Greek Moussaka
Greek Moussaka

Hey everyone, it is Brad, welcome to my recipe site. Today, I will show you a way to make a distinctive dish, greek moussaka. It is one of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I’m gonna make it a little bit unique. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

Choose from the world's largest selection of audiobooks. Try Rick Stein's take on this traditional Greek moussaka, combining spiced lamb mince and creamy white sauce. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the minced beef, salt, pepper, onions and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley.

Greek Moussaka is one of the most popular of current trending foods in the world. It is easy, it is quick, it tastes delicious. It’s appreciated by millions daily. They’re fine and they look wonderful. Greek Moussaka is something which I have loved my whole life.

To begin with this recipe, we must first prepare a few components. You can have greek moussaka using 29 ingredients and 18 steps. Here is how you can achieve that.

The ingredients needed to make Greek Moussaka:
  1. Get Eggplant:
  2. Take 1.5 lbs. eggplant, peeled, cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
  3. Make ready 1/2 cup olive oil
  4. Get Beef
  5. Prepare 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  6. Prepare 1.25 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)
  7. Prepare 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  8. Take 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  9. Prepare 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  10. Prepare Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  11. Take 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
  12. Make ready 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  13. Prepare 3 tbs. tomato paste
  14. Make ready 1 cup red wine
  15. Take 1 (28 ounce) can) chopped tomatoes, drained
  16. Take 2 tbs. fresh mint, chopped
  17. Take Potatoes
  18. Take 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cut lengthwise into 1/2” slices
  19. Get 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  20. Get Béchamel Sauce:
  21. Take 5 tbs. unsalted butter
  22. Make ready 1/2 cup flour
  23. Take 2 cups milk (warm)
  24. Take 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
  25. Prepare 3 egg yolks
  26. Get 1 cup grated Romano cheese
  27. Make ready 1 lemon, zested
  28. Prepare 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  29. Make ready 1/3 cup bread crumbs

Add the remaining oil to the casserole. Get the recipe for it here. Moussaka is one of those dishes about which everyone has a story, a variation, and an opinion - meat being the main culprit. People think that the meat in most of our dishes is lamb, but in my family (and for a lot of other Greeks and Cypriots) the meat in moussaka is pork.

Steps to make Greek Moussaka:
  1. Season the eggplant slices on both sides with salt. Cover with a paper towel to soak up the moisture. Set aside for about 20 minutes.
  2. Brown the meat in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat with a small amount of olive oil. Break up the meat as you cook and then transfer to a large strainer to drain off the liquid.
  3. Add a bit more olive oil to the empty pan and then add the onions and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, mix this around, and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add the wine to the pan, along with the tomatoes. Bring this to a slight boil and reduce the heat to low-medium.
  5. Fold the meat in and cook this stirring occasionally until this thickens a bit, about 20 minutes. Stir in the mint and season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
  6. Heat some oil in a large skillet (cast iron is good) over medium heat. Working in batches, add the potato slices and fry until tender / lightly golden brown on both sides. Add oil if necessary. Transfer to a 9x12 baking dish or casserole dish.
  7. Place the eggplant slices in the same skillet (with olive oil) on medium-low heat. Sauté them lightly on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Add oil to prevent sticking or drying out. Transfer to the baking dish.
  8. For the Béchamel: - Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the warm milk gradually while stirring lightly.
  9. Continue to heat this and whisk slowly until thickened. This will take several minutes. Season this with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool for a few minutes.
  10. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, and then add the grated Romano cheese and lemon zest and mix.
  11. Fold this into the sauce pan and lightly whisk until smooth. Keep the sauce pan warm over very low heat.
  12. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F while assembling the dish for baking. [Note, there will be some residual leftovers from the potatoes, eggplant, meat sauce, cheese, etc.]
  13. Layer the potatoes evenly on the bottom of a large baking pan (or casserole dish). Trim the round edges for a good fit. Spoon a third of the meat sauce on top and sprinkle this with a light layer of Parmesan cheese.
  14. Next layer the eggplant slices evenly on top, trim the edges, and cover with the remaining meat sauce and a light sprinkling of cheese.
  15. Pour the béchamel sauce over the top and spread evenly with a large spoon. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and add a light dusting of bread crumbs.
  16. Place the dish on a baking sheet (drippings), and bake at 375˚until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
  17. Remove from oven and let cool completely. This process will allow the pan ingredients to congeal.
  18. When ready to serve, reheat oven at 350˚ and warm the entire pan for 20-25 minutes. Use a spatula to make cuts for individual servings.

Moussaka is one of those dishes about which everyone has a story, a variation, and an opinion - meat being the main culprit. People think that the meat in most of our dishes is lamb, but in my family (and for a lot of other Greeks and Cypriots) the meat in moussaka is pork. Veal was used, too, but less so now. Moussaka is to the Greek what Lasagna is to Italians. A rich tomato meat sauce layered with eggplant instead of pasta sheets, and topped with a thick layer of béchamel sauce, this traditional Greek recipe takes time to assemble - but it's well worth the effort!

So that is going to wrap it up with this exceptional food greek moussaka recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I’m confident that you will make this at home. There is gonna be interesting food in home recipes coming up. Remember to save this page on your browser, and share it to your loved ones, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!