How to make Moussaka
Posted: 10 September '09 by Niall
Our Moussaka
Moussaka is a delicious casserole of lamb, aubergines, and flavoured with some surprising spices.
I’ll tempt fate here by saying that Moussaka is a Greek dish – I have read that other cooks think that it has Arabic origins, and this might well be the case as the recipe includes typical Middle Eastern spices such as cinnamon and mace – but I’ve always been told that Moussaka is Greek.
While I’m being so frank, I’ll also admit that the classic Moussaka is made with bechamel sauce. In our recipe, however, the dish is topped with a combination of cottage cheese, beaten egg, and parmesan, giving the casserole a light, golden layer above the fried aubergines.
We usually add potatoes roasted in olive oil or a simple rocket salad as a side dish. I’d also recommend a light, fruity red wine with this meal – nothing that will over-power the aromatic sauce and delicate lamb flavours.
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 150-175ml olive oil
- 1kg lean lamb mince
- 100ml red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 7.5cm piece cinnamon stick
- A pinch of mace
- 2 tbsp of dried oregano
- 3 large aubergines, each weighing about 300g
- 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- 400-500g of cottage cheese
- 50g Parmesan, finely grated
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Method:
- Sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onions have become soft and transparent
- Add the lamb mince and increase the heat slightly, until the meat has browned (If your lamb mince isn’t lean, spoon off some of the fat)
- Add the red wine, tomato purée, canned tomatoes, cinnamon, mace and oregano, and lower the heat, allowing the contents to simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Slice the aubergines into 1 or 1.5cm discs and brush with olive oil
- Fry the aubergine slices in batches on both sides in a separate pan until the white flesh has browned
- Lay half the aubergine slices over the base of a casserole dish and season well
- Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce and spoon it over the aubergines
- Add the remaining aubergine slices to the top of the dish
- Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6
- In a separate bowl, empty the cartons of cottage cheese and add the two egg yolks, grated parmesan, and nutmeg, stirring the mixture well
- Spoon the cottage cheese and egg mixture on top of the contents of the casserole dish
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling
To complete the meal, I’d recommend a young, medium-bodied Beaujolais.
Tags: greek food, lamb, Recipes
Categories: Featured Post > Lamb > Main Course > Recipes > Vegetables
