Moussaka

The tiny bit of fall weather and the sight of all those eggplants at the farmer's market this weekend prompted me to make one of our favorite one dish meals, moussaka.


My husband and I first had moussaka during the year we lived outside of London after college.  We lived in a tiny flat with an even tinier kitchen, and so most of our wonderful food memories came through ready-made foods: Indian take-out, fish 'n chips, and pub food.  We discovered moussaka in the little market near our flat where they sold homemade dinners packaged in 'to go' containers.  Moussaka is a Greek or Turkish casserole of eggplant layered with spiced ground lamb, topped in a creamy white bechamel or custard sauce.  

I love one pot meals.  Soups, casseroles and stews are my favorite way to eat as the weather gets cooler.  But sometimes the same old soups and stews can be a little boring.  Moussaka mixes it up with new flavors and textures.   I used this recipe as my guide, although there are many variations.  This one is true to the one we had in England, but I have altered the process a bit.  I found the amounts to be high so I cut it down for 4 servings.  I also dispensed with the standard salting and draining of the eggplant.  I don't think it's necessary.  One major note, be sure to ask for lean ground lamb, the ground lamb that I got was very fatty.

Moussaka

Ingredients (serves 4):
3 medium eggplants
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground lamb (make sure you ask your grocer for 'lean' ground lamb)
1 onions, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp of allspice
1/2 tsp cumin

Bechamel sauce:
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups warm milk
salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup grated cheese (I used Parmesan)

Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch slices.  Brush both sides with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet.  Put them under the broiler for a few minutes until they are slightly browned and softened. 

Put a bit of  olive oil in a pan and brown the ground lamb.  Drain off the excess fat and set the meat aside.  In the same pot, heat the  the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes.  Add the meat back in, with the wine, tomato sauce and spices.  Cook for about 30 minutes until the sauce is reduced.

To make the custard sauce, melt the butter in a small pot, and whisk in the flour.  Cook for a minute, without browning.  Whisk in the warm milk and heat until thickened while you are whisking.  Take off the heat and stir in the cheese, nutmeg and salt.  Taste to check the seasonings.  

Next, brush the bottom of a casserole with olive oil, and arrange a layer of eggplant slices on the bottom.  Below you can see that there were spaces between my slices.  The next time I make this I will cut up slices to fill in between and completely cover the bottom of the casserole.  The same thing for my top layer of eggplant.

Then cover the eggplant with the meat mixture.  

Layer the rest of the eggplant on top, and cover with the custard sauce.

And bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.  I ran it under the broiler at the end to brown the top.

I think you'll like this.