If you follow my Blog you will already be aware that I am a HUGE Tessa Kiros fan. I love her recipes and I love that her cookery books are the most beautiful things ever! The photography is beautiful, there is so much history and information and every recipe I have cooked so far has come out perfectly and you can’t ask for better than that.
I like to think that I am a fairly good cook, it is fair to say that I am obsessed with any thing food related and I have set myself the task of pushing my own boundaries and cook things that I have never done before. Moussaka was on the list, so on Sunday I decided to give it a go.
I must say that it is fairly simple, but there is a lot to do and it is a very lengthly process, but once all the prep is done you can just leave it in the oven and walk away.
Please be careful when frying the potatoes & aubergines as they do spit and I have the burns to prove it.
Serve with a lovely Greek salad and crusty bread.
Buon appetito
Serves 8
2 large aubergines
About 250ml light olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
850g minced/ground pork & beef, I actually used lamb the first time & it was gorgeous, I also brought it from the butcher so that it was really lovely and fine.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
125ml white wine
500g tomato passata, I was very lucky to have a gorgeous homemade one by my lovely Hubby with tomatoes from our garden, but shop brought will do just as well.
500g potatoes, peeled
kitchen towel
Bechamel Sauce:-
120g butter
125g plain flour
1 litre warm milk
A little freshly grated nutmeg
Trim the hats off the aubergines, then slice the aubergines lengthways into 5mm slices. Sprinkle salt quite generously over the slices and leave them in the sink or in a bowl for about 30 minutes to draw out the bitter juices.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wide non-stick saucepan. Saute the onion, mixing it with a wooden spoon until it is softened and lightly golden. Add the parsley and garlic and cook for another minute until you can smell the garlic, then add the mince. Cook over a medium high heat until the meat loses its water and begins to brown, shifting it around with a wooden spoon. add the cinnamon, oregano and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. When the mince is golden, add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon to make sure no mince is stuck. Let most of the wine evaporate, then add the tomato passata and leave it to simmer for about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring now and then. Break up any clusters with a wooden spoon. If it seems too dry, add a few more drops of water, but this shouldn’t be necessary.
Meanwhile, slice the potatoes lengthways into 5mm slices and pat dry. Heat 4 or 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan (I used my heavy based frying pan) and fry the potatoes in batches over a medium heat until they are golden on both sides and cooked through. Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to absorb the oil, and sprinkle with a little salt.
Rinse the salt from the aubergine with cold water and pat dry. Fry in batches in the same pan and oil as the potatoes – they will absorb a lot more oil than the potatoes, so they need a bit of attention. When the underside is golden, turn over and prick with a fork in several places, especially in any hard bits, so that they are almost collapsing. If you press down with a fork, they should not be hard and papery but instead should be almost like a puree. If they are darkened but not yet soft, stack them on top of the new batch so they can cook longer. I must admit I cut mine fairly thin and didn’t need to do this, they cooked through perfectly. Remove the slices to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil while you finish the next lot, adding only a tablespoon of oil if possible between batches.
Preheat the oven to 180c/ 350f/ gas 4.
Arrange half the aubergine over the base of your oven dish, even slightly overlapping if necessary. Then add the potatoes in a single layer, if possible. Add half the mince, pressing down with the back of a large spoon. Add the rest of the aubergine in a layer, and then a final layer of mince. Press it down and you should still have about 2 1/2cm space at the top of the dish.
The bechamel needs to be made just before you bake the moussaka. I know making a roux can be a little scary, but just take your time and it will be fine. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then begin adding the warm milk. It will be immediately absorbed, so work quickly, whisking with one hand while adding ladlefuls of milk with the other. When the sauce seems to be smooth and not too stiff, add salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg and continue cooking, even after it comes to the boil, for 5 minutes or so, mixing all the time. It should be very thick and smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning and spoon over the mince. It should just come about flush with the top of the dish.
Tip : I remove my flour & butter mix from the heat when first adding milk to the mixture, then put it back on to bring to the boil when I make sure it is nicely mixed and there are no lumps, but do what works best for you.
Bake for 45mins to an hour with a baking sheet underneath to catch any spills, until the moussaka begins to bubble up and the top is golden in parts. Leave in the oven to cool slightly before serving. The Greeks always serve there moussaka at room temperature, but serve it piping hot if thats what you prefer. Serve cut into traditional square servings.
Like I said it is a lot of hard work, but this dish tastes as good as the one’s that I had in Skopelos, so that can’t be bad.
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