Aromatic Moussaka

I happen to like all oven-cooked dishes and I happen to be a sucker for Balkan and Mediterranean food, Moussaka included. But I wanted to make it different this time so after some research on the net, after watching a dozen of videos, each and everyone different than the other, I came up with my combo. It is a time eater this one..so take your time.

Ingredients:

• potatoes. I used about 5-6 small ones. But the bigger the easier.
• 1 x big aubergine
  
• 400g minced meat. I used beef. Alternatives: lamb for an original Greek style Moussaka, pork for a fattier one or a mix between any of the above mentioned. ( I even saw a video with turkey minced meat :)) . It was so hilarious, a body builder guy cooking this moussaka with ingredients like 'baking spray' and 'all spice'. WTF are those? )
• 1 x can of tomatoes sauce or tomatoes
• 1 x onion
• 4 x cloves of garlic
• 1 x can Greek yogurt (if Greek one is hard to find, any creamy yogurt you find at the store)
  
• 1 x Greek feta cheese package (if Greek feta is not accessible, the local feta cheese)
• 2 x eggs
• 40g grated parmesan
  
• some mint leaves
• oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, sage (the regular Mediterranean spices combo). I used Italian spices mix, still cheating but better than the 'all spice' mix the muscle man used, no offense.
  
• salt & pepper
• pinch of cinnamon
• olive oil to fatten the pan and cooking form

Preparing:

• wash and slice (in max 1 cm thick , even slices) the aubergine(s), put them on a kitchen tissue side by side and spread coarse-grained salt on them and cover with a big baking pan, preferably with something heavy on top. Leave them for about half an hour like that. This step is important so that you get all the water out of them. That is a lot of water.
  
• peel , wash and slice thin the potatoes. Oil a baking pan and put the potatoes in the oven for at least 10 minutes on each side.
  
• drain and clean the aubergines with some tissue to remove both the water and the salt. Repeat the potatoes operation with the water-free aubergines. 7 mins on each side should be enough this time.
• chop the onions and 2 of the garlic cloves. Half of the garlic cloves will go with the onions in the meat sauce and the other half in the yogurt-cheese sauce.
• sauté the minced meat till it turns brown, then add the onions and half of the garlic and stir in.
• pour the tomatoes paste and add the spices, including a pinch of cinnamon and pepper, let in on medium fire till it has a nice consistency. Add half of the parmesan, stir it in and take the sauce off the fire. I didn't add any salt at this point, because feta is salty enough and the aubergines may have also kept some of the salt we used in the dehydration process.
  
• yogurt, feta, the other 2 garlic cloves, the eggs, the other half of the parmesan and mint leaves go straight in the food processor or blender. The taste that comes out is divine.
• now finally, in an oiled backing form, set first a layer of potatoes, than a meat sauce layer, then the aubergines and on top pour the cheese sauce.
• leave it in the oven at 200 degrees for about 30-40 mins till the top coat turns golden-brown.
  

Serve with olives and red wine or ouzo!

Smooth Pea Soup with Smoked Salmon Roles

Please, don't ask where are the roles, given the above picture... trust me, they are there somewhere, in there.. Just for the record, practice is always tougher than theory :P
This is probably not perfectly fit for the cold season, neither is it a typical Advent's dinner but I really enjoyed it today. If you feel like taking a pause from all the greasy holiday dishes, this is a wonderful, very fine delight. And it is as easy to make as it is to eat :)

What you need (4 portions):

• 250 g peas - I used dried ones for a starchier, hardier flavored taste, but you can experiment fresh or frozen beans just as well
• 4 slices of smoked salmon
• 2 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 hand of chives (tiny chopped)
• 3/4L vegetable stock
• 1 cup of cream or Crème fraîche
• butter
• spices: salt, pepper, nutmeg

How-to:
1. Boil the peas as advised on the package. Dried peas in my case 1, 1/4 h in 3/4L water. Fresh or frozen peas should be a lot less than that, if the above mentioned timing freaked you out.
2. Roll the salmon slices with some chives and pack them in sealing foil and leave them to rest a while (20 mins or so) in the fridge.
3. Chop the shallots and garlic cloves in tiny pieces and stew them in some butter. Add the drained peas, the veggies stock and let it boil for another 5 mins.
4. Spice up with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then purée the whole thing with a mixer. Add cream or crème fraîche
5. Cut the salmon roles in fine slices and decorate the soup as good as you can.

Bon Appétit!

I must say there is something that I like about the first picture, besides the taste. Probably the chromatic and non-chromatic in it.