Greece

 Welcome to Greece!  I've heard stories of the beauty of Greece, seen pictures, and have always been envious of the food.  I love the way Mediterranean flavors come together, the smells, and can picture myself, one day, sitting on a beach in Greece with a gyro in my hand.  One can dream...Anyway.  According to Google, the population of Greece is 10.72 million people and the capital is Athens.  You know...the start of the Olympics...And their national dish is...

 

Gyro OR Moussaka!

I opted for Moussaka.  It seemed much more manageable.  I wasn't sure where to find a vertical spit, and a fire big enough to roast lamb on the vertical spit that I didn't have...so Moussaka it was!  I also made Greek Pan-Fried Cheese with tomatoes as an appetizer.  I've not heard of pan-frying cheese, so of course, I had to try it.  Here's  what I did:

GREEK PAN-FRIED CHEESE

7 oz Kasseri cheese

Flour

Water

Avocado Oil

Lemon, cut into wedges

1/2 C cherry tomatoes

1. Set the cheese in a bowl of water for about three minutes. 
2. Heat the skillet (I used a cast iron skillet) and add avocado oil.
3. Dredge the cheese in flour and place on the hot skillet.
4. Don't move the cheese for three minutes, until it is crispy and golden.
5. Flip the cheese and don't move until it is crispy and golden.
6. While the cheese is cooking, add the cherry tomatoes in the same skillet and heat them - they may break open - this is OK.
7. Squeeze lemon juice over the cheese and serve warm.

(Source: Greek Pan-Fried Cheese)

 

MOUSSAKA

Sauce:

2 tbsp avocado oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 lbs ground beef

4 C crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme

4 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

 

Layers:

2 small eggplants, thinly sliced

2 zucchini, thinly sliced

2 gold potatoes, thinly sliced

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Salt, pepper, dried oregano, to taste

Avocado oil, for baking

Bechamel Sauce:

1/3 C butter

1/3 C + 1 tbsp flour

4 C milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

Nutmeg, to taste

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1. In  a large skillet, brown meat in avocado oil.
2. Add onion and sweat until soft.
3. Add garlic and saute for about two minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients for sauce and stir well.
5. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. 

MEANWHILE, cook the layers

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brush a baking sheet with oil and arrange potato slices, and brush with oil.  Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and oregano. 
3. Bake the potatoes until they are golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Repeat the process with eggplant and zucchini.

  MEANWHILE, make the Bechamel sauce

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Addd flour and cook over medium heat until blended.
3. Remove from heat, and gradually add cold milk, stirring continually.
4. Keep stirring over medium heat until sauce comes to a boil.
5. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg.
6. Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks and cheese. (Sauce should thicken significantly, but still be pourable.)

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brush a 9x13 baking dish with oil.
3. Arrange potatoes at the bottom of the dish, and top with half the meat sauce.
4. Arrange eggplant and zucchini on top of meat sauce, and top this with the remaining meat sauce.
5. Pour Bechamel sauce on top, and spread so it covers evenly.
6. Bake for around 40 minutes, or until the Bechamel sauce is golden brown. 
7. Remove from oven and let cool about 30 minutes before serving. 

(Source: Moussaka)

 

  

The verdict?  I did not plan enough ahead for this meal, and we ate super late.  This is a labor-intensive meal!  But, overall, it was completely worth it.  We loved the cheese, and thought it would be yummy with crackers or bread, but we ate it plain, and there were no leftovers.  The Moussaka was delicious.  I was leery about putting cloves and cinnamon in a meat sauce, but it gave it a unique flavor that fit perfectly with the rest of the ingredients.  Again, I don't like eggplant at all, but it was so cooked down, you couldn't really taste it.  I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes, eggplant, and zucchini, so they were all uniform, and it took WAY less time to cut.  The recipe said to let it sit for 30 minutes, but we were pretty hungry, so we let it sit for 15.  It was a little soupy, and I think it would have stayed together much better had we let it sit.  But overall, it was a very delicious meal. 

ME

Taste of Greek Pan-Fried Cheese (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Greek Pan-Fried Cheese (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

ME

Taste of Moussaka (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Moussaka (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

 

Another one down! Join us next time as we eat in Fiji!