Pumpkin Moussaka

Pumpkin Moussaka

This is a recipe that was given to me by one of my students who loved anything with brinjal.  Many Moussakas later and a firm family favourite we have combined the boring brinjal with practically every vegetable- from pumpkin to carrots to cauliflower, peas and broccoli.  Never mind tomatoes.  Pumpkin Moussaka, here we come.

The Recipe:

500 gms mince, washed and drained; 1 large onion, minced; 2 cloves garlic, minced fine; salt and pepper to taste; 2 tbsp olive oil

Pumpkin Puree:  2 cups orange pumpkin, boiled with 1/2 cup water till soft, cooled and pureed with 1 large clove of garlic and 1/2 inch ginger.

300 gms sliced brinjal- soak in salted water and drain.  Grill at 225 C with olive oil and salt for 2 minutes each side.  Keep warm till required.

White Sauce:

1/2  cup chicken stock; 1/2 cup milk; salt & white pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste; 1 dsp flour; 1 small onion minced; 2 tbsp grated cheese.

      Heat oil in non stick pan.  Fry the minced onions until glazed and transparent.  Add flour and stir fry for a minute till crisp.  Lower flame and slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring all the while to avoid lumps.  Next add the milk and keep stirring until thick and creamy.  Add the cheese and gently mix.  Season with salt & white pepper.  Keep warm till required. 

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan and stir fry the onions and garlic till glazed.  Add the mince and cook till brown.  Add the pumpkin puree and pepper and salt and cook on medium heat to desired consistency.

To Assemble:

Grease a large oven proof dish and pour 1/2 cup of the mince and pumpkin mixture into it.  Place a layer of brinjal over the Pumpkin Mince Sauce and pour 1/2 cup white sauce over. Repeat layers ending with the Brinjal and finishing with White Sauce on top.   Sprinkle with more grated cheese on top.   Bake in a Pre heated oven at 225 C for 45 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.  Take out of the oven and cover and keep for 15 minutes.  Serve hot with garlic bread.  I served it with my Multi Grain Garlic Bread which was a complete knock out..

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Ma's Mince Vindaloo

                                                                  Mince Vindaloo

This was a great favourite of ours while growing up and my Mum used to make it pretty often. We ate a lot of mince and had it in so many forms- cutlets, Pulav, in uppuma, with chappathis, in sandwiches, with idlis and dosais too. It brings back fond memories of carefree days when all that mattered was a full stomach.

The Recipe:

250gms mince, wash and drain; 100gms peas, washed; 2 medium onions chopped; 1 tsp jeera seeds ( cumin); 1/2 tsp chilli powder; 3 pinch mustard seeds; 8 pepper corns; 1/2 inch piece ginger; 4 large cloves garlic; 2 tomatoes chopped; 1 tbsp vinegar;  a few coriander leaves; 1 tbsp olive oil; salt to taste.

Blend all ingredients except the onions and coriander leaves.  This is the masala. Keep aside till required.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan and stir fry the coriander leaves and onions on a medium flame until golden brown.   Add the masala and cook till thick. Stir in the mince and peas and salt to tasteand cover and cook on simmer for 10 minutes. If more gravy is required, add a little water.  Serve hot with Kichdi or bread or chappathis.

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Stuffed To The Gills

Stuffed Capsicum

This is a lovely recipe that can be made with left over mince.  While growing up, we had mince on more than one occasion and it remains one of my favourite foods today.  The aroma of mince being cooked is enough to send me into a frenzy and coupled with capsicum, this is literally to die for.  Those who have eaten it will vouch for it.  So add it to your list of Absolute Must Recipes To Try!

The Recipe:

2 green or yellow capsicums.  I used one of each.  Wash the capsicums and slice off 1/4 from the top.    Reserve the tops to cover the stuffed capsicum.  Gently de seed with a sharp knife retaining the shape of the capsicums.

Mince:

1/2 kg mince; 2 onions, chopped; 2 spring onions, chopped; 3 flakes, garlic, minced; 1 inch ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced;  few coriander leaves, chopped; salt to taste; 2 tbsp oil for frying; a handful of green peas; 2 slices stale bread, crumbled.

Wash and drain mince.  Heat oil and add chopped onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, corriander leaves and minced chillies.  Stir fry on medium heat until onions are golden browm.  Add the mince and fry till brown.  Add peas and 1/4 cup water and cover and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste and the crumbled bread.  The bread will soak up all the liquid.  Cool.  Keep aside while you make the white sauce

White Sauce

 White Sauce:  1 whole egg; 1/2  cup chicken stock; 1/2 cup milk; salt & white pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste; 1 dsp flour; 1 small onion minced.

      Heat oil in non stick pan.  Fry the minced onions until glazed and transparent.  Add flour and stir fry for a minute till crisp.  Lower flame and slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring all the while to avoid lumps.  Next add the milk and keep stirring until thick and creamy.  Add the whole egg and gently mix.  Season with salt & white pepper.  Pour the sauce into a pyrex dish.  

a    Take a few spoonfuls of the mince and stuff it into the hollowed capsicum, to the brim.  Top with the sliced off lid.  Repeat with second capsicum.  Place capsicums in the dish on the white sauce and sprinkle remaining mince around it.  Bake at 200 Celcius in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until done.  Serve hot with crusty bread.

Leftover Pie

Five Star Pie

It's fascinating to see what one could make from leftovers languishing in the refrigerator.  I had some pasta,  mince, mint rice (rice cooked with 1 sliced onion and a bunch of mint leaves) and a piece of dry cheese.  Oh and some chicken soup too.  Put them together in layers, pour the soup over and you have a gorgeous  Five Star Pie.

The Recipe:

For The Mince: http://www.fromthefryingpan.blogspot.com/2013/07/family-trade-mark.html

2 cups leftover pasta- whatever you have will do.  I used spaghetti; 1 cup mince; 1 cup chicken soup; 1/2 cup of Mint Rice;  50 gms of dry cheese, sliced thin; salt and pepper to taste.  Baby tomatoes for garnishing.

Oil the pie dish and arrange ingredients in layers starting with the spaghetti, then the mint rice, followed by the mince.  Pour the soup all over the mince and let it seep down on to the spaghetti.  Arrange the cheese on top and bake in a preheated oven at 150 Degrees Centigrade or till cheese is brown and bubbly.  Garnish with baby tomatoes and serve hot.  Watch your favourite TV programme as you tuck into this delicious Five Star Pie.

Family Trade Mark

Bread Mince

I drool whenever I think of this recipe.  The delicious smells wafting through the house and the scraping of the kitchen spoons against the pan filled me with anticipation of a wonderful meal cooked by my Mum or dad.  My Mum would always use this as a filling for mince patties for our birthday parties and other special ocassions and they had to be rationed out to the guests who greedily fell on them without exception.  To this day, there's no one who can cook like my Mum and whenever I make this recipe I think of long, long ago and the glorious birthday parties we had.

The Recipe:

1/2 kg mince; 2 onions, chopped; 2 spring onions, chopped; 3 flakes, garlic, minced; 1 inch ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced;  few coriander leaves, chopped; salt to taste; 2 tbsp oil for frying; a handful of green peas; 2 slices stale bread, crumbled; fried egg tofu - optional.

Wash and drain mince.  Heat oil and add chopped onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, corriander leaves and minced chillies.  Stir fry on medium heat until onions are golden browm.  Add the mince and fry till brown.  Add peas and 1/4 cup water and cover and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste and the crumbled bread.  The bread will soak up all the liquid.   Garnish with sliced tofu and serve hot with dhal and rice or chappathis.  This is a hot favourite and I love this recipe even today.  Enjoy.

Leftover Surprise

SHEPHERD"S PIE

This is the dish to make when you have leftovers and want to relax after a day's work.  In our house Mince is a hot favourite and the dish is usually scraped clean with bread or chappathis.  So Shepherd's Pie is a project in itself.  I always make double and freeze half, so that I can take it out of the freezer and use on a holiday or when we have unexpected guests.

The Recipe:

250 gms mince; 100 gms mixed vegetables like peas, diced carrots and corn kernels; 2 large flakes garlic, minced; 1 large onion, minced; 2 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped; coriander leaves and spring onions, chopped; 1 inch piece ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced; salt to taste and oil for cooking; cheese (optional) for garnishing.
For Topping:  2 large potatoes boiled.  Mash with 1/4 cup low fat milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and keep aside.
Wash & drain mince.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and stir fry the onions, celery, ginger, garlic, spring onions, chillies and coriander leaves till onions are glazed.  Add the mixed vegetables ans stir fry for 2 minutes.  Now add the mince and cook till brown.  If too dry add 1/4 cup water, salt to taste, bring to the boil and remove from fire.  Transfer to baking dish and spread evenly.  Top with a layer of mashed potato and dot with cheese.  Bake at 180 Degrees C or until cheese is melted and brown.  Serve hot with bread or chappathis.