Recipe :: Moussaka

Another favourite recipe to share!

Story behind these recipes: For a few months now we've been trying to make something new at least every weekend, and if we can, we use a new ingredient from the market. Recently we've experimented with butternut squash and sweet potatos for example. Last week we made another foray into Greek food - making Moussaka.

Ingredients

1 kg (2lbs) eggplant

oil

Meat Sauce:

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp oil

1kg (2lbs) ground beef or lamb

1 cup chopped, peeled tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1tsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper

Cream Sauce:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. Cut eggplant into 1/4 inch slices with skin on. Sprinkle slices with salt. Oil base of baking dish, add layer of eggplant and brush with oil. Lightly brown under a hot grill, turn, brush again with oil and brown other side. Stack on a plate when cooked

2. Gently Fry onion and garlic in oil for 10 minutes. Add meat and brown over high heat, stirring well. Add remaining meat sauce ingredients, seasoning to taste. Cover adn simmer gently for 30 minutes.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let sauce bubble gently for 1 minute.

4. Remove from heat, stir in nutmeg or cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover top of sauce with greased paper if not required immediately.

5. Grease an oven dish, 13x9x2 inches, and place a layer of eggplant slices in the base. Top with half of the meat sauce, add another layer of eggplant, remainder of meat and finish with eggplant.

6. Stir beaten egg into cream sauce and spread on top. Sprinkle with remaining chesse. Bake for 1 hour at 180C (350F). Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Recipe :: Pastitso

filling

• 500g (1lb) long macaroni
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 3 eggs lightly beaten

meat sauce

• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 2 tbsp butter
• 750g (1 1/2 lbs) ground beef
• 1/4 tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red or white wine
• 1/2 cup stock
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper

cream sauce

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg lightly beaten

instructions

1. Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and return to pan

2. Melt butter until golden brown and pour over macaroni. Add 1/2 cup cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Leave until cool, add eggs and toss again. Keep aside

3. Make meat sauce. Gently fry onion and garlic in butter until onion is soft, increase heat and add ground beef. Stir well and cook until meat begins to brown

4. Add remaining meat sauce ingredients, cover and simmer over gentle heat for 20 minutes

5. Make cream sauce. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 minute

6. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and cool a little before adding egg

7. Add 1/2 cup of this sauce to the cooked meat sauce

8. To assemble pastitso, butter a 13x9x3 inch oven dish. Spoon half of the prepared macaroni evenly across the base and top with meat sauce. Cover with remaining macaroni, leveling top

9. Pour on cream sauce and spread to completely cover macaroni. Sprinkly remaining cheese on top and cook in oven at 180C (350F) for 50 minutes until golden brown

10. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve and enjoy

serves 6-8, cooking time 1 1/2 hours

source: unknown