Women in Charge » Easy recipes

Eggplant moussaka with béchamel sauce

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:53:00 +0000

I don’t like eggplant much but with bechamel sauce it’s really good. I takes a little more time than you need to prepare any other basic meal but it’s delicious…

First the ingredients for the eggplant;

Eggplants,

Chopped meat,

Onion,

Bread crumbs,

Salt,

Spices,

PREPARE THE EGGPLANTS

Wash the eggplants and trim off stems. Cut off 1/2-inch wide strips of the skin lengthwise, leaving about an inch in between, all around the eggplant, then cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices.

Put the slices in a large bowl or on a tray, sprinkle liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. Rinse well, drain, and pat dry.

Brush slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and run them under the broiler on an ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned and soft. Remove and set aside to cool.

Note: If you’ve never fixed this before, there are two reasons often given for salting the eggplant: (1) to remove any bitterness, and (2) to absorb some of the natural liquids.

PREPARE THE MEAT SAUCE

Preheat the frying pan or skillet over low heat.

When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil and increase the heat to medium low. Sauté the onions with a wooden spoon until they are translucent, add the meat and continue to sauté until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, 1/2 the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, wine, and tomato paste and mix well. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes to an hour. If there is still liquid in the pan, continue to simmer uncovered until the mixture is as dry as possible, stirring to prevent sticking. When dry, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick (if used), and set sauce aside uncovered until ready to use.

MAKE THE BECHAMEL SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 cans of evaporated milk (14.5 ounce cans)
8 tablespoons of cornstarch (or cornflour)
4 cups of water
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino)
1 tablespoon of butter-flavored vegetable shortening or butter
1 teaspoon of salt
pinch of grated nutmeg

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Once it boils, dissolve the cornstarch in one can of evaporated milk, and add to the water, stirring briskly with a wire whisk. Lower the heat to medium and add the second can of milk, the salt, and shortening or butter. Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Add the beaten eggs and nutmeg, whisking very quickly (so the eggs don’t cook) until well blended. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, mix well and set aside, covered, until ready to use.

PREPARE THE TRAY

Lightly oil the baking pan and sprinkle the bottom with the remaining breadcrumbs. Place a layer of eggplant slices on the breadcrumbs (it’s ok to overlap) and spread the meat mixture evenly on top. Cover with the remaining eggplant slices, and carefully pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the top.

Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the cheese over the top, and continue to cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove the moussaka from the oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes. Moussaka is traditionally eaten warm, not hot, and can also be eaten at room temperature. This dish can be even better the next day.

Notes:

Moussaka can be prepared up to the béchamel and refrigerated overnight. The next day, make the bechamel, pour over the top, and cook as directed.
It can also be completely cooked and cooled, then frozen. Defrost and and reheat in a 350° (175-180°C) oven.

Serving suggestions:

Moussaka is traditionally served in very large pieces and it is a heavy dish. Serve with a green salad, crusty bread, and a dry red wine. If anyone has room for dessert, a fruit sorbet or cheese with fruit is a light way to end on a sweet note.

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No bake desert

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:14:22 +0000

I know, when we are on a diet we shouldn’t eat sweets but I think once in a while it’s okay to eat, at least taste it.

This easy to make desert is requires no baking. Here is how you can make it;

INGREDIENTS

- 1 (10-oz) package fudge mint cookies (i.e Keebler Grasshoppers)
- 3 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 pt blood orange sorbet, slightly softened
- 11⁄4 cups thawed frozen whipped topping
- 11⁄2 pt chocolate sorbet, slightly softened
- 1⁄2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted as package directs
- 1⁄2 cup chocolate shavings or curls
- Garnish: mint sprigs (optional)

PREPARATION

1. You’ll need a 11⁄2-qt glass or metal bowl about 4 in. tall and 7 in. in diameter. Line bowl with nonstick foil, extending foil several inches over rim of bowl (fold excess down outside of bowl). 2. Place cookies in a food processor; process until fine crumbs form. Add corn syrup; pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press over bottom and sides of prepared bowl until inside of bowl is covered with a cookie crust.

3. Spoon blood orange sorbet into bottom of bowl, pressing with back of spoon to form an even layer. Spread whipped topping over sorbet into an even layer. Freeze 2 hours or until whipped topping is firm.

4. Top with the chocolate sorbet, filling the bowl and pressing with back of spoon into an even layer. Cover; freeze 4 hours or until solid.

5. To serve: Place serving plate in freezer until cold. Lift dessert out of bowl by foil ends and invert onto prepared plate; remove foil. Spread melted chocolate on top of cookie crumbs; cover with chocolate shavings. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before cutting into slices.

Nutrition Facts
Yield 12 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 258
Total Fat 9g
Saturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol NA
Sodium 120mg
Total Carbohydrates 42g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Protein 2g

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Fettuccini Alfredo

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:20:22 +0000

But this is a little different than you eat in the restaurants.

In July my husband and I went to Italy. I planned that I would eat Fettuccini Alfredo there. We asked the tour guide and learned the restaurant’s name, it’s known as the creator of this pasta. It was our last day in Rome.

When we went there at lunch time it was closed even though it’s written on the door that it is open everyday for lunch and dinner. I was dissapointed but I was dead set eating it at that hour so I called our tour guide back and asked if there was another restaurant that does it (where ever we ate in Italy there was no Fettuccini Alfredo in any menu).

Anyway, he said that there was another restaurant and the owner was previously partner with the restaurant owner that we went.. It wasn’t very far; we went there and achieved my dream but I was very disapointed because of the price.

It was EUR 25 which is USD37.50… How would you like to pay that? We have 0% financing available

Well I’m not going to write you the original recipe of Fettuccini Alfredo, this is a little different but it’s as good as the original. You can use chicken instead of shrimp or you can just make it with mushrooms.

1 stick butter
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2-3/4 pound large cooked shrimp(I use 3/4 pound)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
Fettucine

In large skilltet, over low heat, saute mushrooms and garlic in oil until tender. Add shrimp, saute 3 to 4 minutes, set aside. Boil water for pasta.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add cream. When cream is warm, add shrimp-mushroom mixture. Stir gently, cover and keep on low heat.(Pasta should be cooking, and timed so that the pasta is finished when the sauce is.) Slowly add cheeses to shrimp mixture, stirring constantly, until melted. Add pepper. Pour over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Cook Fettuccine, al dente, drain. Drizzle and mix with some olive oil so pasta doesn’t stick. Put pasta in a large serving dish.

Bon appetit.

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Summer delight!

admin — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:12:15 +0000

Ice cream…mmm. Okay, we shouldn’t eat much but this easy recipe is a nice way to cool down your summer heat.

If you have some cookies that are not fresh anymore, you can crumble them up and put them in the oven until they’re crisp. Add some fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas, berries, peaches etc.), a little lemon juice, nuts and maybe a few little pieces of chocolate. Mix them with your ice cream, just like at Cold Stone, even if you don’t eat you can serve this to guests and your little ones…

Bon appetit.

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Rice and chicken caserole

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:41:26 +0000

Try this;

What you need;

A caserole tray (nonstick, glass or aluminum, whatever you have)

A pan

3 table spoon Olive oil

1 big or 2 small onion

1 table spoon Tomato paste

1, 1/2 cup Rice

1 whole Chicken or 8 pcs of skinless thighs

Black pepper

Salt

3 cup Water

Buy a whole chicken or skinless thighs, first boil them for abt 30-45 mins with some salt (until they’re tender)

Cut the onion in little cubes and with the oil and some salt put it in the pan. In the meantime wash the rice thoroughly. Fry the onion until they’re light brown color. Then add the tomato paste, stir and turn it off.

Put the rice in the tray, put the chicken (if you have whole chicken cut it into small pieces) on top and then the onions. Add some black pepper and salt. (Be careful, you don’t want it to be too salty) Last but not least add the water and cook it in the oven (400F) until the rice is cooked.

Bon appetit.

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