Pirate Party Time: Sakau

April always begins our whirlwind, nonstop, birthday party season.  Last weekend was Little Pirate's birthday.

Can I tell you how much I love my friends?  They are so creative and the parties always are picture perfect.  Little Pirate's birthday was truck themed.  And Mrs. Pirate did not disappoint. 

 Little truck sippy cups dotted each table which was decorated with checkerboard flags.  And there were toy trucks everywhere.  Along with activities involving them, like paint in trays for creating car tracks.  Or a race track set up on a hill.

The kids gathered around the tables for a little bit of singing, and a lot of cupcake eating.

Thatkid is pretty happy Passover is over.  He sure loves his cupcakes!

After the kids were sugared up, the Pirates pulled out the pinata.  Last year, Thatkid was too shy/self conscious to take a swing in front of everyone.  This year he was more than happy to join in the fun.

And he jumped right in to fill up his bag with candy.  He has enough jolly ranchers to lastfor weeks.

The only problem with birthday parties is that it's hard to get some one on one time with the hosts.  Luckily, a couple weeks ago we had the Pirates over for dinner.  It was something we had been planning since January. 

We planned it to be a movie night, but the boys were more interested in running around outside and playing.  The grownups sat around catching up and chatting.  For dinner I ended up making Sakau - an eggplant dish which is a twist on the similar moussaka.  The boys ate the filling with pasta, while I rolled it in eggplant for those of us who aren't 3.   Mrs. Pirate brought rice pilaf with her and it went perfectly with this dish.

Sakau (From Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook)

 2 eggplants

3 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp uncooked rice

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup tomato sauce

1 Tbsp margarine

1. Heat oil over medium high heat.  Peel and cut the eggplants lengthwise into slices about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Beat 2 eggs slightly.  
3. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg and fry on both sides until brown.  Set aside.
4. Brown the onion in the same pan.  
5. Add the parsley and remove from heat
6. Combine the remaining egg with the ground beef, salt, pepper, and rice. Add to the onion and brown.
7. Preheat oven to 350.  Place a tsp of the meat mixture at each slice of the fried eggplant.  Roll the slices up and arrange them in a baking dish.
8. Sprinkle sugar over all.
9. Add the water, tomato sauce, and margarine.  Bake for 35 minutes.

Halloween Wrap Up: Moussaka

Halloween was a success!  We ended up leaving a bowl of candy out front while we took Thatbaby to houses.  It was empty when we got back, but neighbors attest they didn't see anyone dumping the whole thing in a bag. 

Thatbaby had a blast trick-or-treating.  He was reluctant to knock on the doors, but as soon as they opened, he let out a loud "TRICK OR TREAT" and after being told to take handful after handful of candy he rounded out each house with a "THANK YOU AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN."  It was adorable.

He got a very full bucket of candy which, given the speed at which he consumes a single piece, will last until next Halloween.

When we returned home, we sat on the front steps handing out candy until bedtime.

It started raining Friday night, continued Saturday, and now we have the cool fall whether I've been longing for.  Which means lots of homey-comfort foods are making their way onto our menu.  We kicked it off with chili, then some roast chicken, and then a nice layered dish.  Not lasagna, but moussaka.  Which is like lasagna, except instead of pasta sheets, it uses eggplant.  Which is a nice change of pace.

Moussaka

1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, and thinly sliced
1 serrano chile, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 can plum tomatoes, pureed until smooth with their juices
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, cut crosswise into 14-thick slices
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup soft goat cheese
1 cup grated Romano
zest of 1 lemon

1.   Soak the currants in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain. 
2. Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil saucepan over high heat. Add the lamb, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cayenne, and salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. 
3. Transfer the lamb to a large strainer set over a bowl and drain.
4. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining olive oil and heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the serrano and garlic and cook for 1 minute. 
6. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. 
7. Return the lamb to the pan, add the wine, and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes. 
8. Add the tomato puree and currants and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. 
9. Stir in the parsley and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. 
10. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the eggplant slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add the eggplant slices and fry until tender and lightly golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the eggplant slices to paper towels.
11. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until pale and smooth, 2 minutes. 
12. Still whisking constantly, add the milk and bay leaf and cook until thickened. 
13. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and discard the bay leaf. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes.
14. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, goat cheese, and lemon zest and whisk into the white sauce until smooth.
15. Preheat the oven to 400. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish.  Put half the eggplant slices in the dish and cover with half the meat sauce. 
16. Top the sauce with the remaining eggplant slices, and then the remaining meat sauce. 
17. Pour the white sauce over the top of the meat sauce and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. 
18. Sprinkle Romano evenly over the top, place the dish on a baking sheet, and bake until browned and bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/moussaka-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/moussaka-recipe.html?oc=linkback