There are those who eat lentils at the turn of the year to attract money and plenty, for me, having the beans on your plate is like having lucky charms scattered around the house. I’m not sure why I have a small white elephant on the windowsill, a Greek eye hanging among the pans, and a wooden Kuna Yala totem beside my television, but they are there, just like the lentil is on my plate. on New Year’s Eve.
Interestingly, at the turn of 2019 to 2020, and from 2020 to 2021, I didn’t even eat a lentil ball. I already lived in Portugal and, in the first year, I was content with the pasta offered to us by a couple of friends, in the following year, I watched half a dozen fireworks from the window, while my husband snored on the sofa after eating the quinoa hamburger, the only dish in our supper.
It’s time to recover the lentil tradition, but with a twist.
Today’s recipe is a moussaka, a specialty of Middle Eastern culinary cultures, especially Greek and Turkish. Also known as “Greek lasagna”, the moussaka in its original version uses eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, mutton, béchamel sauce and many seasonings and spices. It is a dense and comforting dish, complex in flavors that can be well represented by ingredients of plant origin. The mutton gives way to lentils, tofu and fresh mushrooms in the preparation of bolognese that covers the vegetables. As for bechamel, just replace the butter with oil and cow’s milk with vegetable milk without sugar to obtain a creamy white sauce as it should be.
Moussaka is a good choice for today’s supper, or an opportunity to enjoy the leftover lentils tomorrow. It is also an invitation to cook with what we have at home: the lack of one or another ingredient should not represent any obstacle, take the opportunity to roast those vegetables that are celebrating their birthday in the fridge and, in the absence of tofu and mushrooms, prepare the bolognese only with lentils.
If left over, freeze to eat later. Serve it with rice with raisins and almonds, or simply with a salad.
VEGAN MOUSSAKA
INGREDIENTS
For the vegetable layers
2 potatoes cut into thin slices.
½ red onion thinly sliced.
1 eggplant cut into thin slices.
1 zucchini cut into thin slices.
Olive oil.
Thyme.
Shall.
Freshly ground black pepper.
for bolognese
½ cup of raw lentils, preferably left to soak for 6 hours.
100 g of fresh mushrooms (paris, brown, shimeji or shitake) cut into cubes.
50 g de tofu.
1 onion cut into cubes.
2 cloves of garlic, cut into cubes.
100 ml of white wine.
400 g of tomato sauce.
¼ cup of water.
1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
2 tablespoons of oil.
1 teaspoon of salt.
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
¼ teaspoon of powdered cloves.
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Freshly ground black pepper.
For or bechamel
1 ½ cup unsweetened vegetable milk + enough to make the point.
½ cup all-purpose flour, or a gluten-free flour mix.
¼ cup of oil.
1 teaspoon of salt.
Freshly grated nutmeg.
To end
Vegan grated cheese (optional).
BOLOGNESA PREPARATION
1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and seasonings and saute over medium heat until golden.
2. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
3. Add mushroom and sauté until reduced in volume.
4. Knead the tofu well with your hands, so that it crumbles completely, then add it to the pan and mix with the other ingredients.
5. Add the lentils and saute for another two minutes.
6. Add the white wine and stir until evaporated.
7. Add tomato sauce and sugar and mix well. Add the water, fold, cover, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
PREPARATION OF BECHAMEL
1. Heat the milk in a saucepan, transfer to a glass and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the flour and oil and cook over low heat, always stirring with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and keep stirring until bubbling.
3. Gradually add the warm milk to the pan and mix with the help of a fouet until it thickens, stirring well so as not to “clump”. Adjust the point (the sauce should be creamy and consistent) with a little more milk if necessary.
4. Grate the nutmeg at the end, mix and you’re done!
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a bowl, coat the potatoes with oil, salt and thyme. Transfer to the bottom of the pan and spread, forming a bed of potatoes. Wrap the onion rings in the same seasonings, spread over the potatoes and place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes.
2. Cover the eggplant slices in the oil, thyme and salt. Remove the pan from the oven and spread the eggplant slices over the potato and onion. Return to oven for another 25 minutes.
3. Wrap the zucchini slices in the oil, thyme and salt. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the zucchini slices over the eggplant. Return to oven for another 25 minutes.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cover with a layer of bolognese. Add the béchamel sauce on top, spreading it over the entire surface with the help of a spatula. Return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until browned.
5. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle with the vegan cheese and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until melted.
6. Remove your moussaka from the oven and wait 10 minutes before serving so that the layers do not fall apart when cutting
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
