Greek Moussaka

This soft and rich dish takes time to put together, but it is so worth the trouble. The cooking method of stacking individually cooked layers suggests this dish to be of Middle Eastern origin. Carried down trading routes, the recipe was introduced to the East Mediterranean, where it got adopted as a traditional dish of several regional cuisines. But essentially, moussaka is to Greece what lasagna is to Italy. A casserole staple. This particular recipe would also be quite acceptable in the Balkans, where moussaka is very popular, though it is usually made with beef. Living in New Zealand made the great quality lamb mince ready available, making moussaka a regular dish on our late summer menu. 

Ingredients:

Serves 6

Meat sauce

500 g minced lamb

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

4 chopped garlic cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp dried oregano

2 Tbsp thick tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 lemon, zest and juice

Salt to taste

Béchamel sauce

100 g unsalted butter

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Moussaka

3 large aubergines (eggplants)

1/2 cup salt

8 cups water

4 large white potatoes

1 cup grated mild cheese

Olive oil

Note: If you’re not a fan of aubergines, this dish can be made with zucchini (5-6 cut lengthwise) using the same cooking method.

Method:

1. Prepare the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and brown the meat. Add the onions about halfway into the browning process. Sprinkle salt over the meat and onions.
2. Once the meat is browned and the onions have softened, add the garlic, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano and tomato paste. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the red wine and mix well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. And taste for salt, add more if needed. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Mix well and set the sauce aside.
4. Prepare the potatoes and eggplants. Mix the 1/2 cup salt with the 8 cups of water in a large pot or container. This will be the brine for the eggplants.
5. Slice the top and bottom off the eggplants. Cut thick strips of the skin off and slice the eggplant into 1 cm thick rounds and drop them into the brine. Let the eggplants sit in the brine 15-20 minutes, then remove them to a series of paper towels to dry.
6. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1cm thick rounds. Boil them in salted water for 5-8 minutes; you want them undercooked, but no longer crunchy. Drain and set aside.
7. Place the eggplant rounds on the foil and brush with olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on one side, then flip them over and bake for a few minutes more. Set aside.
8. Prepare the béchamel. Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, slowly whisk in the flour. When the roux is pale brown, slowly pour in the hot steamy milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth in consistency. Beat egg yolks in a separate bowl and then slowly pour into the sauce, stirring vigorously. Add about a teaspoon of salt and the nutmeg. Stir well, and set aside.
9. Finish the moussaka. Preheat the oven to 220 C. Ladle a thin film of  béchamel sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish and then layer half of the potatoes, overlapping slightly. Top the layer of potatoes with a layer of eggplant slices (use just half of the slices).
10. Cover the eggplant slices with the meat sauce. Then layer remaining eggplant slices on top of the meat. Then add another row of potatoes. Sprinkle half the cheese on top. Ladle the béchamel over everything in an even layer. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.
11. Let the moussaka cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.