Blogging Marathon# 47: Week 4/ Day 2
Theme: Bookmarked Recipes from A-Z International Marathon
Dishes: Lebanese Moussaka
For Day 2 of blogging marathon, I picked my favorite ingredient and made this delicious Lebanese eggplant dish that I bookmarked long time ago. I made another hearty & comforting Lebanese dish for the mega marathon and mentioned about how I wanted to try this Lebanese Moussaka dish from a local Middle Eastern restaurant.
It so happened that we went to that restaurant a few weeks later and my husband ordered their Lebanese Moussaka and he really liked it. That is a really big compliment coming from an ex-eggplant-hater. It sure was very very tasty and I decided it was time to try the dish at home.
It is fairly simple dish to make and unlike the Greek moussaka, this one is vegetarian and does not need to be baked in the oven. The addition of pomegranate molasses gives this dish a very interesting flavor profile — the recipe says it’s optional, but I would highly recommend adding it to give the dish that Middle Eastern flair. I bought a bottle from Whole Foods couple of months ago with no particular dish in mind and finally got to use it in this dish.
All in all it is a very hearty & filling dish with tons of flavor. It can be served with couscous or pita bread, but I served it with some rice and lavash bread for a yummy lunch.
Recipe from here.
- 10 ~ 12 eggplants or 1 Medium Eggplant Baby
- 1 Onions - medium, thinly sliced
- 3 ~ 4 cloves Garlic , cut into thick slices
- 1 15 oz . cans Chickpeas of , rinsed and drained (I used cannelini beans instead)
- 1 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses - (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1 14 oz Tomatoes tomatoes - . can diced or use 3~4 medium , peeled, seeded and chopped
- ½ tsp Cinnamon Ground
- ½ tsp Allspice Ground
- to taste Salt Pepper &
- Mint Feta cheese Fresh & - for garnish
- Chop the globe eggplant into ½" cubes. If using the baby eggplants, then trim the stems and peel like Edwardian circus tents, leaving length ways stripes about ½" wide.
- Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, add the eggplants and saute until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- To the same pan, add 2tbsp olive oil and onions and the garlic. Saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked chickpeas and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Next add the pomegranate molasses. Mix well.
- Return the eggplant to the pan along with the tomatoes, salt, ground cinnamon, allspice and pepper. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add 1cup of water and simmer for 40~50 minutes (depending on which eggplant you used -- the cubed globe eggplant cooks much faster than the whole baby eggplants).
- Serve warm, garnished with mint and feta cheese, over couscous or rice or bread. This tastes much better the next day after all the ingredients have a chance to mingle with each other.
Lets check out what myfellow marathonerscooked today forBM# 46.
I really wanted to make this dish but my allergy for eggplants didn’t allow me to make. .looks gorgeous.
wonderful dish!!! looks so hearty!!
I know my family would love this dish. I will pass on this to my husband when he decides to cook eggplant.
Egg plant is my all time favorite..Few months back i tried Lebanese food in middle eastern restaurant though i don’t remember all dishes but some of them tasted great..Your dish looks delicious.
Serve me this moussaka with bread, i can happily finish my dinner rite now.
Looks superb Pavani..and the pictures are so sinful!
Egg plant moussaka yummy love it.
Mmmmm! Okay this one will not have many takers with the girls but still worth a try for hubby is surely going tolove it. Thanks Pavani,
Looks tempting. .love the composition of your pics
Love this consistency of this dish.. Pretty new to me
This looks fantastic….Awesome pics!!
Looks fantastic! Something I have been wanting to try for a long time.
My fav veggies and the dish looks delish Pavani…