18/02/2010

Mmmmm Moussaka

Moussaka

from ‘The Real Greek at Home’ by Theodore Kyriakou & Charles Campion



I only have to catch sight of the Moussaka tray & my stomach starts rumbling. And when nothing remains on your plate but the memory of a slice of Moussaka, you are left glowing with a great happiness. Suggest you keep this for the website, but skip it for the text.



Serves 8



Ingredients

250ml vegetable oil

1kg aubergines, sliced lengthways, 1cm thick

500g courgettes, sliced lengthways, 1cm thick

100ml olive oil

250g Spanish onions, finely chopped

1kg lamb shoulder, minced

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Salt & pepper to taste

400g tomato perasti (tomato passata)

100ml red wine, if needed

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped



Béchamel cheese sauce

500-600ml milk

115g butter

115g plain flour

1 nutmeg, freshly grated

100g Kefalotiri cheese (or aged pecorino) grated

2 eggs



Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan, then fry the vegetables – aubergines first, then the courgettes – turning the slices once. Remove & drain on absorbent kitchen paper.


Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.


In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions until soft. Add the minced meat & cook until well browned, keeping the heat low. Add the ground cinnamon, some salt & pepper, & the tomato perasti. Stir well &, if the mixture looks slightly dry, add red wine. Simmer wih the lid on for 20-30 mins, or until the meat sauce is well cooked & the liquid has been absorbed. It is important to keep stirring, as you do not want to end up with a lumpy sauce.


In a roasting tray, make alternate layers of aubergine & courgette slices, meat sauce & parsley. Start & finish with aubergine slices.


To make the béchamel sauce, heat the milk to just below boiling point. In another pan, melt the butter, add the flour & stir over a low heat until well blended & slightly coloured. This will take almost 5 mins. Then add the hot milk a little at a time, stirring continually to ensure lumps do not form. Season well & add the nutmeg. Simmer until the sauce thickens. To make the béchamel sauce a cheese sauce, add the grated cheese, stir well & remove the pan from the heat. After 20 mins, beat the eggs thoroughly & stir them into the sauce.


Pour the sauce over the minced meat & aubergines, & bake for about 1hr. It is ready when the top of the sauce is brown & has a crust. Let it rest for 1hr, then serve with a tomato salad.