Moussaka

 MOUSSAKA

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/moussaka_6812

We love Greek food. Our favourite restuarant in Munich is Paros. They do a great Moussaka. It's been nearly 10 years since our Greek Oddesey in Homer. It's time to get back. We had to cancel a sailing trip in Greece in 2020 and I'm not even sure we will get there in 2021. Greece has annouced in the papers this weekend that they will allow summer visitors who have had a vaccine. I think this will be neccassary as tourism and travel open up again.

Sunday 7 February 2021

Lockdown Day 318

Addo Elephant Park

Zoom chats are back! Our friends in Europe and the UK are back in full lockdown with no oppurtunities to socialise and very bad weather. We are still hanging out in the bush while the Covid second wave eases.

Mylene had cooked Moussaka so I decided to complete this post from months ago. So delicious and a hearty meal for winter. If you are short of time, here's a few tips...

1. This recipe is made with lamb mince ( more authentic ) but you can use beef. I always make a big batch of ragu and keep portions in the freezer. ( the freezer in the back of the cruiser has been stocked for over three months now. )

2. You can use store bought sauce and just grate the cheeses into it and add eggs.

3. Skip the frying of the Eggplant especially if the ragu is a little saucy.

My pics of Greece are my own but the pics of the dish are borrowed.

 

Lemonade Scones

 Here's a link to this quick, easy and delicious scone recipe. This recipe is the best one I found.

https://www.recipetineats.com/lemonade-scones/

Her baking tips are very helpful. The first time I tried these they weren't light and fluffy so when I made them again I read all the tips. Use lemonade from the fridge. Mix the ingredients minimally. The dough should still be sticky and not quite fully mixed when you turn it out onto your floured board. Pat it down gently, don't use a rolling pin, don't twist the cookie cutter and don't go over the cooking time.
I like savoury fillings for scones rather than cream and jam. Try marmite and biltong dust; its delicious.

Wheres's the best place for tea and scones? Fortnum and Mason's Tearoom in London? Somewhere in Cornwall or Devon? How about The Strand Hotel, Rangon, Myanmar? A pretty exotic place for tea in 2004.

This is another recipe just in case.

https://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipes/Lemonade-Scones

Yorkshire Pudding Wraps with Steak

We have been watching The Hairy Bikers' Route 66 series. They have been cooking along the way in various different locations. One of their recipes is this one. Yorkshire Pudding Wraps with Steak. If you love Yorkshire Pudding you'll love this. We made them and they were yummy and not that difficult. I turned leftover beef roast into a stew-like filling, which worked perfectly. Here's the link to their recipe.

https://flip.it/rGf98C

 

I would suggest using their recipe for regular Yorkshire Puds too, it's really a good one.

When we moved to the States, Neil said we must have American cars because we would never own an American car anywhere else in the world. So he drove a huge Ford Excursion and I had a Chrysler Sebring convertable. One thing I had dreamed of for years was driving across America, Thelma and Louise style and Neil wasn't able to get that much leave off work, so I asked a few friends if anyone had the time to do it with me. Julie, my best friend from High School days in Durban, was attending a conference in Denver and she agreed to join me. All she wanted to do was see the Grand Canyon and all I wanted to do was drive part of Route 66. We did both and a lot more. From New Jersey to LA to San Fran to Denver and then I drove back to NJ on my own. 8000 miles and only 25 nights on the road!

Well that story needs to written sometime - I have the diary I kept and the photos somewhere in storage at the farm.

Since then, Neil and I have done the whole of Route 66, part way with Stephen and Vivienne and the rest on our own. It's an amazing, iconic Road Trip, which I did blog about in July 2013. Here are a few pics to whet your appetite - This trip is a must!