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.