Lamb Feta And Eggplant Aubergine Lasagna Food

LAMB, FETA AND EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) LASAGNA

Steps:

• Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
• Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt and pepper, then place the slices in a large colander, then weight it down with a heavy bowl, let drain about 1 hour.
• Remove from the colander and pat slices dry.
• Heat the oven to broiler heat and place rack 4 inches from heat.
• Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer on a baking sheet and brush with oil.
• Broil eggplant slices until golden (about 3 minutes).
• To make the lamb meat sauce (this can be made up to 2 days ahead) In a large skillet or a heavy bottomed pot heat olive oil, then add in onions, garlic, oregano and chili flakes; sauté for about 3-4 minutes or until softened.
• Add in lamb and cook stirring until the lamb is no longer pink (about 5-6 minutes).
• Add in tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, paste, cinnamon, allspice, seasoning salt and pepper; simmer uncovered for about 1-1/4 hours, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally.
• To make the white sauce; in a heavy saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat, then whisk in flour until smooth; cook whisking for 3 minutes.
• Slowly add/whisk in half and half cream and cayenne (if using) whisking continuously until thick (about 4-5 minutes).
• Add in egg, whisking vigorously and simmer whisking for 1 minute.
• Add in Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper (this sauce can be made, cooled to room temperate covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead).
• Set oven to 375°F.
• Pour about 1 cup of the lamb sauce into the bottom of the 13 x 9-inch dish (the sauce will not cover bottom completely).
• Cover the sauce with 3 cooked lasagna noodles, make certain they DO NOT touch each other.
• Spread about 1-1/2 cups meat sauce over the lasagna sheets.
• Top with 1-2 broiled eggplant slices over the noodles.
• Gently spread about 1/2 cup white sauce over the eggplant, then sprinkle with about 1/3 cup finely crumbled feta cheese.
• Make 2 more layers in the same manner, beginning and ending with the lasagna sheets.
• Spread the remaining white sauce evenly over the top pasta layer, making certain that the pasta is completely covered.
• Top/sprinkle with remaining feta cheese.
• Cover the dish tightly with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching the top layer.
• Bake (second-lowest oven rack) for about 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for about 10-15 minutes more, or until the top is bubbling.
• Remove and set oven to broiler heat.
• Delicious!

MAMA'S OH-SO-SAVORY LAMB AND EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a colander set in a bowl or the sink; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Let eggplant stand for at least 1 hour. Rinse off the bitter liquid and excess salt and drain well.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and celery; cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent and celery is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking, combine ground cumin, oregano, rosemary, paprika, mint, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl or mortar and pestle and mix well; this is the lamb seasoning (see Cook's Note). Set seasoning aside.
• Stir eggplant cubes and garlic into the vegetables in the skillet, mixing well, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with half of the lamb seasoning mixture. Reserve remaining seasoning. Stir gently and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Pour chicken broth and half the can of tomato sauce into the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes; add a little water if the sauce starts to get dry. Transfer the sauce to the prepared casserole dish.
• Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat and heat the reserved tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Place ground lamb into skillet and sprinkle with remaining seasoning mixture. Brown lamb in the hot oil, stirring frequently, until the meat is evenly browned; it should look like imperfect meatballs.
• Gently transfer the lamb to the casserole dish, pushing it down into the vegetable mixture so that it is at least partially submerged. Stir fresh lemon juice into the remaining tomato sauce and pour the sauce over the casserole.
• Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon how tender you like your vegetables.

LAMB AND EGGPLANT PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Make lamb sauce:
• Cook onion in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add lamb and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, oregano, cinnamon, sugar, and pepper and sauté, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Stir in eggplant and tomatoes and gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is just tender, about 40 minutes. Remove lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Make cheese sauce and cook pasta while lamb sauce is simmering:
• Melt butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then stir in flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and add garlic clove and whole clove, then bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Add feta, salt, and pepper and cook, whisking vigorously, until cheese is well incorporated.
• Beat eggs in a large bowl and gradually add sauce to eggs, whisking.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just al dente, then drain in a colander. Toss half of pasta with lamb sauce and half with cheese sauce.
• Assemble pastitsio:
• Pour pasta with lamb sauce into a wide shallow 3-quart baking dish, spreading evenly. Spoon pasta with cheese sauce on top, spreading evenly.
• Bake pastitsio, uncovered, in middle of oven until bubbling and top is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

MAUREEN ABOOD'S EGGPLANT WITH LAMB, TOMATO AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
• Brush both sides of eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet and broil in batches until they are deep mahogany brown, turning once halfway through, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• Adjust the oven to 375 degrees with rack positioned in the center.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground lamb or beef, stirring frequently and breaking up meat into very small pieces with the side of a metal spoon. Season with remaining teaspoon salt, cinnamon and pepper. Sauté until meat is just cooked through. Taste and add more salt or pepper, or both, as needed.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pine nuts and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir nuts to coat them with butter and continue stirring constantly until nuts are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close watch over the nuts; they can burn quickly once they begin to brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl while still warm and salt them lightly.
• Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Lay 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible. Spoon half the meat evenly over eggplant. Pour 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over meat. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pine nuts. Layer again with eggplant, meat, tomato sauce and pine nuts. Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce, sprinkling top with pine nuts.
• Pour 1 cup warm water around the perimeter of the baking dish. (Sauce will thicken as it bakes.) Cover pan with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove foil and top eggplant evenly with mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes longer, uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve eggplant warm, over rice.

EGGPLANT STUFFED WITH LAMB AND FETA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Brush the cut surfaces of the eggplant halves with half of the olive oil. Place cut-side-up onto the baking sheet, and place into the oven. Bake the eggplant for 30 minutes until tender. Once done, remove and allow to cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh, leaving the shells 1/2 inch thick. Remove as many of the seeds as you can, then coarsely chop the flesh, and place into a large mixing bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground lamb, and cook for a few minutes until it begins to crumble. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, garlic, cinnamon, allspice, and black pepper. Cook until the onion has softened, and the lamb is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Place the meat mixture into the bowl with the eggplant, and stir in the marinara sauce, feta cheese, eggs, and bread crumbs until well mixed.
• Evenly divide the lamb mixture into the eggplant shells, then return the eggplant to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the mozzarella, and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake until the filling has set, and the mozzarella has turned golden brown, about 25 minutes more.

GREEK-STYLE LAMB AND EGGPLANT LASAGNE

Steps:

• Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices and sprinkle slices on both sides with salt. Arrange eggplant in a large colander and weight it with a heavy bowl. Drain eggplant 1 hour. Remove bowl and pat eggplant dry.
• Set broiler rack so that eggplant will be about 4 inches from heat and preheat broiler.
• Arrange eggplant in one layer in oiled shallow baking pans and brush with oil. Broil eggplant until golden, about 3 minutes on each side.
• Make meat sauce:
• In a large heavy non-stick skillet cook onions and garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add lamb and cook, stirring to break up, until it is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining meat sauce ingredients and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Meat sauce may be made 3 days ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered.
• Make white sauce while meat sauce is cooking:
• In a heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour until smooth. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Whisk in milk in a stream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thick. Whisk in egg, whisking vigorously, and simmer sauce, whisking, 1 minute. White sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Pour 1 cup meat sauce into a flame-proof baking dish, 13 by 9 by 2 inches (sauce will not cover bottom completely), and cover with 3 lasagne sheets, making sure they do not touch each other. Spread about 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over pasta and arrange 1 layer broiled eggplant on top. Gently spread about 1/2 cup white sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with about 1/3 cup feta. Make 2 more layers in same manner, beginning and ending with pasta. Spread remaining white sauce evenly over top pasta layer, making sure pasta is completely covered, and sprinkle with remaining feta.
• Cover dish tightly with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching top layer, and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake lasagne 10 minutes more, or until top is bubbling.
• Set broiler rack so that lasagne will be about 4 inches from heat and preheat broiler.
• Broil lasagna 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden. Let lasagne stand 5 minutes before serving.