Tag Archives: Greek food

Beef, Main Dish, Recipes

Marvelous Moussaka

Photo - MoussakaFinishing off my Greek festival cooking, I made moussaka, a delicious eggplant, meat, tomato, and cream dish which is like a Greek version of lasagna. Traditionally made with ground lamb, you can also make it with beef or a combination. I used beef in mine. The casserole is topped with a creamy white sauce, a béchamel, and is baked with feta cheese.

I adapted the recipe from an old Betty Crocker cookbook to be a half-sized and lower carb’d casserole. Serve it with a low carb bread or low carb flatbread, like this one.

Here’s a couple of substitutions. If you don’t like feta cheese, use Parmesan or Romano. Not crazy about eggplant? User several large zucchini instead.

This photo shows the layers a little better. This is when it’s cold, but once it is heated, it tends to run together more.

Moussaka

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
salt
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 tablespoon Butter
1 pound lean Ground Beef or Ground Lamb
Salt to taste
ground Black Pepper to taste
1 onions, chopped
1/2 clove Garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
½ teaspoon Italian Herbs
2 tablespoons dried Parsley
1 (8 ounce) can Tomato sauce
½ cup Red Wine
1 Egg, beaten
1-1/2 cups Cream & 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose low carb flour
salt to taste
ground White Pepper, to taste
1 cups freshly crumbled Feta Cheese
¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg

Preheat over to 350 degrees (F.)

Place the slices of eggplant on paper towels and sprinkle each lightly with salt. Let them rest 30 minutes to draw out moisture. Wipe each slice off with a paper towel.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high head. Fry the eggplant until lightly browned. Remove a paper-toweled covered plate to drain.

Using the same skillet, clean it of any remaining oil with a paper towel, then set it to medium high, melt the butter and add the ground beef or lamb, onions, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to your taste preference. When the meat is browned, sprinkle in cinnamon, nutmeg, Italian herbs, and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes.  Let cool for about 20 minutes then stir in beaten egg.

In an 8×8-inch baking dish, arrange a layer of eggplant, using half of the eggplant. Cover the eggplant with all of the meat mixture, spreading it evenly, then crumble 1/3 cup of Feta cheese over the meat. Place the remaining eggplant slices over the top, and crumble another 1/3 cup of cheese on top. Let sit while you prepare the béchamel sauce.

Scald the cream and water in a saucepan and remove before it boils. Clean out the meat skillet and melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in low carb flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, stirring constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.

Pour the béchamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with nutmeg. Crumble the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Makes 4 to 6 servings

nutrition information

Desserts, Recipes

Greek Festival Flavors

Photo: Baklava pieces

Many years ago,  I traveled to Greece for my first European holiday. I loved the country and the people, but I really loved the food. Every year in Reno, the local Greek Church has hosted a festival. Last year’s was cancelled due to COVID, and this year’s is just an order-your-favorite-foods year. Well, rather than indulging in higher carb’d delights, I decided to make my own.

If you love nuts, honey, and spices, you’ll flip for Baklava, the sweet, delightfully delicious honey-nut pastry. There’s no way around the flaky pastry dough. I wouldn’t even try to recreate it with delicate low carb flour. But, I can, and did, save a lot of carbs on the filling. This recipe will give you all the flavor without all the carbs, but the real problem is, you can only have one or two pieces a day, depending on you carb threshold. For me, it’s one piece and careful eating the rest of the day. But it is soooo worth it!

You need a jelly roll pan, which is like a cookie sheet with deep sides, and is about 10×13-inches. You’ll also want a pastry brush and a lot of space to work. The recipe is actually easy to make, but you need to work quickly to keep the dough from drying out while you’re working. So, with all that in mind, here’s the recipe.

Photo: Sheet of baked Baklava

Baklava (Greek Honey Nut Pastries)

1 lb. Phyllo Dough (Filo or Fillo)
2 cups raw Pecans, chopped
1 cup raw Almonds, chopped
1 1/2 cups Butter, melted (3 sticks)
2 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Honey Syrup:
1 1/2 cups granulated Sugar Substitute
1 1/2 cups Water
2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
3/4 cup Sugar-free Honey

Begin by chopping the nuts to a nice crumble.  I use a small food processor to do this and pulse them for about six times. Next, mix the chopped nuts with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Melt the butter and get a pastry brush ready. Prepare a 10-x13 jelly roll pan by covering the bottom with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Brush butter over the top.

Open the dough package and roll out on a sheet of wax paper. Put another sheet of wax paper over the top and cover with a damp towel to help prevent drying. Carefully move a sheet of filo dough to the pan and brush with butter. The dough will probably overlap the side of the pan. You will trim it later. Repeat 4 to 5 more times, brushing butter on between each sheet. Brush the top sheet, then sprinkle half the nuts over the dough.

Repeat another layer of 5 or 6 filo sheets, each brushed with butter. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts evenly over the dough. Repeat the layers one more time, brushing with butter each time.

Cut dough ready to bake.
This is the completed phyllo dough after the boxes are cut into triangles. You can see one uncut one on the bottom left.

With a sharp knife, trim the dough at the edges of the pan off by cutting right along the inside of the pan. Remove the dough and discard.

Using a sharp knife and cutting part-way through the dough, cut the dough lengthwise into three equal sections.  Turn the pan and cut the dough across the middle. Cut each half into three sections. Cut each box section across diagonally to make two triangles. When done, you will have 36 triangles. Carefully pour the rest of the butter over the top, making sure the butter gets into all the cuts where it will roll down to the bottom.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the pastries are golden brown.

While they are baking, make your honey syrup: Add sugar to a medium-sized pot, then add water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the honey. Stir in it, then let it sit until the pastries are done.

Remove the pastries from the oven and put the pan on a padded counter or cooling rack. Use a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the syrup and pour it over the hot pastries. They will sizzle, which is normal. Use all the syrup on the pan, making sure it gets into all the cracks and down to the lower layers. Let cool before eating. The baklava is best after it has rested for several hours allowing the dough to soak up the syrup.

Makes 36 pieces of baklava.

Note: The baklava is very sticky to eat. The tops do not stick to the nuts, so they tend to be a deliciously messy. I found they held together and tasted best after the first day.

Nutrition Information: Baklava

Coming next week, a recipe for another Greek favorite,  tiropitas!  These are delectable cheese appetizers wrapped in phyllo dough.