Use a fork to lightly crush the tomatoes so the juices bleed into the pan, then stir in the harissa paste. Simmer until lentils are tender (about 20 to 25 minutes, adding more water as needed to keep the lentils submerged.) The recipe Warm a little oil in a shallow pan and then add a large sliced onion. Top the lentils with the grated Parmesan cheese. Slice up your eggplant, then sprinkle it with a salt and leave it for 30 minutes. Add 1 cups water. The couscous, though softly cosseting when soaked with rust-red juices could be swapped for rice if you prefer. I'm about to make this. Beat 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk and add them to the bchamel sauce, mixing thoroughly. By Nigel Slater, Scorched peppers in herby olive oil for summer days, followed by refreshing lemon curd. All rights reserved. Read about our approach to external linking. Process for a few seconds to a coarse paste, scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula, then process briefly again. Tip the mince into the baking dish, cover with the remaining aubergines and then pour over 500ml of well-seasoned bchamel sauce. Forgive me Elisavet, but I'm sticking with lamb. This is a light main course if eaten with something on the side a tumble of shredded fennel and cauliflower with a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar would be mine but it also makes a good lunchbox addition too. Every one of your recipes Ive made has been perfect! Squeeze the remaining orange into a bowl, and add the olive oil, vinegar, a little salt and some black pepper, coarsely ground, and then the sliced oranges. To make the crust, pour the olive oil into a blender or food processor, add the parsley and the peeled garlic cloves. I want to add one tip. To make the best vegetarian moussaka, it took some tinkering around with ingredients to make a version that felt just as hearty and unctuous as my earlier meaty beef (or lamb) version. This recipe looks amazing and I am dying to make it!! Sprinkle with kosher salt on both sides and place on a large sheet lined with paper towel. Enough for 6onions 3, mediumolive oil 7 tbspgarlic 4 clovesground cumin 2 tspground coriander 2 tspmild chilli powder 2 tspamaranth 175gchickpeas 1 x 400g tindried figs 75gdried apricots 75gparsley 10g. Season and stir in the parsley. Pour over the Bchamel sauce. Toss the carrots, beetroot and potatoes in the spiced oil then transfer to a roasting tin and bake for 35-45 minutes. Not to mention, they're a great source of protein, polyphenolas, iron, and fiber(find black lentils here.). Take care not to brown them. Eggplant needs a little extra TLC. Cinnamon is a must (only Nigel eschews it), and I've been generous with it but oregano and parsley, as used by Tessa Kiros, add a pleasant whiff of sun-baked herbaceousness to proceedings. Bake for 25 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until dry to the touch. Colorful! Photograph: Felicity Cloake. That way its fresh and requires no extra steps. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Thanks for the recipe, I have been looking for a wonderful veg moussaka for a while. They were delicious. Put the freekeh in a bowl, cover it with warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. If they are large, cut them into wedges. Sprinkle the zucchini and potatoes with salt (eggplant is already salted.). Turn the cheese over, brush the surface generously with honey then turn and pat down gently to cover with seeds. Turn up the heat slightly, and brown the lamb well, cooking until the mixture is quite dry. Slice eggplant length-wise. The first sunny day of spring always takes us by collective surprise yet soon we're throwing a strop if it dares to rain on our new espadrilles. The components of this vegetarian moussaka recipe are not hard to make. While the lentil sauce is simmering, take your dry eggplant and place it with the potatoes and zucchini on lightly-oiled baking sheets (you'll need more than one baking sheet to spread the veggies in one layer.) Made this a couple of days ago. The vegetarian moussaka casserole can take somewhere between 45 minutes to 1 hour in your heated oven. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Tessa includes a layer of potatoes, which, on top of the bechamel makes the dish a bit stodgy, although I can see that, in the winter, it might be a nice addition. Set the oven at 180C fan/gas mark 6. 4. Simmer for 15 minutes. Brush with olive oil and season. Theodore and Tessa's are both quite light and saucy, and I think perasti's a winner until I taste the others. Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, stir in the tomato pure and cook for a further minute. Put the potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Thank you for the recipe. Lost most of the flavour what a shame after all that work , What happens with the potatoes in this recipe, I don't see them mentioned, or in the images? Sprinkle with kosher salt on both sides and place on a large sheet lined with paper towel. To make a tomato sauce you'll start off the same way as above with spinach/feta layer: Heat up some olive oil, add onions and cook until translucent; Then add spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, & oregano; Add pureed tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. The oven has been busy this week baking spiced aubergines, trays of roast vegetables with eggs and a layered dish of dal and sweet potatoes. Drain the potatoes. You can place them in an airtight container for about 3 days. Where do you stand on the question of beef v lamb or do you prefer vegetables? Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Very helpful! They have a wonderful, creamy consistency; full-bodied and earthy flavor. Remove the lid to the rice and run the tines of a fork through the grains to separate them, stir the parsley through the grains, then spoon on to deep plates. You can make the mixture a day or more in advance. Hi, TJ. Keep the heat moderate. I have been using a lot of freekeh lately, liking its mild roasted flavour and chewy texture. Let eggplant "sweat" for 20 to 30 minutes or so, while you work on other things. Elizabeth David suggests beef in A Book of Mediterranean Food, and Tessa Kiros goes for a beef and pork mix in her aunt's recipe, published in Falling Cloudberries. Place the sesame-covered cheese on a piece of tin foil then place in a baking dish. Add the reserved whole cashews just before bringing the salad to the table. If you cook eggplant without salting and patting dry with paper towels, your moussaka can get watery and make your dish soggy and less flavorful. SHOP OURONLINE STOREFOR QUALITY OLIVE OILS, ALL-NATURAL SPICES AND MORE. Keywords: Vegetarian Moussaka, Vegetable Moussaka, Vegetarian Eggplant Moussaka, Tag @themediterraneandish on Instagram and hashtag it #themediterraneandish, I'm Suzy; born and bred right on the shores of the Mediterranean. Make the spice paste: peel and roughly chop the ginger, then put it into the bowl of a food processor. Pour extra virgin olive oil in a pot and let heat till shimmering but not smoking. Elisavet explains the thinking: "If you've made moussaka, you know it needs to set for a bit, before cutting up your piece and serving. Serves 4For the pasteginger a 50g piecegarlic 2 cloves, peeledred chillies 3 smalllemongrass 2 large stalksspring onions 3, choppedturmeric 3 tspfresh coriander 40g, leaves and stemsgroundnut or vegetable oil 2 tbsp, For the soupshallots 3 largegroundnut or vegetable oil 3 tbspvegetable stock 500mlcoconut milk 1 x 400ml tinmakrut lime leaves 4 thin noodles 150g assorted greens 190g. Pour the lentil and vegetable filling. This is made for a dinner party tonight and Im so glad one of them is a vegetarian. A classic tart but made with cheese pastry and a deeply savoury filling. Moussaka seems the perfect choice for this time of year, like bouillabaisse, or parmigiana; a dish which simultaneously manages to taste of sunshine, and boast warming qualities quite sufficient. Heat a dash of oil in a saucepan, and add the chopped onions and garlic. Theodore's recipe concludes with the instruction to let it rest. Put the pan back on the heat, add the chickpeas and their liquor and warm thoroughly. This roasted vegetable moussaka is easier to put together than you think. There are three components as I mentioned earlier: vegetables, sauce, and a top layer of bechamel. Peel the ginger and grate to a paste on a very sharp, fine-toothed grater. I have served it with spinach, cooked quickly in a hot, covered pan and a few spoons of vegetable stock, or you could make a sauce for it. Season with salt and pepper and deep-fry them until deep golden in color. Spoon half the lentil sauce into a medium ovenproof dish then layer half the potatoes and aubergines over the top. If you need to freeze your leftovers, it is a perfect solution for making the vegetarian moussaka last longer. Great recipe. Love all your recipes Suzi. I was born and raised in the Mediterranean cosmopolitan city of Port Said, Egypt. And please, dont miss this step because the cakes are fragile and they will collapse when you cook them. (If you need to, you can partially peel the eggplant leaving just some of the skin on.). To really knock this recipe out of the park, I had to find the PERFECT meat substitute that held up well in the sauce and provided a great hearty texture. Get our best recipes and all Things Mediterranean delivered to your inbox. Nigel Slater 'There is only one Jamie Oliver. Process to a brilliant green paste. 40g parmesan, grated For the bechamel sauce 50g butter 50g plain flour 500ml milk, warmed 80g parmesan, finely grated sea salt and freshly ground white pepper Method 1. Makes 12, enough for 4potatoes 300gsweet potatoes 600gkimchi 100g coriander leaves 15gflour 3 tbsp, plus more for rollinggroundnut oil for frying. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe moussaka. Ladle the sauce over the noodles and serve. As soon as the cakes are golden, lift out with a palette knife and rest on a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest I like to use fresh oil for each batch. Let the lamb cook until the underside is golden brown. Drain the lentils and stir into the tomato sauce, bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until the lentils are soft and the liquid nearly all absorbed. Add the rosemary and a few grinds of the peppermill, then mix well. Flavourwise, however, there doesn't seem to be a vast amount of difference, so although I'll definitely keep this in mind as a vehicle for leftovers, I'm going to stick with the ready minced. Moussaka seems the perfect choice for this time of year, like bouillabaisse, or parmigiana; a dish which simultaneously manages to taste of sunshine, and boast warming qualities quite sufficient to see you through a spring shower. I used duck eggs here, which are slightly larger than hens but any large free-range egg is fine. Bring a medium pan with 400ml of water to the boil, then rain in the amaranth and let it simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Put the potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Put the lentils into a bowl. 4 tbsp olive oil3 medium or 2 large aubergines, sliced1 large onion, finely chopped4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped1.5 tsp cinnamon1 tsp dried oregano500g minced lamb2 tbsp tomato pure, mixed with 150ml water150ml red wineSmall bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, For the bechamel:500ml milk60g butter60g plain flour50g kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, grated2 eggs, beatenNutmeg, to grate. The effect is not quite the same, but good enough. Slice thinly, each piece no thicker than cm. 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