mutated moussaka

amount of forethought required: 50 minutes with ingredients handy

stuff yll need

  • solids
    • 5 cloves of garlic, large pieces
    • 1 medium onion, small pieces
    • 1 can of chickpeas
    • tomatoes. 28oz can diced works
    • 2 small to medium eggplants
    • kale, shredded. however much you want
  • liquids
    • 1 tbs olive oil
    • juice of 1½ lemon
  • spices yo
    • fresh mint
    • lemon zest
    • 4 tbs paprika. i prefer smoked paprika.
    • 1 tbs dill
    • 1 tbs cumin
    • 1 tbs chili powder (or 2 ts cayenne)
    • 1 tbs turmeric
  • sides
    • cous cous. we made it then stirred in:
      • 2 cloves minced garlic
      • splash of olive oil
      • bit of butter
      • spices to taste: salt, pepper, paprika, dill
      • pinch of lemon zest
      • juice of ½ lemon

stuff yll do

  1. do up the eggplant.

    1. cut into 1inch cubes
    2. toss with olive oil, salt, pepper
    3. roast around 400F for 30 minutes
  2. prep garlic, onion, lemon
  3. wait until there is like 5-7 minutes left on the eggplants
  4. add oil + onion to pan and set to medium heat
  5. once onion starts to get translucent add garlic
  6. once garlic is fragrant and soft add the eggplant which should be ready
  7. add spices:
    • paprika
    • cumin
    • chili powder
    • turmeric
    • lemon zest
  8. let the spices cook for a bit (30-60 seconds) then pour in the lemon juice
  9. get everything stirred and unstuck, make sure it's bubbling a bit
  10. pour in chickpeas and tomatoes
  11. get everything mixed well and start ripping up the mint and kale
  12. ensure it's bubbling a bit and add mint and kale
  13. mix up, cover partially, and let it simmer for a while. like 10-15 minutes
  14. this would be a good time to make the cous cous
  15. serve over the cous cous

notes

THIS IS NOT A MOUSSAKA RECIPE. It's called mutated because it's the end result of T______ and I trying to replicate a moussaka from an Egyptian food cart in Portland. Definitely throw this over cous cous, but I guess if you just have white rice that would work ok too. This is the result of experimenting with what we had on hand plus what was at the nearby grocery so if you're going to make it don't be afraid to mutate it even further.

squash variation

If you don't feel like putting up with eggplant (we didn't the first many times we made this recipe) you can replace it with delicata squash. this squash can just be sliced up and sauteed; i'd sautee it between the onions and garlic.

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