The Blended Group

Moussaka with sliced färsk potatis, aubergine and vegatarian mince with peeled tomato and garlic covered in homemade asparagus bouillon Béchamel sauce. Lush flavours and taste from cinnamon, thyme, oregano and feta. Great Light Summery Dish. Needs some fresh basil leaves.

 

 

Ingredients:

• fresh potatoes sliced (500 grams)
• 2 aubergines sliced (thick), put them in warm water with kurkuma to keep them moist
• 1 zucchini sliced (thin)
• carrots sliced (optional)
• vegetarian mince (pea based) or otherwise the non vegetarian alternative of good quality low fat mince (500 grams)
• peeled tomatoes (canned or fresh)
• crushed garlic (as much as you like)
• flour (50 grams)
• bouillon (i made freshly from aspargus peelings and stems) 5 dl.
• butter (150 grams)
• milk (3 table spoons)
• cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
• thyme (1 teaspoon)
• oregano (1 teaspoon)
• feta cheese crumbles (250 grams)
• extra virgin olive oil (50 cl.)
• fresh basil leaves (as much as you like)
• sea salt (2 teaspoons)
• black pepper (1 teaspoon)

Preparation:

1. Make a bouillon from mushrooms, asparagus peelings and stems, onion and herbs a day before. Otherwise use some good bouillon blocks or stock from the supermarket. Prepare the Béchamel sauce by browning some butter in a pan and adding some flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the colour is golden brown and then add the stock or bouillon and the milk. Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and stir now and then until the Bëchamel sauce achieves the right substance. Add an egg to the sauce and stir it through. Better to have to much than too little sauce.
2. Add the mince in crumbles to a hot pan with olive oil. Use pepper and salt to flavour and also garlic, cinnamon, thyme, oregano. Add the peeled tomatoes to the mince and also sliced carrots. Let it simmer on a lower fire until you think it tastes good, sweet and salty. Preheat the oven already to 200 degrees Celcius.
3. Take a glass form and use some olive oil to grease it. Then add a layer of sliced fresh potatoes to the bottom of the from and add salt and pepper and a bit more olive oil. Then add a layer of sliced aubergine.
4. Add salt and pepper and some olive oil. Put the sliced zucchini on the sides of the from and leave space in the middle of the form for the mince mix. Add the mince mix from the pan in the middle of the form.
5. Then pour your Béchamel sauce all over the zucchini around the sides of the form and stir the form until the sauce reaches all the layers (zucchini, aubergine and potatoes.
6. Add feta crumbles over the mince and put the form into the preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until everything is golden brown and all the vegetables are properly cooked. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes under a cover.
7. Bon appetit, with some green salad, some organic red wine and some French fries or French bread and maybe some Tzaziki sauce.

STAY HEALTHY IN SUMMER: VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA

2nd Recipe

Black Pizza: very tasty and healthy. For people who are already black from the inside. Black Sinners. Made with cow mozzarella, aubergine, red onion, freshly made tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes. Made from black beans and black rice. Served with tzaziki and organic Chardonnay. Wonderful black bean bread dough with some flour and black rice for substance.

 

 

Ingredients for the bottom:

• black beans (from a can or paper tin or soaked from dried beans for a full night in salty water) – 500 grams
• black rice (squid ink coloured, e.g.) – 2 table spoons
• backing powder (3 teaspoons)
• oregano (1 teaspoon)
• thyme (1 teaspoon)
• salt (1 teaspoon)
• pepper (1 teaspoon)
• full wheat flour (2 tablespoons).

Ingredients for the toppings:

• fresh basil leaves
• oregano
• thyme
• cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• cow mozzarella
• aubergine,
• red onion
• tomato sauce

Additional toppings:

• avocado
• feta cheese
• dried tomatoes

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Use some extra virgin olive oil to grease the baking form. You can use whatever form you like. I prefer a round tart form.
2. Making the dough. Use a kitchen machine (blender) to mix the black beans, the black rice (raw) the baking powder, the wheat flower, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano. Add some warm water too. Blend the mix for a couple of minutes until you get a homogenous paste. Don’t worry that it is quite moist, this is how it should be. It will dry up in the oven and is different from a normal flour dough.
3. Put the mix in the greased baking form. Depending on the form you are using it can be filled up to the ridge of the form. That is ok. Put it in the oven like that for half an hour at 200 degrees. Take it out after half an hour of when it is still a bit moist you can leave it in for 5 minutes. Then take it out and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Leave the oven on 200 degrees. When you take it out it should be loose from the form. Check with a wooden spoon.
4. In the meantime you can make your fresh tomato sauce from cherry tomatoes in a baking pan with onion, garlic and herbs. Also, salt and pepper. Stir the tomatoes around until they become soft and smell lovely. Alternatively you buy a carton with tomato sauce, e.g. with basil or herbs.
5. You can leave the bottom in the form and add your tomato sauce all over the pizza bread. Then add your toppings. Start with the aubergine slices, then the cow mozzarella slices, red onion slices, mushrooms, plenty of salt and pepper, maybe dried tomatoes, thyme, oregano and fresh basil leaves. Don’t forget to add more olive oil all over the pizza.
6. Put the pizza back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the toppings are cooked and the pizza looks good. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
7. Serve it directly fromthe form on the dinner table, or take it out of the form and put it on a nice plate.
8. Service with sour cream, extra parmigiano and other fresh toppings such as avocado and feta cheese.

Don’t forget to drink a good red wine with your Black Pizza. The darker the better. Dedicated to all sinners.

Stay healthy in summer: Black Beans & Rice Pizza