Melitzanes Moussaka (Greek Eggplant Casserole)

This traditional Greek dish takes some time to prepare, but the result is always worth the labor. The combination of eggplant, tomatoes, minced beef (or lamb) under a thick layer of béchamel sauce will make your mouth water! Actually, the main reason why I baked this casserole is the abundant crop that the six eggplants in my vegetable garden produce this summer. The recipe comes from an old booklet which I bought when I worked in Greece in the eighties: The Best Book about Greek Cooking by Chrissa Paradissis.

Moussaka consists of three elements: layers of eggplant, a meat sauce and a béchamel sauce.

Ingredients:
- 1250 g eggplant

- 1 large onion diced
- 750 g ground beef
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 3 large tomatoes (diced)
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- half a teaspoon cinnamon
- a bunch of parsley, chopped
- some olive oil
- a small glass white wine
- salt and pepper

- 100 g butter
- 100 g flour
- 875 ml milk
- some nutmeg
- 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
- 150 g grated cheese
- salt and pepper

Method:
Cut the eggplant into 1-2 cms thick rounds, sprinkle them with salt and let sit in a colander for an hour. Rinse well, pat dry and place the rounds on a baking plate, which is greased with some olive oil. Brush the top sides with olive oil. Roast the eggplant in the baking oven until golden (about half an hour),

Saute the diced onion in a pan with some olive oil for a few minutes on the boiling plate, add the (sliced) garlic and let saute on the simmering plate until the onions are tender. Add the ground beef (or lamb), transfer the pan to the boiling plate and brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the paste, the sugar, cinnamon and white wine. Bring to a boil and add pepper and salt to taste. Add the parsley and put a lid on the pan. Transfer to the boiling for half an hour.

In the meanwhile, make the béchamel by melting the butter in a pan on the simmering plate, whisk in the flour and let it fry for a few minutes, stirring well. Ad some milk and keep stirring. Bring to a boil and add more milk, constantly stirring, until all the milk is added. Let the sauce boil very slowly for a few minutes. Take the pan from the simmering plate and whisk in half of the grated cheese and the nutmeg. Bring to taste with pepper and salt. Lightly beat the egg and the yoke, but do not add it to the béchamel yet.

Place one layer of eggplant in a 20 x 30 cms pan (greased with some olive oil), add the meat sauce and cover it with the second layer of eggplant. Now whisk in the beaten egg into the béchamel sauce and spread it over the second eggplant layer. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Place the moussaka in the baking oven for an hour or more, until beautiful and gold.
Let it stand 10 minutes before serving.
Kali Orexi!

Klik hier om het recept van moussaka in het Nederlands te lezen.