Papa Cristo’s Meat Moussaka
Today I have a 5 star restaurant secret recipe(below) from Papa Cristo’s in Los Angeles. This market and restaurant features authentic Greek eats from hummus to baklava. One of their classic dishes is the meat moussaka. Moussaka is an eggplant and potato based dish with ground beef and a Béchamel sauce. This dish is quite filling.
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Enjoy!
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New 5 Star Secret Recipe
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Papa Cristo’s Meat Moussaka
Meat sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, halved and cut lengthwise into thin slices
2 pounds ground beef (15% to 20% fat)
1 teaspoon Greek seasoning (preferably Papa Cristo’s), more if desired
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup red wine, preferably St. George Agiorgitiko
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the olive oil, onions and ground meat, along with the seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, parsley, garlic and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the red wine, scraping any flavoring from the bottom of the pan. Cook the sauce for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and skim any fat from the top of the sauce, discarding the fat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. This makes a generous quart of meat sauce.
Béchamel sauce:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
1 cup flour
5 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux, then continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the roux is a golden, sandy color, 4 to 6 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until thickened by the roux. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently (watch that the sauce does not burn on the bottom of the pan), for 20 minutes to cook out the flour flavor. Remove from heat, season with the salt, and set aside. This makes a scant quart sauce.
Moussaka:
4 Yukon gold or similar yellow potatoes
2 large globe eggplants
Greek extra virgin olive oil
Greek seasoning (preferably Papa Cristo’s)
Prepared meat sauce
1/2 cup grated Kefalotiri cheese
Prepared béchamel
In a steamer set over a pot of boiling water, steam the whole potatoes until tender (a knife or fork should easily pierce the flesh), 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then slice the potatoes, lengthwise, into 1/4-inch thick slices.
While the potatoes are steaming, slice the top and bottom off the eggplants, then slice the eggplants lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with the seasoning, then grill just until the slices are softened and charred. Repeat until all of the slices are grilled. Set the eggplant aside.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Assemble the moussaka: Brush a deep disposable lasagna pan (roughly 14- by 9 1/2- by 3-inches deep) with olive oil. Layer the bottom of the pan with 1/2 of the potato slices, overlapping them slightly if needed. Cover the potatoes with 1/2 of the eggplant slices, then spread over all of the meat sauce. Sprinkle over one half of the cheese, gently pressing the cheese into the meat mixture. Top the cheese with the remaining potatoes, forming a layer, then add the remaining eggplant. Spoon over the béchamel, smoothing it over the top. Finally, sprinkle over the remaining cheese, gently pressing the cheese into the béchamel sauce.
Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake until the moussaka is lightly browned on top, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes (ovens will vary — check after 40 minutes to see how the moussaka is progressing). Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 12-16
Source: LA Times
Until Next Time… Be Well!
Kind Regards,