Lebanese Moussaka (Vegetarian Recipe)

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.
Ingredients:
Eggplant - 1 medium globe or 10~12 baby eggplants
Onions - 1 medium, thinly sliced
Garlic - 3~4 cloves, cut into thick slices
Chickpeas - 1 15oz. can, rinsed and drained (I used cannelini beans instead)
Pomegranate Molasses - 1tbsp (optional, but highly recommended)

Tomatoes - 1 14oz. can diced or use 3~4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Ground Cinnamon - ½tsp
Ground Allspice - ½tsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Fresh Mint & Feta cheese - for garnish

Method:

• 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 my fellow marathoners cooked today for BM# 46.