Moussaka

Sat, 03 Dec 2016 04:00:00 +0100

Moussaka #

A good moussaka is a joy to behold — cinnamon-spiced lamb mingling with aubergines and topped with a delicious creamy béchamel-style sauce.

Moussaka is an eggplant- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, with regional variations found across countries of the former Ottoman Empire.

In Turkey, it’s sautéed and served warm or at room temperature.
In Arabic countries, it’s often eaten cold.
In the Balkans, it’s layered and served hot, with a top layer of creamy custard or béchamel.

Ingredients #

Base #

2 aubergines / brinjals (cut into 1cm/½in slices)
1 tbsp sea salt
750g lamb mince
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 tsp dried oregano
1½ tsp dried mint
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp plain flour
400g canned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
7 tbsp olive oil
500g potatoes (peeled and sliced into 1cm/½in slices)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

White Sauce #

125g ricotta
25g finely grated parmesan
125g Greek yogurt
3 eggs
Freshly grated nutmeg (to taste)
Salt and black pepper (to taste)

Recipe #

Place aubergine slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan.
Add onions, garlic, oregano, mint, bay leaves, and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add lamb mince. Cook for 10 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
Stir in flour, season with salt and black pepper.
Add tomatoes and purée, bring to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Set aside.
Rinse aubergines under cold water, pat dry with a tea towel.
Heat 3 tbsp oil and fry aubergines 2–3 minutes each side. Drain on kitchen paper.
Boil potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain and cool.
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
In a baking dish, layer one-third meat sauce, followed by potatoes and aubergines.
Repeat layers two more times, ending with aubergines on top.
For the white sauce, beat together ricotta, half the parmesan, yogurt, eggs, and nutmeg.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pour over layered dish and spread evenly.
Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes until golden and bubbling.