Moussaka is one of my favourite dishes in the entire universe. If you come around here much, you may roll your eyes at that. I admit I show a lot of enthusiasm for many foods. I love a lot of foods. But there are very few I would commit to calling a favourite. Moussaka merits "favourite" status. Here's why. Moussaka is hard core comfort food. Ground meat, rich tomato sauce, potatoes and creamy white sauce. Piping hot, and browned with crispy edges. It's your mom's shepherd's pie meets your mom's lasagna. That is a lot of comfort in one dish. Also, it intriguing. There is lamb. There's cinnamon. There is nutmeg. There is roasted eggplant, and nutty kefalotyri (or parmesan) cheese. It's familiar, but it's got interest. Comfort food, elevated. I have a pearl of wisdom to share with you. Salt your eggplant. I know it is an extra step, but this is exactly the step that turns "I hate eggplant" people into "I want my wedding cake made of eggplant" people. Too far? Okay, maybe. Salting the sliced eggplant and letting it stand serves to draw out the moisture, so that it will brown properly and have crispy edges with a gorgeous silken interior when cooked. Failure to perform this step will result in pale eggplant sponges that slurp up oil and are oily, soggy and slimy in a finished dish. I think that's a pretty compelling argument for the extra step. I used a combination of eggplant and zucchini in my moussaka. Partially because, yes, they are a natural pair, and partly because I got a MONSTER zucchini at the farmers market for only TWO bucks! It is more than 2 feet tall. That means it was less than a buck a foot! Unfortunately, it's skin is about 1/2 inch think and tough as nails, and I could only actually cut through the top 1/4. Ah well. It made an awesome pretend guitar. Feel free to use all eggplant and skip the zucchini if you prefer. MoussakaServes 6 to 8. 2 large or 4 small potatoes 2 medium eggplantssalt1 large zucchini (or the top 1/4 of a guitar-sized monster zucchini, if you can find one)2 tbsp olive oilFor Meat Sauce2 tbsp olive oil1 cup diced onion (from 1 medium, or 1/2 large onion)3 cloves garlic, minced1 lb ground lamb2 tbsp tomato paste2 bay leaves2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)1/8 tsp ground cloves2 cups diced tomatoes1/4 cup red wine (or 1 tbsp red wine vinegar)salt, to taste For white sauce1/4 cup butter1/4 cup flour2 cups milk2/3 cup grated kefalotyri or parmesan cheesepinch nutmegsalt, to taste 1. Peel and boil the potatoes until just tender. When cool enough to handle, slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Set aside. 2. While potatoes are boiling, slice the eggplants crosswise into 1/2 inch rounds and spread on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle generously with salt on both sides, then top with another baking sheet weighted down (with cans, or a jug of milk - be creative; you just want weight). Set aside 15 minutes, while preheating broiler. 3. Pat and gently squeeze eggplant slices with paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Rinse under running water, and dry once again. Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds. Toss zucchini and eggplant slices on baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then arrange in a single layer. Broil on highest oven rack for 6 minutes, or until slightly charred, then flip slices and repeat on the other side. Set pan aside. 4. Make meat sauce: Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add ground lamb and cook until browned, stirring often and breaking up any large pieces with a metal spoon. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then stir in diced tomatoes and red wine, or red wine vinegar. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Reduce heat to low and simmer, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 5. Make white sauce: Melt butter over moderate heat in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly (the goal is to cook out the starch, but you don't want to brown it - reduce the heat if necessary). Whisk in 1/4 cup of the milk until fully blended, then very gradually whisk in remaining milk. Stir frequently until sauce is thickened. Slowly sprinkle in cheese and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and nutmeg. Reduce heat to minimum, and continue to stir now and then while you assemble the moussaka. 6. Assemble the moussaka: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large baking dish, arrange a bottom layer of overlapping eggplant and zucchini slices (alternating). Spread the meat sauce over top. Add another overlapping layer of eggplant/zucchini, followed by the potato slices. Pour the white sauce over top and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until bubbly and browned.
Homemade dumplings are easier to make than you think, and you can completely customize your fillings!
Turn authentic Japchae with Korean glass noodles, spinach, bean sprouts, and sweet pepper dressed in a chili vinaigrette.
Pour me situer dans le monde, pour moi c'est assez simple, il y a où je suis, ça je sais à peu près me situer, il y a jusqu'où je vois, et puis après il y a loin mais où je sais… Londres, Bruxelles, Amsterdam, Madrid… des villes comme ça me servent à borner mon univers et après, après il y a là-bas… Et là-bas ça devient considérablement plus flou ! Là-bas loin au fond du fond, d'un côté du bout du monde, c'est le Tokyo et là-bas moins loin que le fond du fond c'est un peu tout le reste. Singapour, pour moi, c'était donc là-bas loin, vers le fond du fond, mais sans trop savoir vraiment à quel niveau du fond. L'avantage de ne pas savoir c'est que je peux imaginer plein de plein de lieux, plein de gens et surtout plein de bouffes qui n'ont d'ailleurs pas toujours à voir avec la réalité vraie, mais finalement c'est pas vraiment que ça me gène plus que ça, l'imagination des fois c'est bien aussi… Singapour était pour moi une ville grouillante et métissée, pleine de petites maisons et grands buildings, une de ces villes cosmopolites où l'on peut manger du soir au matin en voyageant à travers les différentes influences de l'Asie et peut-être même du monde… J'imaginais en pensant au manger de là-bas une sorte de marché sans fin, fait d'échoppes, de bric et de broc où chacun propose sa cuisine, une cuisine des rues, un peu comme dans les rues de Blade Runner, des rues où le nez et les yeux guident l'affamé de plat en plat presque sans fin… Mon Singapour à moi ressemblait un peu à ça, à un matin calme pas loin d'une autoroute bruyante où un bol de soupe parfumée à la main, assis à une petite échoppe on se dit en regardant le soleil, c'est bien par là qu'il se lève. Et puis j'ai été invité à découvrir une drôle de cuisine voyageuse qui se balade à travers le monde avec marqué dessus Singapore Takeout grâce à l'Office du tourisme de Singapour, une maison où des cuisiniers vivent dedans, des cuisiniers de Singapour et d'ailleurs. La cuisine Singapor Takeout est une curieuse cuisine qui s'ouvre un peu comme les baraques à frites, sauf que là elle s'ouvre donc sur un petit bout de là-bas que quelques cuisiniers hors pairs se chargent de transmettre, et là j'ai découvert une cuisine que je n'avais pas imaginée. J'avais oublié d'imaginer que Singapour pouvait aussi avoir une cuisine moderne, raffinée, inventive, habitée par les cuisiniers qui la représentent. Ma cuisine est sans prétention et authentique m'a dit André Chiang un des deux cuisiniers du jour, il aurait pu ajouter qu'elle est aussi foutument inspirée et diablement rafraichissante. Et c'est comme ça qu'André Chiang et Swen Chartier son complice du jour, ainsi qu'Ewen Lemoigne et ses vins natures, ont remis mon imagination à jour en partageant leur cuisine, une cuisine habitée par leurs inspirations où les influences ne craignent pas des confrontations inattendues. Alors si vous avez la chance d'aller vous perdre de ce côté là de là-bas n'hésitez pas à découvrir toutes les cuisines de Singapour, celle des rues et des corners mais aussi celle des restaurants gastronomiques comme celui d'André Chiang, toutes ces cuisines ont de biens bons moments à vous faire passer ! Et en attendant si l'envie vous prend de fréquenter sur place cette cuisine tentez donc cette soupe Laksa, elle aussi vaut la découverte ! Soupe Laksa Ingrédients : 1douzaine de grosses crevettes crues– 1ou 2 piments doux – 1 gousse d'ail – 1 morceau de gingembre frais (environ la taille d'une gousse d'ail) – 2càs de crevettes séchées – 3 ou 4 échalotes - 1 paquet de boulettes de poisson ou de seiche – 1 paquet de tofu frit– 1 petit bouquet de coriandre – ½ paquet de nouilles de riz – ½ paquet de nouilles de blé chinoises – 2càs de pâte Laksa – 40cl de lait de coco – 1 citron vert – 1 bâton de citronnelle - 2càs de sauce Nuoc Nam ou Nam pla (sauce de poisson) – des échalotes frites – une petite poignée de germes de soja - de l'huile – 1 petit piment fort (facultatif) Commencez en mettant dans le bol d'un mixer le piment égrené, l'ail épluché, le gingembre épluché, les crevettes séchées et les échalotes épluchées et coupées en morceaux, ajoutez 10cl d'eau et mixez le tout de manière à obtenir une sorte de purée. Décortiquez les crevettes et réservez les parures. Versez 2ou 3càs d'huile dans une casserole, jetez-y les parures de crevettes et faites-les colorer à feu assez vif. Retirez les parures et versez la pâte mixée. Faites cuire à feu assez vif 3 ou 4 minutes en remuant bien, attention à ne pas laisser attacher. Ajoutez la pâte Laksa, remuez bien et poursuivez la cuisson pendant 1 ou 2 minutes. Ajoutez ½ litre d'eau remuez, portez à ébullition, baissez le feu et laissez blobloter une dizaine de minutes. Ajoutez le lait de coco, les boulettes de poisson et le tofu frit coupé en triangles, ajoutez aussi le jus d'un demi-citron vert, la citronnelle coupée en gros tronçons et la sauce Nuoc Nam. Poursuivez la cuisson pendant 5minutes. Pendant ce temps faites cuire les nouilles de riz, rincez-les puis réservez-les. Faites aussi cuire les nouilles de blé dans lesquelles vous aurez ajouté les crevettes, pensez à les sortir dès qu'elles sont cuites, elles cuiront plus vite que les nouilles, rincez puis réservez les nouilles. Répartissez enfin les nouilles dans quatre bols, versez par-dessus le bouillon avec les boulettes et le tofu. Répartissez les crevettes et répartissez dessus de la coriandre, des germes de soja et des échalotes frites et éventuellement du piment coupé en tranches. Servez très chaud avec des quartiers de citron vert. Laksa soup Ingredients: a dozen large raw shrimps - 1 or 2 mild chilli peppers - 1 clove garlic - 1 piece fresh ginger (about the size of a clove of garlic) - 2 Tbsp dried shrimps - 3 or 4 shallots - 1 pack fish or cuttlefish dumplings - 1 pack fried tofu - 1 small bunch coriander - 1/2 pack rice noodles - 1/2 pack egg Chinese noodles - 2 Tbsp Laksa paste - 40cl coconut milk - 1 lime - 1 lemongrass stalk - 2 Tbsp fish sauce - fried shallots - one small handful mung bean sprouts - oil - 1 small hot chilli pepper (optional) Start putting in the bowl of your food processor the mild chilli pepper (seeds out), peeled garlic and ginger, dried shrimps, peeled shallots, cut into big chunks and 10cl of water. Blitz until you have a homogeneous puree. Shell the shrimps but do not put the shells and heads to waste. Instead, brown them in a saucepan, with a couple of tablespoons of oil, on rather high heat. Take out the shells and put the puree in the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, still on high heat, stirring well. Make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add the Laksa paste, give a good stir and cook for another minute or two. Add 50cl of water, stir, bring to the boil and turn the heat down. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, the fish dumplings, fried tofu cut into triangles as well as the juice of half a lime, the lemongrass cut into large logs and the fish sauce. Cook for 5 minutes. In the meantime, cook the rice noodles, rinse them and set them aside. Also cook the egg noodles in which you add the shrimps. Make sure to take them out as soon as they’re done, which will happen before the noodles. Rinse and set the noodles aside. Distribute the noodles into 4 bowls and pour some soup over, with dumplings and tofu. Distribute the shrimps as well and top with coriander, bean sprouts, shallots and a few slices of hot chilli if you want. Serve very hot with lime wedges. Mais pourquoi, et Hong-Kong au fait c'est aussi par là-bas au bout du monde ??? est-ce que je vous raconte ça…
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