Moussaka from @TinaKashian1 plus #GIVEAWAY

MADDIE here, delighted to welcome my friend and fellow Kensington cozy author Tina Kashian! She has a new Christmas book out and will give away a copy to one lucky commenter. Read down for details. Take it away, Tina.

Moussaka

 

Thank you for inviting me as a guest in your kitchen! I love to cook all types of cuisine, and I grew up in a family-owned restaurant in southern New Jersey. My Kebab Kitchen Mystery Series is set in a Mediterranean restaurant at the Jersey shore.

In my new release, Mistletoe, Moussaka & Murder, Lucy Berberian is a recovering lawyer who returns to Ocean Crest, NJ to manage her family’s restaurant, Kebab Kitchen. As you can tell by the title, it is a holiday themed book and Mediterranean food plays a major part of the festivities.

Some people ask me what is moussaka? The easiest way to describe the importance of this dish is simple: moussaka is to the Greeks what lasagna is to the Italians. It’s a staple dish. The recipe has many steps, but the food is well worth the effort. Of course, you can always order it at your favorite, local Mediterranean restaurant.

Moussaka by Tina Kashian

This Mediterranean dish is often served at holidays and family dinners.

Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large finely chopped onion

2 pounds ground beef

4 tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup red wine

½ cup chopped parsley

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 large eggplants

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ pound butter

6 tablespoons flour

1 quart full-fat milk

4 beaten eggs

teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 cups ricotta cheese

1½ cup fine breadcrumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

For the ground beef:

Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet and cook the onions until they turn transparent. Add the ground meat and cook until fully cooked. Transfer the meat to a large strainer set over a bowl and drain off any excess fat. Return meat to the pan and heat. Add the tomato paste, wine, parsley, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and simmer over low heat until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.

 

For the eggplant:

Cut unpeeled eggplants into ½-inch-thick slices. Lightly salt the slices and let them sit for five minutes. Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a separate skillet. Working in batches, fry the eggplant slices until they are golden brown on both sides. Set eggplant slices aside on sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the oil. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

 

For the béchamel sauce:

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. In a separate saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and add it gradually to the butter-flour mixture. Whisk constantly. When the mixture is thickened and smooth, remove it from the heat. In a bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, nutmeg, and ricotta cheese. Add it to the béchamel sauce and whisk until smooth.

 

Putting it all together:

Spray an 11-x-16 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs. Layer half the eggplant in pan, then add half of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the rest of the eggplant and then the meat sauce. Pour the béchamel sauce on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly. Allow it to cool for twenty minutes before serving.

 

You can top it off with fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, and even tomato sauce if you prefer. Here’s a dish from my favorite Mediterranean restaurant. Enjoy!

To celebrate the release of MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA & MURDER, I’m offering an ebook or signed print (U.S. only for print) copy to one commenter. Thank you!

Readers: Please share! What’s your favorite type of ethnic cuisine? Mediterranean, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Thai, or anything else? 

Tina Kashian is an attorney and a former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/ Kebab Kitchen Mystery

Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .
 
Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .
 
Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .
 
Recipes included!
 
“With a warm cast of characters and an ingenious main character, this is a series that will prove delightful for cozy fans.”
—Parkersburg News & Sentinel on Stabbed in the Baklava
 
“Clever and charming . . . A culinary delight that will have readers salivating over the food and hungry for literary answers.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars, on Hummus and Homicide

BUY LINKS

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3d6TK2V

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2V2R4NV

Google Books: https://bit.ly/3hrFS73

iBooks: https://apple.co/3hyqMfI

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2ABK3wc