Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Moussaka... well, almost


We were dining with out-of-town friends at the Pride of Mediterranean on Fillmore Street. This evening, the restaurant happened to be out of grilled haloumi cheese, which I wanted to try, so I ordered moussaka instead. It was delicious, soft and flavorful. The eggplant was heavenly, and the onion was crunchy and soft at the same time, and it complemented the texture so well. I was so excited, that I didn't even realize how quickly my plate became empty.

How complicated this can be? - I asked myself, when I got home. Well. First of all, it turned out that the real moussaka is made with meat, specifically with lamb. But there was no lamb this evening, I was pretty sure. I googled the vegetarian moussaka recipes. No luck. Lentils? Tofu? Bechamel sauce? There was none of this. In fact, I did remember only two ingredients: eggplant, and onion. Maybe there was some tomato paste, too.

So, time to experiment! Using this recipe from Epicurious as a starting point, I turned on the oven and pulled out the vegetable drawer.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant (I don't think Japanese eggplant would work)
1 large red bell pepper
1 medium yellow sweet onion
2 tablespoons of tomato liquid from the can of Trader Joe's "Whole Tomatoes No Salt Added"
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil + some sprayed olive oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the eggplant, onion and pepper into wedges, 1 x 1,5 - 2 inches. Spray the large and deep baking pan with olive oil. Arrange vegetables on the baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 40 minutes. I stirred once during this time, but I don't think it was that necessary.
After 40 minutes, take the pan out and pour the tomato liquid over the vegetables. Mix everything and return to the oven. Roast for another 20-25 minutes.

Verdict:

The result had different texture from the restaurant dish. But the taste, the flavors were very close, and this recipe is definitely a keeper. And it is simple, too. No spices, no salt - it tasted great just like that.

Still, something tells me there is much more in the Pride of Mediterranean's moussaka. Next time, I would definitely ask.

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