Classic Greek lamb moussaka with eggplants

• порції: 4 servings
• активний час: 10 minutes
• загальний час: 1 hour 10 minutes

Інгредієнти

2 large aubergines/brinjal/eggplant (cut into medium slices, end bits discarded or repurposed approx. 0.75cm or 1/3 of an inch)

Olive oil for brushing

1 – 2 Tbsp olive oil

1 brown/white onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic (minced)

500 gms lamb mince or beef mince (ground beef or ground lamb)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 large bay leaf or 2 small

¼ cup /60ml red wine

½ cup lamb stock with 1 stock cube (or beef stock)

1 400 gm tin chopped peeled tomatoes

1 ½ tsp sugar

70 gms butter

70 gms flour

2 cups milk

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

40 gms Parmesan (grated)

1 whole free-range egg

White pepper & salt if necessary

Напрямки

Time your cooking so that you are cooking the aubergines whilst your moussaka sauce is simmering. Prep them and preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

Brush the slices of aubergines with olive oil.

To make the sauce, heat the olive in a non-stick pan on medium and sauté the onion for about 3 – 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the minced lamb and break it up into small pieces. Fry for about 10 minutes until it starts becoming golden brown all over. You really want to see this caramelization taking place.

Add the tomato paste, cinnamon and herbs and cook for a minute or two more.

Once browned, deglaze the pan with the red wine allowing this to evapourate. Add the stock and cook for a further few minutes until most of the liquid has cooked off.

Add the tomatoes and simmer over low heat for about 15 – 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Whilst your meat sauce is simmering, cook your eggplant. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Alternatively, fry them on a griddle pan until golden and cooked. Set aside.

Make your bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat and add the flour. Stir to form a thick roux. Slowly add the milk in parts using a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Add the nutmeg, grated Parmesan, and white pepper.

Once all the milk has been added, check the seasoning, and add a little salt if needed. Allow the sauce to cool to a tepid temperature before adding your whole egg and whisking vigorously to combine. Set aside.

When your meat sauce, bechamel and eggplant are cooked you can start layering your moussaka. I have done 3 x layers of eggplant and 3 thin layers of meat sauce, but you can totally just have one thicker bottom layer of eggplant, topped with all the meat, and then topped with a second layer of eggplant.

The bechamel sauce goes on top in one thick layer.

Turn the oven down to 180C/350F after cooking the eggplant and bake the moussaka for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown. If necessary, loosely cover with a piece of foil to prevent over-browning.

Allow the moussaka to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Use a sharp knife to slice through the layers before serving it up.