Moussaka

Moussaka is one of my favorite Greek recipes. I love eggplant and the great flavors of cinnamon and onions and garlic in the tomato-meat sauce. This is a great alternative to lasagna and is good for feeding a large group (there were six of us and we ate the moussaka twice - once the first night and then another night we ate the leftovers, yum!). It's a bit of a labor of love, so you have to set out an hour or two to make it, but it's well worth it. It also tastes even better the next day.

Ingredients:

4 eggplants

Olive oil

4 medium onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (maybe more to taste)

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cups dry white wine

Black pepper to taste

4 pinches freshly grated nutmeg (2 for meat, 2 for béchamel)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups hot, scalded milk

White pepper, to taste

1 egg

enough breadcrumbs to lightly cover the bottom of the baking dish

Directions:
Slice eggplants, soak in salted water, and dry. (This gets rid of the bitter taste.) Sauté in olive oil until tender and drain on paper towels (you need a fair amount of oil to cook them through/make them taste really good.)

In a large skillet or pot, sauté onion and garlic until tender, add meat and spices and brown. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and wine and simmer until cooked down. Let cool slightly.

In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat, and gradually whisk in flour. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly and don't let the mixture brown. Add the hot milk and whisk quickly to combine. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened. Season with salt, white pepper, and remaining nutmeg. Let cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, beat egg and whisk in a spoonful of béchamel. Whisk in remaining béchamel and salt/pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To assemble the moussaka, sprinkle the bread crumbs across the bottom of a large baking dish (mine was probably a 15 inch circle) and cover crumbs evenly with half the eggplant slices. Spread the meat sauce over the eggplant layer. Continue alternating until finished. Add the béchamel and top w/ Parmesan. Dot with remaining butter.

 

Bake for 45 minutes, until well browned. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Cut into 3-inch squares to serve.