Here's my tribute to My big fat Greek Life which starts next week.
This Greek dish that I recently made is one of the most popular in Greece. It was even made into a movie a few years ago. It is pretty complicated to make so you will need some preperation and patience. I read somewhere of a vegitarian version of Moussaka but it does not have the authentic taste that ground meat has.
You'll Need:
2 large aubergines (egg plants), thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 and half pound (675g) lean minced beef
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 large fresh tomatoes chopped
Half cup dry white wine
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsly
3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
2 egg whites
salt and pepper
The topping is made separately and requires:
3 tbsp butter
One third cup flour
One and 2 thirds cups milk
Half teaspoon nutmeg
One and a quarter cups grated Kefalotiri (this can be found in Greek specialty stores, you can also use hard sheep's or goat's cheese.)
2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg
Slice the eggplants then layer them in a bowl. Spray each layer with water and salt. Let them stand like this fo about 20 minutes then rinse them with water. Pat them dry with paper towels. This is done to eliminate or reduce the bitterness that eggplants have.
Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Spread out the eggplants in a roasting tin, brush with olive oil, then bake for 10 minutes, until just softened. Remove and set aside to cool.
While the eggplants are roasting...
Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan and brown the minced beef, stirring frequently, until crumbly.
Add the onions and garlic.
Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir in the wine. The rest of the wine can be consumed as you are cooking.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, leave to cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the parsley, breadcrumbs and egg whites.
Now lightly grease a large ovenproof dish, then spread the egg plant on the base.
Spread over the meat sauce, then top with the remaining eggplant.
The following describes creating the topmost layer which is a cream called Bechamel. To make the topping, put the butter, flour and milk in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over a low heat, whisking until the mixture thickens to form a smooth creamy sauce.
Remove from the heat, season and stir in the nutmeg and about half the cheese.
Allow the topping sauce to cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the egg yolks and the whole egg.
The finale... Pour the sauce over the top layer of eggplant...
...and then sprinkle with the remaining Kefalotiri cheese.
Bake the moussaka for 30-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden bown. Allow it to stand for awhile before serving. It can be cut and served in rectangular squares.
Enjoy!
Great ***** Moussaka!
Perfect pictures!
Wonderful explanations!
Fantastic job!!!
THANKS
