Moussaka

The recipe Moussaka could satisfy your Mediterranean craving in approximately 45 minutes. For $3.2 per serving, this recipe covers 29% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This main course has 804 calories, 28g of protein, and 62g of fat per serving. This recipe serves 8. 1302 people have made this recipe and would make it again. This recipe from Simply Recipes requires lemon juice, black pepper, red wine, and whole milk. With a spoonacular score of 83%, this dish is spectacular. If you like this recipe, take a look at these similar recipes: Moussaka, Moussaka, and Moussaka.

Servings: 8

 

Ingredients:

Equipment:

Cooking instruction summary:

Prepare the meat sauce1 Heat the olive oil in a large saut pan over medium-high heat and brown the ground meat. By the way, the meat will brown best if you don't stir it. Add the onions about halfway into the browning process. Sprinkle salt over the meat and onions.2 Once the meat is browned and the onions have softened, add the garlic, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano and tomato paste. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.3 Add the red wine and mix well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Mix well and taste. If the sauce needs more acidity, add more lemon juice.Set the sauce aside.Prepare the potatoes and eggplants4 Mix the 1/2 cup salt with the 8 cups of water in a large pot or container. This will be the brine for the eggplants.5 Slice the top and bottom off the eggplants. Cut thick strips of the skin off the eggplants to give them a striped appearance. A little skin on the eggplant is good for texture, but leaving it all on makes the moussaka hard to cut later, and can add bitterness, which you dont want. (Some moussaka recipes leave the skin on and have you slice the eggplants lengthwise, which is an option if you prefer.) Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and drop them into the brine.6 Let the eggplants sit in the brine 15-20 minutes, then remove them to a series of paper towels to dry. Place a paper towel down on the counter, layer some eggplant on it, then cover with another sheet of paper towel and repeat.7 As the eggplants are brining, peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds. Boil them in salted water for 5-8 minutes you want them undercooked, but no longer crunchy. Drain and set aside.8 To cook the eggplant, broil or grill the rounds. You could also fry the eggplant rounds but they tend to absorb a lot of oil that way. To grill the eggplant rounds, get a grill very hot and close the lid. Paint one side of the eggplant rounds with olive oil and grill 2-3 minutes. When they are done on one side, paint the other side with oil and flip. When the eggplants are nicely grilled, set aside. To broil, line a broiling pan or roasting pan with aluminum foil. Paint with olive oil. Place the eggplant rounds on the foil and brush with olive oil. Broil for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on one side, then flip them over and broil for a few minutes more. Set aside.Prepare the bchamel9 Heat milk in a pot on medium heat until steamy (about 160 degrees). Do not let simmer.10 Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, slowly whisk in the flour. Let this roux simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Do not let it get too dark.11 Little by little, pour in the steamy milk, stirring constantly. It will set up and thicken dramatically at first, but keep adding milk and stirring, the sauce will loosen. Return the heat to medium. Add about a teaspoon of salt and the nutmeg. Stir well.12 Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk to combine. Temper the eggs so they dont scramble when you put them into the sauce. Using two hands, one with a whisk, the other with a ladle, slowly pour in a couple ladles worth of the hot bchamel into the eggs, whisking all the time. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the bchamel while whisking the mixture. Keep the sauce on very low heat, do not let simmer or boil.Finish the moussaka13 Preheat the oven to 350F. Layer a casserole with the potatoes, overlapping slightly. Top the layer of potatoes with a layer of eggplant slices (use just half of the slices).14 Cover the eggplant slices with the meat sauce. Then layer remaining eggplant slices on top of the meat.15 Sprinkle half the cheese on top. Ladle the bchamel over everything in an even layer. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.16 Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.Let the moussaka cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

Step by step:

1. Prepare the meat sauce1

2. Heat the olive oil in a large saut pan over medium-high heat and brown the ground meat. By the way, the meat will brown best if you don't stir it.

3. Add the onions about halfway into the browning process. Sprinkle salt over the meat and onions.2 Once the meat is browned and the onions have softened, add the garlic, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano and tomato paste.

4. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.3

5. Add the red wine and mix well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Taste for salt and add more if needed.

6. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice.

7. Mix well and taste. If the sauce needs more acidity, add more lemon juice.Set the sauce aside.Prepare the potatoes and eggplants4

8. Mix the 1/2 cup salt with the 8 cups of water in a large pot or container. This will be the brine for the eggplants.5 Slice the top and bottom off the eggplants.

9. Cut thick strips of the skin off the eggplants to give them a striped appearance. A little skin on the eggplant is good for texture, but leaving it all on makes the moussaka hard to cut later, and can add bitterness, which you dont want. (Some moussaka recipes leave the skin on and have you slice the eggplants lengthwise, which is an option if you prefer.) Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and drop them into the brine.6

10. Let the eggplants sit in the brine 15-20 minutes, then remove them to a series of paper towels to dry.

11. Place a paper towel down on the counter, layer some eggplant on it, then cover with another sheet of paper towel and repeat.7 As the eggplants are brining, peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds. Boil them in salted water for 5-8 minutes you want them undercooked, but no longer crunchy.

12. Drain and set aside.8 To cook the eggplant, broil or grill the rounds. You could also fry the eggplant rounds but they tend to absorb a lot of oil that way. To grill the eggplant rounds, get a grill very hot and close the lid. Paint one side of the eggplant rounds with olive oil and grill 2-3 minutes. When they are done on one side, paint the other side with oil and flip. When the eggplants are nicely grilled, set aside. To broil, line a broiling pan or roasting pan with aluminum foil. Paint with olive oil.

13. Place the eggplant rounds on the foil and brush with olive oil. Broil for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on one side, then flip them over and broil for a few minutes more. Set aside.Prepare the bchamel9

14. Heat milk in a pot on medium heat until steamy (about 160 degrees). Do not let simmer.10

15. Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, slowly whisk in the flour.

16. Let this roux simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Do not let it get too dark.11 Little by little, pour in the steamy milk, stirring constantly. It will set up and thicken dramatically at first, but keep adding milk and stirring, the sauce will loosen. Return the heat to medium.

17. Add about a teaspoon of salt and the nutmeg. Stir well.12

18. Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk to combine. Temper the eggs so they dont scramble when you put them into the sauce. Using two hands, one with a whisk, the other with a ladle, slowly pour in a couple ladles worth of the hot bchamel into the eggs, whisking all the time. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the bchamel while whisking the mixture. Keep the sauce on very low heat, do not let simmer or boil.Finish the moussaka13 Preheat the oven to 350F. Layer a casserole with the potatoes, overlapping slightly. Top the layer of potatoes with a layer of eggplant slices (use just half of the slices).14 Cover the eggplant slices with the meat sauce. Then layer remaining eggplant slices on top of the meat.15 Sprinkle half the cheese on top. Ladle the bchamel over everything in an even layer. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.16

19. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.

20. Let the moussaka cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information:

covered percent of daily need