Moussaka

By mariealicejoan

Inexpensive and delicious. Great party dish. Serve with a green salad and some crusty bread for sopping up all of that goodness.

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Ingredients

Olive oil
3 aubergines, sliced 1/2 inch thick (Eggplants)
2 medium brown onions - peeled and finely chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic - peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds minced lamb
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 400g tin of chopped plum tomatoes in tomato juice - undrained
(14 ounce tin)
3 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
60ml of white wine (1/4 cup)
2 TBS parsley
finely grated Parmesan cheese
For the Bechamel:
600 ml of full fat milk
(1 pint, or 2 1/3 cups)
1 medium brown onion - peeled and studded with a couple of cloves
1 bay leaf - broken
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 TBS plain flour
A touch of nutmeg
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Details

servings 6
Level of difficulty Average
Cooking time 35mins
Cost Average budget

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180*C.350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a deep baking dish and set aside.

Step 2

Brush the aubergine slices on both sides with some olive oil. Lay them out onto a large baking sheet in a single layer, or two if necessary.

Step 3

Bang the trays into the oven and roast them for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are soft all the way through when pricked with the tines of a fork.
Don't let them brown too much. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Step 4

Heat 2 TBS olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook, without browning, until soft and a pale gold. Add the garlic and cook for several minutes before crumbling in the mince.

Step 5

Fry the mince, scrambling and stirring until it is no longer pink and well browned. Add the cinnamon and season to taste with sale and black pepper.

Step 6

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree and parsley. Stir well, add the white wine, bring to the boil and then allow to simmer at a quick simmer, until most of the liquid had evaporated (but not all) and the meat is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Step 7

While the meat sauce is simmering, make your Bechamel. Place the milk, onion and bay leaf into a microwaveable beaker. Heat on high for about 1 1/2 minutes or until scalded. Set aside to infuse for about 10 minutes.

Step 8

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once it begins to foam, whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon for about a minute. Strain in the infused milk and cook, stirring constantly until any lumps are stirred out and the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Allow to simmer on a very low heat for about 10 minutes and stirring occasionally. (Keep watch on it so it doesn't catch. I use a diffuser plate under my saucepan.)

Step 9

Halfway through the simmering time season to taste with some salt and pepper and just a touch of nutmeg. You want the nutmeg to be subtle, not slap you in the face. You should just know that there is another flavour there without being able to recognize it.

Step 10

Layer the roasted aubergine and meat sauce in a deep casserole dish, beginning and ending with the aubergine. Pour a thick layer of the bechamel over top. (You may not need it all.) Dust the top with finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until it has nicely browned on top and the meat and aubergine layers have married beautifully together. Spoon out hot from the dish to serve.