Mousakas

Mousakas

Ingredients

1. 1 kilo of aubergines
2. ½ kilo of minced meat
3. 1 cup of butter
4. 1 average-sized onion, finely chopped
5. 1 cup of tomato juice
6. parsley
7. salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg
8. 300 gr. of Feta cheese, finely crumbled
9. 2 packets of Jotis Béchamel Sauce
10. 4 cups of milk
11. a little grated gruyere cheese

Preparation

Place half the butter in a pan and sauté the onion, add the minced meat and stir until the minced meat whitens and forms into lumps. Then add the tomato juice, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg and allspice. Leave the minced meat and sauce to simmer until the liquids have evaporated. Prepare the Jotis Béchamel Sauce in accordance with the instructions on the packet. Take one cupful of Béchamel sauce and stir into the minced meat. In the meantime wash and cut the aubergines into fine slices. Melt the remaining butter and using a brush butter the aubergines on both sides.

Place them flat in a casserole dish and roast in a hot oven until golden brown on both sides. Place a layer of aubergines in an oven-proof dish, cover with half the minced meat mix and sprinkle over half the Feta cheese.

Repeat, once again covering the aubergines with the minced meat mix and Feta cheese. Finally add another layer of aubergines and place the remaining Béchamel sauce on top and sprinkle with the gruyere cheese. Roast in a fan-assisted oven at 180oC for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Gemista

"Gemista"




Ingredients:

1. 6 ripe tomatoes.
2. 6 peppers.
3. Half kilo of minced meat.
4. Tomato juice or tomato puree and water.
5. 2 teacups rice.
6. 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.
7. 2 chopped onions.
8. 1 teaspoon chopped mint.
9. One and a half teacups olive oil.
10. Salt and pepper

Instructions:

First wash the tomatoes and peppers. Then cut a thin round slice off the top of the tomatoes with a sharp knife and keep them aside. Scoop most of the tomato pulp out, with a teaspoon, and shred it finely. Cut the tops off the peppers and keep them aside. Then prepare the stuffing with the following way: Heat the oil in a cooking pan and saute the onions in it, until they look brown. Add the minced meat and let it saute for 10 minutes, stirring with a spoon all the time. Add the tomato pulp, the parsley, salt, pepper, the mint and some water and let them simmer for approximately one hour. Then wash and strain the rice. Add the rice to the stuffing mixture continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Fill the tomatoes and peppers, which you have arranged in a Pyrex dish or baking pan, with the prepared stuffing. Replace the previously saved tops of the tomatoes and peppers. Pour some tomato juice into the pan/dish and fill the gaps between the stuffed tomatoes and peppers with slices of potato. Bake it in a medium oven for approximately 40-45 minutes.

(Note: when you fill the tomatoes, becareful not to overfill them.)