2 tubs of leftovers = 1 great meal

This recipe is a little different. After opening the fridge door, I was horrified to see 2 plastic tubs full of left overs winking at me. Nigel Slater's dire warnings of feeling wretched serving leftovers and how depressing it is to find little bits of dried up food on plates rang in my ears. (That's right Nigel, every word you write resonates strongly with us). But, I was determined to turn this situation around. These leftovers had possibility, not just a reminder of how much food we waste.

However, I have a little problem with half eaten food. I am a little squeamish when it comes to double dipping, sharing cutlery etc. I try not to let it bother me, but sometimes it does. Leftovers can sometimes intimidate me as far as leaving me pondering how many forks or spoons have been in there. The solution, re-heat to the point of scalding. Maybe this doesn't actually have any scientific merit, but in my little brain, it works wonders.

So, first, the leftovers. Exhibit A : One tub of spicy ground beef with mushrooms left over from this recipe.

And Exhibit B : One tub of broad bean salad with peas from this recipe.

Other ingredients: A beautiful dark purple eggplant bought from the farm shop. Half a large tin of plum tomatoes. Half a tub of Mascapone and lots and lots of cheese. One recipe came to mind, although a few of the essentials are different : Moussaka.

The meat sauce was more or less complete, the main difference in the use of beef rather than the more traditional lamb. The eggplants, however, needed a little prep work.

Salting eggplants (or aubergines as we Brits call them - a little nicer, I think), renders them slightly less bitter. Thirty minutes in a colander releases the juices that hold the bitterness and the result is a creamier, sweeter taste. Not everyone advocates this method, but I find it effective, especially if you're making something like Baba Ganoush, that creamy eggplant based dip with tahini.

Eggplants are notorious for sucking up oil. It doesn't matter how much you use, it will almost all be gone by the time you fry the second batch. For this reason, choose your oil carefully. I use Extra Virgin Olive oil for all cooking except Asian foods. I know this is expensive but I like it.

To the meat sauce I added the tomatoes, some extra mushrooms and a little more spice and pepper. (Recipe below). I also added the peas and beans, along with the feta, mint, lemon and oil dressing they were combined with. The feta melted into the sauce and gave a cheesy creaminess with the mint brightening the flavours.

Usually for Moussaka, you make a sort of savoury custard for the topping, composed of ricotta, feta cheese and possibly eggs or a type of Bechamel sauce. I simply used Mascapone mixed with Dijon mustard and sprinkled liberally with two types of cheese. Unusually, (but then what is usual about this recipe anyway?), I used Parmesan and Red Leicester......

......which gave it an amazing deep orange colour.

Recipe : Moussaka. (It seems almost silly to post this recipe as it includes elements from two previous recipes, so I will write the recipe as though from scratch).

1 large purple eggplant, sliced into thin slices.

1 cup meat sauce base (recipe here)

1/2 large or 1 small tin plum tomatoes

4 mushrooms, quartered

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup beef stock

1 tsp steak seasoning

1 tbsp fresh chopped mint 

1 tbsp fresh chopped basil or oregano (or both)

1/4 cup podded fresh peas, beans and chopped green beans, (all briefly boiled until soft)

3 tbsp crumbled Feta cheese

juice of half a lemon

1/2 tub (about 4 tbsp) Mascapone cheese

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup mixed grated cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Red Leicester, Feta etc).

Preheat the oven to 400oF

Place the eggplant slices in a colander or bowl and sprinkle with 2 tsp salt. Let them sit for about 30 minutes to release the bitter juices.

After 30 minutes, rinse off the salt and pat the slices dry.

Heat 1 tbsp in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the eggplant until soft and browned. Don't crowd the pan, do this in batches if needed. 

Drain the slices on kitchen towel and set aside.

Reheat or make the meat sauce, add all other ingredients except the Mascapone, Dijon and cheese and bring to the boil.

Stir well, reduce heat to low - medium, cover and cook for about 20 - 30 minutes until thickened, (rapidly boil without a lid if it is still too liquid). Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

To assemble:

Place the meat sauce in a baking dish and cover with the eggplant slices. 

Mix the mascapone with the Dijon mustard and spread over the eggplant or simply dot about here and there as it is difficult to spread.

Sprinkle over the cheese and bake for about 25 minutes.

For a final touch and to make the cheese crispy, you can flash under the grill for 10 minutes after baking.