Moussaka

Ingredients

Bottom layer:

• 3 large potatoes
• 5 aubergines (eggplants)
• 3 courgettes (zucchini)
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Thyme (optional)

Middle layer:

• 800g/28oz/4 1/2 cups of beef or plant-based mince
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 red onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 800g/28oz/4 cups of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons of tomato puree
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick, or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 200ml/2dl/1/3 pt/just under a cup of red wine
• Salt and pepper

For the béchamel sauce:

• 1 litre/10 dl/just under 2 pints/4 cups of milk or soya milk
• 120g/4oz/just over half a cup of butter or margarine
• 120g/4oz/1 cup of flour or cornflour
• 2 egg yolks (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• 100g/3 1/2 oz/1 cup of parmagiano reggiano, kefalotyr, or alternative cheese

Method

1. Slice the potatoes, aubergines and courgettes- the slices can be thin or thick, whichever you prefer.
2. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to a large frying pan and set it over a medium heat before adding the potato slices. Fry the potatoes for 5-10 minutes, turning them over occasionally, until they are browned. Then remove them from the pan and allow them to cool slightly.
3. Next, fry the aubergine and courgette slices, again with a tablespoon or so of oil, until they’re browned. Remove them from the pan.
4. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic.
5. Place a large saucepan over quite a high heat. Add four tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped onion. Saute for a minute or two, stirring occasionally.
6. Next add the garlic and sugar to the pan, and saute for a further 2 minutes.
7. Add the mince to the pan and saute for a further 5 minutes. While it’s cooking, stir the contents of the pan together so that the mince is broken up and well combined with the onion and garlic.
8. When the mince is browned, stir in the tomato puree. Then add the wine, chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and a cup of water to the pan. Bring the pan contents to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180’C/350’F/Gas Mark 4.
10. To make the béchamel sauce, set a medium-sized saucepan over a moderate heat and add the butter or margarine.
11. When it’s melted, whisk in the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg, then add the milk. Cook, whisking constantly (I used an electric whisk to get rid of any lumps) for a few minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, then whisk in the egg yolks and two thirds of the cheese (if using.)
12. To assemble: evenly spread the potatoes across the baking dish. Season them with a little salt, pepper and thyme (if using.) Repeat with a layer of seasoned aubergine, then a layer of seasoned courgette. Stir two tablespoons of béchamel sauce into the mince, and remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Then spread the mince evenly across the layered vegetables. Finally, spread the remaining béchamel sauce over the mince and top with the remaining cheese (if using.)
13. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until nicely browned.
14. When it’s ready, remove from the oven and allow it to cool down for 20 minutes or so. Then serve, preferably with Greek Salad and a glass of Greek red wine.
15. Kali Orexi!
    

Tips

• It’s easiest to use at least two frying pans to saute the vegetables- if you sauté too many in one pan it’s quite hard to make sure they are evenly cooked.