A culinary online center dedicated to promoting the importance and the joy of American home cooking with an emphasis on local products and talent, celebrating the unique spirit and energy of the new food world ethos, especially in Vermont.

amuse bouche

I love quotes that add meaning to my life. Here are a few to live by:

We can dramatically increase global food availability and environmental sustainability by using more of our crops to feed people directly and less to fatten livestock.
—Jonathan A. Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment, U of MN

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
—Michael Pollan

Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.
—Craig Claiborne

People who eat according to the rules of a traditional food culture are generally healthier than those of us eating a modern Western diet of processed food.
—Michael Pollan

Moussaka

INGREDIENTS

Moussaka

3-4 eggplants (more if they are small)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 garlic clove

1 lb ground beef or lamb

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper (or jalepeño)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or allspice)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tomato chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Sprinkling of paprika

Bechamel Sauce

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour (or quinoa flour or oat flour if avoiding gluten)

1 1/4 cup hot cashew milk (or other nut milks or dairy milk)

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375degF. Peel and slice eggplants. Soak in salted water for 30-60 minutes. Drain, toss in some olive oil, and roast in oven for 30 minutes.

While eggplant is roasting, saute onion in olive oil until golden. Add meat and garlic, and stir until just turning brown. Add seasonings: salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and allspice. Then add chopped tomato, tomato paste, parsley, and jalepeño. Stir well and moisten with a little water. Simmer until meant is cooked and water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

Bottom layer – it could be more filled in if you have enough eggplant.

While meat is simmering, prepare the Bechamel sauce: melt butter in a saucepan at medium/medium-high heat. Add flour and stir until well blended. Add hot milk, stirring until it boils. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken (it will keep thickening once removed from heat – if it gets too thick, just add some water. It should run like gravy). Remove from heat, add egg, and mix well. Stir 1-2 Tbsp of Bechamel in with the meat, and set the rest aside.

Place alternating layers of eggplant and meat mixture in a deep baking dish, starting and ending with eggplant. Pour the Bechemel sauce over the eggplant mixture, sprinkle with paprika, and bake uncovered at 375degF for about 45 minutes, until a thin crust has formed on top.

Ready for the oven!

Chef’s notes:

*You can prepare the eggplant and beef beforehand (1-2 days max). If you do, just prepare the Bechamel sauce (~5 min) while heating the oven.

*Don’t have an egg? Don’t fret! I got deep into sauce-making and realized I had no eggs. The sauce doesn’t come out of the oven with as nice a crust, but the dish was still FANTASTIC!

*Feel free to use a smaller square baking dish, just add another layer: eggplant, meat, eggplant, meat, eggplant!

Posted: 10-21-2018

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INGREDIENTS
Moussaka
3-4 eggplants (more if they are small)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 garlic clove

1 lb ground beef or lamb

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper (or jalepeño)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or allspice)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tomato chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Sprinkling of paprika
Bechamel Sauce
2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour (or quinoa flour or oat flour if avoiding gluten)

1 1/4 cup hot cashew milk (or other nut milks or dairy milk)

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375degF.  Peel and slice eggplants.  Soak in salted water for 30-60 minutes.  Drain, toss in some olive oil, and roast in oven for 30 minutes.

While eggplant is roasting, saute onion in olive oil until golden.  Add meat and garlic, and stir until just turning brown.  Add seasonings: salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and allspice.  Then add chopped tomato, tomato paste, parsley, and jalepeño.  Stir well and moisten with a little water.  Simmer until meant is cooked and water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

[caption id="attachment_4987" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Bottom layer - it could be more filled in if you have enough eggplant.[/caption]

While meat is simmering, prepare the Bechamel sauce: melt butter in a saucepan at medium/medium-high heat.  Add flour and stir until well blended.  Add hot milk, stirring until it boils.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken (it will keep thickening once removed from heat - if it gets too thick, just add some water.  It should run like gravy).  Remove from heat, add egg, and mix well.  Stir 1-2 Tbsp of Bechamel in with the meat, and set the rest aside.

Place alternating layers of eggplant and meat mixture in a deep baking dish, starting and ending with eggplant.  Pour the Bechemel sauce over the eggplant mixture, sprinkle with paprika, and bake uncovered at 375degF for about 45 minutes, until a thin crust has formed on top.

[caption id="attachment_4988" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Ready for the oven![/caption]

Chef's notes:

*You can prepare the eggplant and beef beforehand (1-2 days max).  If you do, just prepare the Bechamel sauce (~5 min) while heating the oven.

*Don't have an egg?  Don't fret!  I got deep into sauce-making and realized I had no eggs.  The sauce doesn't come out of the oven with as nice a crust, but the dish was still FANTASTIC!

*Feel free to use a smaller square baking dish, just add another layer: eggplant, meat, eggplant, meat, eggplant!"
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INGREDIENTS
Moussaka
3-4 eggplants (more if they are small)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 garlic clove

1 lb ground beef or lamb

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper (or jalepeño)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or allspice)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tomato chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Sprinkling of paprika
Bechamel Sauce
2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour (or quinoa flour or oat flour if avoiding gluten)

1 1/4 cup hot cashew milk (or other nut milks or dairy milk)

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375degF.  Peel and slice eggplants.  Soak in salted water for 30-60 minutes.  Drain, toss in some olive oil, and roast in oven for 30 minutes.

While eggplant is roasting, saute onion in olive oil until golden.  Add meat and garlic, and stir until just turning brown.  Add seasonings: salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and allspice.  Then add chopped tomato, tomato paste, parsley, and jalepeño.  Stir well and moisten with a little water.  Simmer until meant is cooked and water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

[caption id="attachment_4987" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Bottom layer - it could be more filled in if you have enough eggplant.[/caption]

While meat is simmering, prepare the Bechamel sauce: melt butter in a saucepan at medium/medium-high heat.  Add flour and stir until well blended.  Add hot milk, stirring until it boils.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken (it will keep thickening once removed from heat - if it gets too thick, just add some water.  It should run like gravy).  Remove from heat, add egg, and mix well.  Stir 1-2 Tbsp of Bechamel in with the meat, and set the rest aside.

Place alternating layers of eggplant and meat mixture in a deep baking dish, starting and ending with eggplant.  Pour the Bechemel sauce over the eggplant mixture, sprinkle with paprika, and bake uncovered at 375degF for about 45 minutes, until a thin crust has formed on top.

[caption id="attachment_4988" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Ready for the oven![/caption]

Chef's notes:

*You can prepare the eggplant and beef beforehand (1-2 days max).  If you do, just prepare the Bechamel sauce (~5 min) while heating the oven.

*Don't have an egg?  Don't fret!  I got deep into sauce-making and realized I had no eggs.  The sauce doesn't come out of the oven with as nice a crust, but the dish was still FANTASTIC!

*Feel free to use a smaller square baking dish, just add another layer: eggplant, meat, eggplant, meat, eggplant!"
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INGREDIENTS
Moussaka
3-4 eggplants (more if they are small)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 garlic clove

1 lb ground beef or lamb

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper (or jalepeño)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or allspice)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tomato chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Sprinkling of paprika
Bechamel Sauce
2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour (or quinoa flour or oat flour if avoiding gluten)

1 1/4 cup hot cashew milk (or other nut milks or dairy milk)

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

METHOD

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While eggplant is roasting, saute onion in olive oil until golden.  Add meat and garlic, and stir until just turning brown.  Add seasonings: salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and allspice.  Then add chopped tomato, tomato paste, parsley, and jalepeño.  Stir well and moisten with a little water.  Simmer until meant is cooked and water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

[caption id="attachment_4987" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Bottom layer - it could be more filled in if you have enough eggplant.[/caption]

While meat is simmering, prepare the Bechamel sauce: melt butter in a saucepan at medium/medium-high heat.  Add flour and stir until well blended.  Add hot milk, stirring until it boils.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken (it will keep thickening once removed from heat - if it gets too thick, just add some water.  It should run like gravy).  Remove from heat, add egg, and mix well.  Stir 1-2 Tbsp of Bechamel in with the meat, and set the rest aside.

Place alternating layers of eggplant and meat mixture in a deep baking dish, starting and ending with eggplant.  Pour the Bechemel sauce over the eggplant mixture, sprinkle with paprika, and bake uncovered at 375degF for about 45 minutes, until a thin crust has formed on top.

[caption id="attachment_4988" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Ready for the oven![/caption]

Chef's notes:

*You can prepare the eggplant and beef beforehand (1-2 days max).  If you do, just prepare the Bechamel sauce (~5 min) while heating the oven.

*Don't have an egg?  Don't fret!  I got deep into sauce-making and realized I had no eggs.  The sauce doesn't come out of the oven with as nice a crust, but the dish was still FANTASTIC!

*Feel free to use a smaller square baking dish, just add another layer: eggplant, meat, eggplant, meat, eggplant!"
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