Pastitsio & Lamb Moussaka with Feta Topping

I love pasta bakes and mince-based oven bakes, or in blogging terms, those dishes that are very difficult to take a decent picture of.  You'll just have to take my word for it that they taste great!

These sorts of recipes are perfect for weekends. You can prepare them in the morning and then they're ready for you to just pop them in oven for half an hour or so when it's time for dinner.

These are two of my favourites using lamb mince and actually use a lot of the same ingredients, notably aubergine and tomatoes.

Pastitsio

The first one is the Greek pasta bake which combines a tomatoey mince sauce, white sauce and pasta.

There are lots of recipes for Pastitsio out there on the internet but you can find the one I use here. It's slightly annoying that it uses just half an aubergine but you could always use the other half in this Veg & Bacon Pasta Sauce recipe, or in this MediterraneanVegetable Couscous. In both of these it won't matter if you use half an aubergine rather than a whole one.

Lamb Moussaka with a Feta Topping

The second recipe is more like the classic Moussaka in that mince and aubergines are layered in a baking dish and finished off with a cheesy topping. In this case the topping is a fantastic combination of greek yoghurt, feta cheese and egg that adds bags of flavour. I like to serve this one with a salad or veg and some garlic bread.

You can find the recipe on the delicious magazine website here.

Pasta with Bacon & Vegetable Sauce

This recipe comes from Tana Ramsey's recent cookbook, which I picked up on a whim for the bargain price of £3 in one of the discount bookstores.  I really shouldn't have but at that price I just couldn't resist.

I'm welcoming my weak will on this occasion, though, as it is a very nice book with lots of great-sounding recipes suitable for all the family.  This one is the first I've tried so far and on the whole it was a success (my eldest was a bit sniffy about the aubergine).  The best part of the dish for me was the bacon as this one of my favourite things to pair with pasta.  It effortlessly adds bags of flavour and texture.  This is a great everyday pasta recipe that I'll definitely be using again.

Pasta with Bacon & Vegetable Sauce
(adapted from Tana's Kitchen Secrets by Tana Ramsey)

2 tbsp olive oil
150g/5 1/2oz fresh breadcrumbs
50g/1 3/4oz parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tbsp finely chopped basil leaves
400g/14oz spaghetti, or pasta of your choice

For the sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 courgette, cut into half moons
1 small aubergine, diced
8 rashers of smoked bacon, diced
400g can tomatoes
12 button mushrooms, halved
salt and pepper

1) First make the sauce. Put the oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion, chilli (if using) and garlic. Fry gently for 5 minutes, until the onion has softened but not coloured.  Add the courgette, aubergine and bacon and cook for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Add the tomatoes, mushrooms and basil and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

2) Bring a large pan of water to the boil ready for the pasta.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan over a high heat and toss in the breadcrumbs, stirring constantly until they are toasted a light golden brown. Remove from the heat and mix in the parmesan and basil. Set aside.

3) Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Drain and drizzle over a little oil.

4) Serve the pasta in warmed serving bowls or plates and spoon the sauce over the top, then top with the toasted breadcrumbs and a little more chopped basil.

Serves 4

Pomegranate Marinated Chicken with Saffron Couscous, Grilled Aubergines & Pomegranate Vinaigrette

This was a surprise hit. Not that I didn't think it would be nice but before I made it I couldn't really imagine what it would taste like. This was because the recipe calls for Pomegranate Molasses - something I've never used before. I'm pleased I tried it though - it gave a lovely, fruity, sweet/savoury flavour and I'd highly recommend it. The soft aubergines made for a lovely side dish and the vinaigrette added further depth and flavour to the whole dish.

I've also since made the marinated chicken on it's own and served it with a roasted vegetable couscous (you can find the recipe I used here) - a simpler dish but still extremely nice.

Pomegranate Marinated Chicken with Saffron Couscous, Grilled Aubergines & Pomegranate Vinaigrette

(adapted from Books for Cooks volume 5, various authors)

8 organic chicken thighs, boned

6 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 pinch ground allspice

1 aubergine (eggplant) sliced

3-4 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

125ml/4 fl oz/1/2 cup pomegranate molasses

juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sugar

125ml/4 fl oz/1/2 cup olive oil

salt, black pepper

FOR THE COUSCOUS

a pinch of saffron threads

500g/1lb/2 cups couscous

350ml/12 fl oz/1 1/2 cups hot chicken stock

30g/1oz/2 tbsp butter

salt

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

1) Put the chicken, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, garlic and allspice in a bowl and mix well to coat each piece of chicken evenly with the syrup and spices. Cover and let marinade at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours in the fridge.

2) Mix the ingredients for the vinaigrette together in a bowl or in a jam jar with a lid.

3) Place the couscous and saffron in a large bowl and pour over the hot stock. Cover with a plate or cling film and leave for 10 minutes then use a fork to break it up. When ready to serve, melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat, add the couscous and heat through gently, fluffing the grains with a fork. Add salt to taste and stir in the herbs just before serving.

4) Brush the aubergine on both sides with olive oil. Grill on a barbeque, on a ridged cast-iron grill pan or under an overhead grill until tender and lightly charred on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Place the aubergine slices in a bowl and gently toss with all but about 4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5) Take the chicken out of its marinade and grill on a barbeque, on a ridged cast-iron grill pan or under an overhead grill. Start cooking on the skin side and grill until nicely crisp, about 7 minutes (I used skinless thighs which worked just as well). Then turn over and continue until cooked through with no trace of pink. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6) Arrange the couscous on a large platter, pile the chicken in the middle, surround with the aubergine slices and drizzle over the rest of the vinaigrette. Add a sprinkling of fresh parsley, coriander or mint if you like. Serve at once.

Serves 4

Baked Spaghetti with Aubergines

This is a nice recipe if you fancy something different to your usual tomato pasta sauce. The aubergine adds an almost meaty texture and the chilli flakes provide their usual background warmth. This recipe comes from another of the Books for Cooks compilations, volume 6 this time, and is a dish I've made many times. This time, however, I used a different ratio of tomato and aubergine as I'd been left with just half an aubergine from another recipe (details of that to follow) and couldn't be bothered to deal with half a tin of tomatoes (I was making a half portion to serve two). I have to say I think I actually preferred this combination as I liked the extra tomatoey flavour.

The recipe below is the original, undoctored version.

Baked Spaghetti with Aubergines

(adapted from Books for Cooks volume 6, various authors)

5 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

salt

400g tin Italian plum tomatoes, chopped (I just use a regular tin of chopped tomatoes)

2 medium aubergines (eggplants), diced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

dried chilli flakes

500g/1 lb Italian spaghetti

4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1) Warm the oil in a wide pan (with lid) over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2) Stir in the tomatoes, aubergines and oregano. Adjust the heat to low, cover and leave to stew slowly, stirring occasionally, until thick and meltingly soft, about 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and chilli.

3) Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/gas mark 5. Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling, salted water then drain well and mix with the hot sauce.

4) Divide the pasta and sauce between four oven-proof dishes, sprinkle evenly with parmesan then bake in the oven until piping hot and turning crisp on top, about 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4

The Lunch Challenge - Part 4

Well, the sun is shining and summer is definitely on the way. I always know we're nearly there when the Wisteria flowers appear (see above!).

So, my fourth, and probably final lunch recipe for now, is another from Jo Pratt's In the Mood for Food. I really wanted to try out a couscous recipe as part of my lunch challenge and so I made Meditterranean Vegetable Couscous.

This was another lovely recipe and easy to put together. It's not quite an "all in one bowl" recipe as you do of course have to roast the veggies in the oven, but that wasn't too much of a hardship and worth it for the end result.

Mediterranean Vegetable Couscous

(adapted from In the Mood for Food by Jo Pratt)

1 small red pepper

1 large or 2 small courgettes

1 small aubergine (I got a regular sized one - they were all the same price and I wanted to get my money's-worth!)

2 red onions

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

about 20 cherry tomatoes

200g couscous

1 1/2 tablespoons green pesto

1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

a handful of stoned black olives

a few torn basil leaves or some rocket leaves

1) Preheat the oven to 200c, gas 6

2) Chop up the pepper, courgette, aubergine and onions and toss in a roasting tray with a tablespoon of olive oil. Season and roast for 25 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes (I left mine a bit longer - I like my veg well roasted). Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

3) Put the couscous in a large bowl and pour over 350ml boiling water. Stir, cover with cling film and leave for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and leave to cool.

4) Mix together the remaining tablespoon of oil with the pesto and balsamic vinegar. Add this to the vegetables then toss it all together with the couscous. Mix in the basil or rocket leaves.