Moussaka
Moussaka
Ingredients
2 ½ pounds (one kilo) of Ground Lamb (mince)
100 ml dry Red Wine
3 large Eggplants
1 large Onion, chopped coarsely
1 large Garlic clove, mashed
2 tablespoons of Tomato Paste
½ teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of freshly chopped Oregano (substitute with dried Oregano)
1 Bay Leaf
1 large Egg, whisked
600 ml of Milk (whole fat)
85 grams of Flour
2 tablespoons of Butter
25 grams (or more to your taste) of Grated Cheese: Kefalotiri, Pecorino or Parmigiano
Preparation
Slice the eggplant into medallions (thin slices) in a thick baking dish, cover in salt. Place a heavy lid on top and leave for half an hour (this eliminates the bitterness of the eggplant).
In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, adding in the chopped onion and mashed garlic when hot. Sauté the onions and garlic until tender and browned, and add in the minced lamb to fry. Stir the lamb on high heat in the frying pan, and cook for 5 or so minutes until golden brown. Slowly stir in the red wine, the tomato paste sugar, oregano, salt and pepper and the bay leaf and lower the heat to sauté for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Wash the eggplant slices in cold water until clean of the salt. In a frying pan, place the eggplant, cover in olive oil and fry until lightly golden, put aside. In a separate pan, for the sauce, you will need to place the butter, flour, and milk and heat on low heat. Heat until bubbling, without burning the mix, and place the pan aside to cool. Season the sauce and then mix in the egg.
In a baking pan, place one layer of eggplant slices, with a layer of the lamb mix on top, another layer of eggplant, and so on. Cover the filling when full, with the sauce and then sprinkle on the grated cheese to melt.
In a preheated oven (to 350 F, 180 C), place the Moussaka and cook for approximately 50 minutes to one hour, checking every few minutes towards the end to see when golden brown.
Serve the Moussaka hot, straight from the oven.
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