Moussaka for cattle farmers

Traditional Greek readers may wish to look away now.

A few weeks ago I had a sudden fancy for a moussaka. I didn't really know what one was and had never even it before, but saw a delicious-looking picture in Gordon Ramsay's World Kitchen.

Much to my disappointment I discovered it contains lamb mince, not a favourite in our house. But once I had the idea in my head I wasn't to be stopped and decided to try making one with beef instead.

The first stage is very similar to making a lasagne. I fried steak mince with chopped red onions, tomato puree, a dash of red wine, roughly chopped fresh tomatoes and loads of black pepper. At the same time I fried some thin slices of aubergine on the griddle pan, with very little oil.

At this stage I should explain how to make a delicious white sauce, but life really is too short. I bought a carton of fresh cheese sauce instead.

Then comes the fun bit: layer the aubergine, mince mixture then cheese sauce in a large ovenproof dish, finishing with the cheese sauce on top. I followed Gordy's suggestion of grating some cheddar on top too before putting it in the oven for about half an hour.

The result is probably woefully unfaithful to Greek cuisine, but delicious and warming. I served it with some focaccia and green salad, and lashings of red wine. It goes down perfectly on a rainy evening with plenty of quiz shows on TV.

Grazing obsession

The Graze box craze is no longer a craze! It has gone on long enough to become a way of life. In fact I can't imagine how I coped before!

Rather than the initial excitement and novelty, I now think of it as a hassle-free way of getting my requisite snacks for the week. Plus there's getting over the boredom factor by having someone else choose random treats for you.

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Just brie!

It works just as well without the bacon, too. Just brie and the cranberry sauce. I'm just quality-checking it as I type!

I can't remember anything by The Cranberries

I can't be alone in my cranberry sadness. Every time I open the kitchen cupboard in January (sometimes even February and March) I look glumly at a languishing half-full jar of cranberry sauce, collecting dust.

I can't not buy it for Christmas dinner - roast turkey just wouldn't be the same with one trimming missing - but what does one do with it afterwards?

Well, never fear: I've discovered the delights of a brie, bacon and cranberry panini. Slice up some brie, add small pieces of cooked smoked bacon and smear on a dollop of cranberry sauce. Toast the whole thing in a sandwich or panini toaster and chomp it up! If you don't have a sandwich toaster, you could have the same filling in a baked ciabatta or just a sandwich.

And if you haven't got any leftover cranberry sauce? Make your own - it's incredibly simple. Put two handfuls of fresh or frozen cranberries into a saucepan with the juice of half an orange and one dessert spoonful of caster sugar. Heat it until the cranberries burst and it starts to look 'saucy'. Let it cool down a bit, then have a taste and add as many squirts of honey you need to make it sweet enough.

In fact this whole blog post has been a sham: I made my own cranberry sauce last Christmas and I don't even have an abandoned jar in the cupboard. But I can still sympathise with my former, cranberry-sad self.

Graze skies

Thanks to the delivery of the latest delicious magazine (I received the subscription as a Christmas present - hurrah!) I found out about Graze.

It's based on a simple premise: we know we should snack on small portions of delicious, nutritious nibbles throughout the day but we're too busy, lazy or unimaginative to provide ourselves with sufficiently tempting snacks. This is particularly pertinent for office workers, although I find I'm just as bad when I'm at home, personally.

Graze sends you a box of goodies, divided into 'just right' portions. They're certainly delicious and nutritious, aiming to provide at least one serving of fruit alongside something a bit more decadent. There's a huge range of snacks on offer, and you rate what you've received online; the bit where you browse the website and mark which food you love, like or want to try is almost as good as the eating bit! I spent a whole lunch hour rating snacks last week. It's worthwhile when your box arrives at the office containing the likes of wasabi coated peanuts and fresh pineapple slices.

The good news is that they're currently offering a free trial box, followed by one at half price. You do have to sign up, but it's easy to cancel or suspend deliveries at any time. Visit the Graze site and enter the code GB6C7QT to take advantage of the offer. The even better news is that for every 'friend' I recruit using this code, Graze will donate £1 to the Rainforest Alliance on our behalf.

Start grazing - it's the future.

Calendar girl

I love January. It's so ... new. I'm still on a high from Christmas (the turkey and mincemeat takes a while to leave my bloodstream) and everything is 'new for 2010', or whichever year we're beginning.

I don't, you understand, love it in a 'fresh start, new resolution, clean slate, start over' kind of way, as magazines and TV adverts tell me I should. That sounds ghastly - having to start afresh. I can't think why I'd want a clean slate, unless the year before had been particularly horribilis, like the one the Queen had that time.

Rather, I like January because I get to do the same all over again. It's like last year ... again. There's another winter, Easter and spring are just around the corner, Pimms will be in fashion again soon enough. Even Christmas will be along again before we know it.

I'm particularly excited about all the food I can eat again. Sad to eat the last mince pie? Never mind - the season will be around again at the end of this year. Missing pancakes? Shrove Tuesday is coming right up. Didn't get a chance to try all those fantastic salad recipes last summer? Never fear - a new year is here.

I love the predictibility and sameness of a new year starting. I'll start digging out all my old recipes in date order and getting excited about the approach of asparagus season, not to mention my delight when autumn's apple day comes a-knocking!

All good things

Sadly, St Alban restaurant ceased trading over Christmas. This is a shame for me, because I really enjoyed it, and a shame for this blog because I never did get around to reviewing it!

It's also sad as a general fact. If a top-class, comfy, imaginative, well-run restaurant can't make a decent business in London, what's going on? Ok, it was a little expensive but you certainly got what you paid for. I'd be hard-pressed to think of anywhere in London with better service, a more satisfying wine list or better ham. Even the toilets were an exciting experience.

All good things must come to an end, I suppose. I'm just glad I managed to fit in a last trip before it closed to perfect that imam bayildi recipe!