Mediterranean moussaka. (Picture courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
September and the Labor Day weekend has me desirous about the tip of summer time and I’m onerous pressed to not mutter with A.A. Milne’s lovable character Winnie the Pooh. “Goodbye? Oh no please. Can’t we simply return to web page one and begin another time?”
The top of summer time had us spoiled with heat days within the solar, lush gardens with produce brimming, farmers markets, and limitless provides of colourful fruit and greens for any meal or event. The cook dinner is tempted to splurge on gathering all this bounty within the kitchen and provide you with a burst of colourful and flavorful meals earlier than the seasonal modifications in menus.
Mediterranean moussaka
This recipe initially got here from Craig Clairborne’s NY Occasions cookbook as “Moussaka a la Grecque,” however through the years has significantly slimmed by shedding 1 cup butter and an egg and ricotta topping and buying a number of additions.
Since each Greeks and Turks declare moussaka as their dish, I renamed it merely as Mediterranean. This moussaka additionally has misplaced breadcrumbs to accommodate the gluten-free weight-reduction plan of our son. It acquired sliced potatoes after consuming a scrumptious moussaka on our journey to Crete. It’s now gluten free. I favor utilizing Japanese eggplant because it doesn’t have to be peeled. The proportions listed below are for a 7-by-11-by-2-inch Pyrex baking dish. Be happy to scale up for 9-by-13-by-2 dish, however it can take a bit longer to bake.
Parboil 2 medium potatoes sliced in 1/4 inch slices for two minutes, drain, and put aside.
Slice 3 massive Japanese eggplants and 1 medium zucchini in 1/2 inch slices, place in a shallow pan, flippantly spray with oil, sprinkle with garlic salt, and broil, turning as soon as till each side are browned. Put aside.
Brown 1 lb floor lamb (or beef) in a big pan and put aside. In the identical pan, saute 2 massive, chopped onions in 2 tbsp butter for five minutes till golden, stir in 2 chopped garlic cloves, 12 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 3 tbsp tomato paste, and three/4 cup pink wine. Stir to mix, add again the meat, and add 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Cook dinner on low warmth till a lot of the liquid is absorbed.
To assemble, flippantly butter the baking pan, layer the potatoes, 1/4 meat sauce, a layer of zucchini-eggplant, 2 tbsp contemporary grated Parmesan cheese, and one other 1/4 meat sauce. Repeat eggplant, Parmesan, and sauce two extra occasions. Dot the meat sauce by tablespoon in spots, not essential to unfold even. Cowl all fully with rounds of sharp provolone and press all the pieces down flippantly along with your palms.
Bake at 350 levels for 40 minutes. Serve heat or at room temperature. Will be made forward and reheated lined in a 325-degree oven for half-hour.
Our summer time abundance of contemporary peaches in Maine is a results of extra winter hardy styles of peaches and up to date much less extreme winters. This colourful and aromatic fruit lends itself to peach crumbles and pies. Here’s a peach-raisin-almond cobbler, comparable in look to my plum cobbler, however with a very completely different and tantalizing taste.
Peach-raisin-almond cobbler. (Picture courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
Peach-raisin-almond cobbler
Preheat the oven to 400 levels. Unroll a sheet of deli crescent dough and gently stretching slot in a 9-inch pie plate. There shall be a sizeable overhang on two of the perimeters. In a small bowl stir collectively 3/4 cup sugar with 2 beneficiant tbsp cornstarch.
Blanch 4-5 peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, slip off the pores and skin, take away the pit, and slice every half in 4-5 slices in a big bowl and add 1/4 cup raisins. Toss with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon extract. Then toss fruit with the sugar-starch combine and switch all in pastry lined plate. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup slivered almonds and fold the pastry over the fruit from all sides leaving the middle open.
Bake at 400 levels for quarter-hour. Flip the warmth right down to 350 levels and proceed baking for added 12-17 minutes till liquid across the fruit bubbles. Take away from the oven and serve heat or chilly.
Farewell, summer time!
(I. Winicov Harrington, of Waldoboro, is the creator of “The way to Eat Wholesome and Nicely for Much less Than $5.00 a Day: The Sensible-Frugal Meals Plan.” For extra info, go to winicov-harrington.com.)
