Mix together the anthotiro, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, half of the grated cheese, 1 tablespoon basil and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil from the tomatoes.

Mix them together well with your hands.

Place 1 teaspoonful of the mixture on top of the narrow end of one of the eggplant strips.

Roll up the eggplant strip, starting at the narrow end with the mixture.

Repeat this for all the eggplant strips.

Cover the bottom of a shallow oven dish with some of the sauce you prepared earlier and place the eggplant rolls in the dish next to each other.

Spread the remaining sauce on top.

Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

 

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Greek Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata)

Mmm!! One of my favourites! Smooth and tangy. This is traditionally made with Greek strained yoghurt but can also be made with mayonnaise instead. Try both ways and see which you prefer - with mayonnaise it has a slightly thicker, richer taste.

This is a side dish which can be served with any meat, fish or vegetable dish.

Ingredients

3 large eggplants
300g strained Greek yoghurt or mayonnaise
3 medium-sized cloves of garlic
2 tablespoonfuls extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
Salt

Preparation

Wash the eggplants and make a few deep cuts in their skin with a sharp knife.

Bake them whole in a very hot oven for approximately 1 hour until the skin is burned and cracks if you tap it with your fingers. It is important to be burned because that gives a special smoky taste to the dip.

Allow them to cool and cut them in two lengthwise.

Scoop out the white flesh and try to remove the dark seeds.

Put the flesh in a colander, add salt which will remove the bitterness from the eggplants and lemon juice which will help them to remain white.

Allow them to stand and drain for an hour.

Mash them as much as you can with the help of a fork, do not use a blender.

Add the yoghurt (or mayonnaise), the crushed garlic and the olive oil and stir them well.

Place them in a shallow bowl and decorate them with parsley leaves and a few drops of olive oil.

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Greek Eggplant Fritters (Melitzanokeftedes)

This is a delicious meze! You can have it as an accompaniment to a meal, as a meze - which tastes wonderful with Tzatziki - or as part of a buffet.

Ingredients

1 kg round eggplants

1 medium tomato with skin & seeds removed and grated

1 large onion grated

2 cloves garlic grated

2 tbsp hard cheese grated

4 tbsp flour

3 tbsp rusks crumbled

2 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

300 ml cooking oil

Preparation

Wash the eggplants and pierce each one lightly 2-3 times with a knife (so they don’t explode!).

Bake them in a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius on a grill with an oven pan below (to catch any dripping juices). Bake for approx. 45 min. or until the skin cracks if you tap it. The skin should be burnt.

Cut the eggplants in half, remove the flesh and put it in a colander to drain.

Sprinkle salt on top of them and add the lemon juice, so that the flesh doesn’t blacken.

Leave to drain for 1 hour.

Put the olive oil in a frying pan gently fry the grated onion for approx. 3 min. and then add the garlic and continue frying for another 2 min.

Put the eggplant flesh in a bowl and add the tomato, onion & garlic mixture, grated cheese, rusks, parsley and flour.

Mix well – it should be a thick mixture. If it isn’t thick, add some more flour.

Heat the cooking oil well in a frying pan.

Wet the palms of your hands and start to form balls from the mixture (see size in phot).

Place them in the hot oil and fry, turning them over, until they are a golden brown colour.

Remove and place on absorbent kitchen paper.

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