Leftovers Moussaka

This is the first time I've ever made moussaka although my mum has made it for me before so I knew the general principles.  I decided on making it because we had had a roast lamb previously and had some of the meat left over.  Moussaka is normally done with lamb mince but I thought it would work just as well with small pieces of cooked lamb.  I would say this recipe was a success, it was pretty tasty and I would definitely make it again.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs Olive oil
1 Red onion
3 Cloves garlic
200g Leftover roast lamb chopped into small pieces
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
A sprinkle of allspice
A sprinkle of cinnamon
A sprinkle of Italian herbs
200ml Water
Salt and pepper
1 Aubergine
4 Potatoes
50g Butter
2 Tbs Plain flour
1 Pint milk
100g Chedder cheese

Method:

• Put the oven on at 150 degrees
• Finely chop the onion and fry in the oil until soft, add the lamb and crushed garlic and fry for a few more minutes
• Add the chopped tomatoes and water and stir in the allspice, cinnamon, Italian herbs and salt and pepper
• Turn the temperature down and leave to simmer
• Peel and chop the potatoes into thin slices, boil in salted water until soft
• Cut the aubergine into thin slices and sprinkle with salt
• Make a bechamel sauce with the butter, flour and milk and add the cheese
• Once all of the separate parts are cooked grease a large glass dish
• Place a layer of potato slices in the bottom of the dish, pour the meat sauce in a layer on top of this, place a layer of aubergine slices on this and top the whole with the cheese sauce
• Add extra cheese if desired
• Place in the oven for half an hour

This recipe does require quite a lot of preparation, take a fairly long time and create a fair amount of washing up.  For me though the cooking is part of the enjoyment of the meal and the end result is very tasty and definitely worth the time.

Chinese Style Honey and Mustard Pork Steaks

There were some pork steaks in the fridge which I knew were going to be cooked for dinner and, not wanting them to be condemned to be cooked into a bland and boring steak with nothing added whatsoever, I decided to take over the cooking and make them taste nice.  Therefore I decided to marinade them before grilling them later.

Ingredients:
4 Pork steaks
1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon mustard
2 cloves garlic

Method:

• Put the pork steaks in a bowl with all of the marinade ingredients and mix together, making sure each steak is coated
• Cover the bowl with foil and put in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably more
• When ready to cook take the steaks out of the marinade and grill for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked

I served the pork with egg fried rice and carrots which I boiled and then fried with the remaining marinade but they can be served with whatever you want.  The steaks were very tender and tasty, I effectively saved them from being chewy and bland. Win.