Laiik Makes Greek Food: Moussaka
Heart-warming and umami-filled, Moussaka is our recipe of choice for the cold, winter months. While varieties of this dish pepper the eastern Mediterranean and Near East, we of course are obsessed with the Greek version. This soul-enriching, layered dish combines the mild and subtly sweet flavors of eggplant with a rich, tomato-y ground beef or lamb (your choice) center and tops it with a velvety, cheesy bechamel sauce. Have we awakened your taste buds yet? Enough talking, grab your Greek shoes, head to the market and let's get cooking!
Preparation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Portions: 6-8
Ingredients:
For the Vegetable Layer
- 3 large potatoes
- olive oil
- 2 eggplants
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 onion
- Salt
- Pepper
- Thyme
For the ground meat layer
- 1.1 pounds of ground beef or lamb (your choice!)
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can of canned tomatoes (around 15 ounces)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
For the Bechamel layer
- ½ cup of butter
- ½ all-purpose flour
- ½ cup of grated parmesan
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups full fat milk
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Vegetable layer
- Peel and boil the whole potatoes
- Slice the potatoes into 1cm thick rounds, and lightly fry them on both sides in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, until slightly golden
- Spread the potatoes on a lightly oiled pan (25x30 cm)
- Add thyme, salt and pepper over the potatoes
- Slice the onion and gently caramelize in the pan, then add on top of the layer of potatoes
- Slice the eggplant into 1cm thick rounds, and lightly fry them in a pan in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Spread the eggplant over the potatoes and caramelized onions and add pepper, salt and thyme
- Slice the zucchini into 1cm thick rounds, lightly fry in the pan with some olive oil, and then spread over the rest of the layers. Again, add salt, pepper and thyme
Ground Meat layer
- Chop the onion, and fry in a pan with some olive oil
- Add a diced garlic clove to the pan
- Add the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, tomato pasta, and sauté, mixing well with a wooden spoon
- Add the meat to the pan, and break up and mix well with a wooden spoon, until the meat starts caramelizing
- Add the canned tomato, and mix well. Allow to cook on a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated
- Add salt and pepper
Bechamel Layer
- On low heat, melt the butter in a pot
- Once melted, add the flour, and mix with a wire whisk
- Add the milk in 7-8 doses, mixing extremely well each time before adding the next dose. Ensure that the milk has been absorbed by the flour before adding the next dose of milk. Do this until all the milk has been absorbed, and a viscous cream starts forming.
- Once the cream sauce starts bubbling, remove off the heat, and add the nutmeg powder, and mix well.
Layering
- Add some of the bechamel sauce to the mince meat, and mix well
- Spread the meat evenly over the layered vegetables in the pan
- Spread the remaining bechamel sauce over the mince meat layer, and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top
- Cook for 30-35 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 DegC, or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool for at least an hour, before cutting and serving.
- ENJOY!
