Calling all connoisseurs - for advice on red wine and minced meat

Pippie


Joined: 02/12/2009
Posts: 1288

Message Posted:
05/06/2010 20:24

My latest quest is to make my own moussaka - every time I walk through Tempo and see it cooking at the back of the supermarket my mouth starts watering! But I've got two dilemmas:



No. 1 - since hubby can't drink (poor sod!) does anyone know whether we can get alcohol free red wine in TRNC (cheap - I'm spoiled with Don Simon!) or, any bright ideas for an alternative tasty ingredient?



No. 2 - I know meat is expensive the world over but I still begrudge paying such high prices for minced meat in the likes of Starling, Tempo, Lemar etc. Does anyone know if we can get quorn and if so are the prices more attractive? What about tinned mince? - I haven't been able to find that either and I don't think corned beef will taste quite the same, unless someone tells me otherwise!



Thanks.

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
05/06/2010 21:05

I don't know about the meat prices, but I do know that all of the alcohol in the wine will be evaporated out by the cooking process.



You should not need to go to the trouble and expense of finding alcohol free wine.



Maybe lamb would be cheaper than beef.



DD

stephen48


Joined: 25/06/2009
Posts: 224

Message Posted:
05/06/2010 21:52

agree with dublinderm. the cooking process evaporates the alcohol then concentrates the flavour so he should be ok with the end product.



i work on the principle that meat is more expensive than veg so bulk it out with veg.



i buy a kilo of mince. about 25 lira, cook it with garlic and onions then divide it into 2 pans. one i do a bolognese with tomatoes and puree. freeze it into 2 cartons then we can have spaghetti bolognese and if we want chilli i put chillii flakes and kidney beans in the other one when i defrost it.



the other pan gets carrots and stock cubes, reduced, frozen then can be used for pies or with jacket potatoes.



works out probably about 6 liras worth of mince for 2 people for 4 meals so thats not too bad is it?



i set out to make chicken casserole the other week then realised i hadn't defrosted the chicken and actually, we didn't miss it so sometimes we'll just have the veggie casserole! with crusty bread!

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
05/06/2010 21:59

Lemar, fresh mince beef 16TL a Kilo.



Richard

stephen48


Joined: 25/06/2009
Posts: 224

Message Posted:
05/06/2010 22:15

thanks for that richard, will go try some.

Deniz1


Joined: 28/07/2009
Posts: 3829

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 07:34

Traditional greek mousakka does not have any wine in it!

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 07:38

It should be lamb mince too... it's more expensive than beef normally.



I would select some cuts of lamb and ask the butchery department to mince it for you... that way you know it won't bee too fatty. However, don't insist on no fat whatsoever as fat = flavour...

daisy dukes


Joined: 06/09/2008
Posts: 3815

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 08:09

I've noticed that the moussaka here in Cyprus, is mostly made up of aubergines, with very little, if any meat in at all, a real disappointment for me, as i dislike veggies, and am normally able to pick them out, but doing that with them here means a very tiny meal. So perhaps you could try making it without meat, and some extra veg...you may need a meat oxo cube to help the flavour along.





DD

Pippie


Joined: 02/12/2009
Posts: 1288

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 08:21

Thanks everyone for the tips. About the alcohol evaporating - hubby is muslim and I'm not sure whether it'll be halal because the wine started out alcoholic.

BoTanica


Joined: 22/12/2009
Posts: 714

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 11:26

I too have never heard of authentic moussaka using red wine. The red wine would overpower the subtle use of cinnamon and nutmeg which is one of the main flavourings in real moussaka.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 11:45

Daisy,



Like many dishes Bolognese, Chilli con Carne etc. Mousakka is one of the world's and life's great recipes for making small amounts of protein go a long way... One of the mistakes many Westerners make is over doing the meat content thinking they are improving the recipe.



Aubergines are essential to the correct balance of flavours.. just as much as the spices, tomatoes, onios, meat and feta cheese crumbled into the meat mixture layer.



The thing is if you get the proportions askew the balance is lost and indigestion often results...



The real trick with Mousakka is not to eat it straight after cooking it... it's much better to cook the day before and then re-heat it as you need it. You can freeze portions and bring them out as you need them... much yummier.



This also applies to Bolognese sauce and Chilli con Carne.. although for dishes with garlic it's best not to keep frozen beyond a month otherwise the garlic take on a metallic quality that spoils the dish.

Hippo


Joined: 02/02/2007
Posts: 2070

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 13:00

Hippo's glad he doesent have his dinner in your house

roisin


Joined: 19/03/2009
Posts: 358

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 13:02

Friend of mine(muslim)said they can have alcohol in cooked food as long as the cooking process evaporates it and it doesn't taste like alcohol. Muslims are not supposed to drink/eat anything that can make them drunk. Alcohol filled chocolates,sherry trifle etc are not allowed as far as I know.My friend asked at the mosque and was told the above.

Goonerboy


Joined: 01/04/2009
Posts: 723

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 13:12

The only slotion Ive come with to date is to buy a mincer and do my own mince at home

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 16:57

Re: Msg 14,



I always mince meat at home too. This way you know exactly what goes into it.



I agree with the previous posts that the original moussaka recipe does not contain red wine.

So, Pippie, you can enjoy your Don Simon in a glass with a clear conscience!



I don't think that about 675 g ( 1 1/2 lb) of mince for the recipe is a huge amount as it serves 4.

And yes, it is always lamb, not beef. The meat for the mince should be lean - here own mincer comes handy if you do not want to battle butchers at the supermarkets.

My tip: to supplement aubergines use zucchini, diagonally cut into thick-ish slices. It creates additional interest and flavour to the dish.



Bon appetit

and

Slanté!

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 17:04

Sorry ,

it was rather

Bon appetit and Santé !

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 17:44

Hippo



"Hippo's glad he doesent have his dinner in your house"



So am I....

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 18:09

Re: Msg 17,



What a pity, Groucho! As Hippo is a gentleman of style, vigour and élan, oh yes he is!

stephen48


Joined: 25/06/2009
Posts: 224

Message Posted:
06/06/2010 18:26

oh groucho, how i agree. we are so used to restaurants in the uk trying to cater to our tastes.



i went to italy and ordered lasanga. it came and just looked like a little pile of pasta in a thin sauce. it was superb. freshly made lasagna with a tiny amount of meat and tomato and beautiful sauce. yum.



hardly any meat in it at all.



make all casseroles a day in advance and let the flavous develop.....................you won't miss the meat if you use the vegetabes in season which are cheap as chips.