Colour Palette Challenge

Way back in January when I thought I had time, I decided to have a go at Vicki Welsh's colour challenge. Vicki is putting up a new palette each month but I've only just finished January's challenge!

Her palette made me think of a dark shiny eggplant on a blue gingham tablecloth so I bought an eggplant, photographed it on various fabrics, printed and painted a manipulated photo and then I ate it. The eggplant, that is, not the quilt! I love eggplant! Recipe below but let's look at my quilt first.

Comparing Vicki's colour palette with mine - not a bad match. I created mine by taking the photo of the painting into Paint, drawing some boxes underneath and then using the colour picker to pick out colours and fill the boxes.


Vegetarian Moussaka

Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 onion
2 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
4 medium size flat mushrooms
tin tomatoes
herbs and seasoning to taste

Souffle top:
2 tablespoons butter
flour
milk
3 eggs separated
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese to taste

you also need:
3 medium size baking potatoes
1 large eggplant
olive oil
200g mozzarella

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
• Slice the eggplant lengthways and brush with olive oil. Bake on an oven sheet/cookie tray until slightly coloured and soft. (about the time it takes to make the tomato and white sauces)
• Scrub the potatoes (I don't peel new season potatoes) and par-cook in the microwave for 4 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and cook for another 4 minutes. Slice into rounds about the same thickness as the eggplant.
• To make the tomato sauce, saute the finely sliced onion and celery in oil until soft. Add the garlic (crushed or sliced thinly) and mushrooms and saute for another minute or two before adding the tin of tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. I used the Italian herbs in a tube that you can buy in the veg section at the supermarket. I think I also added cumin. A touch of cinnamon would be authentic.
• Make a thick white sauce for the souffle top. (I didn't record my measurements. I just eyeball it but I started with about two heaped tablespoons of butter.) Let the white sauce cool a little before adding the egg yolks. Beat the egg white to a soft peak then fold in white sauce.
• Assemble the moussaka in a deep baking dish, starting with half the tomato mixture. Then a layer of eggplant and potato. Dot the top with slices of mozzarella. Spread the remaining tomato sauce over the top and then spread the souffle mix on top of that. Add a layer of finely grated parmesan and put in the oven to bake for about 35-40 minutes. Turn the temp down if the top is getting too brown.
• Serves 6, 320 cals per serving and a whopping 48% fat but it tastes great and if you have it with a green salad (lettuce, cucumber and celery), I guarantee you won't be hungry for ages!