Moussaka

Moussaka is kind of a lasagna casserole very popular in the Egyptian, Arabic, Greek and Turkish cultures.

INGREDIENTS

For the Meat layer

• 1 LB ground lamb
• 1/2 LB ground beef
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1 TBL butter
• 1 medium sweet onion – chopped fine or minced
• 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped or grated
• 1 carrot – grated
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• red pepper flakes
• 1 TBL tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 C TBL red wine
• 1/4 C beef stock
• 1 TBL crushed oregano
• 1 (16 oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes – crushed
• Kosher salt and ground black or white pepper to taste

Other Elements

• 1 large eggplant – peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick slabs
• 2 TBL grated Parmesan cheese – for bottom of pan

For the Bechamel Cheese Sauce

• 4 TBL butter
• 4 TBL (1/4 C) flour
• 1 1/2  C milk
• 1/2 C plain yogurt
• 1/2 C grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese
• 1/4 C grated Provolone cheese or 2 oz goat cheese
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • Stir just to dissolve/melt

STEP BY STEP

This has a lot of steps, but is very straight-forward.  Don’t be put off by the complexity.  It is not.

1. Preheat oven to 375º
2. Brush your eggplant with EVOO, then put into your oven for 15 minutes to soften – DO NOT UNDERCOOK
   You can let this cook as your oven comes up to heat.  No need to preheat.
3. Butter your baking dish and sprinkle 2 TBL of your Parmesan cheese on the bottom
4. Add half your chopped onion on top of that.
5. Brown your ground lamb and beef while the eggplant is cooking
6. When browned, add the rest of your onion and carrot in with the meat
7. In about 4 minutes, add your garlic in with the onion and cook another two minutes
8. Add the rest of your spices, and then deglaze with red wine and beef stock
9. Let it reduce for a few minutes, then add your crushed tomatoes and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
10. While this is simmering, layer your eggplant over top of the onion in your baking dish
11. Start your Bechamel in a small sauce pan by melting the butter over medium heat
12. Add flour and cook till the flour starts to clump and brown
13. Add milk slowly, whisking constantly until most of the clumps have been absorbed.
14. Add the remainder of your cheese to the sauce and cook until it starts to bubble, then remove from heat
15. Whisk together your yogurt and egg yolks, then temper your milk into your yogurt.
16. Spread your cooked meat over the eggplant
17. Pour the cheese sauce over the meat.
18. You can even do this in two layers if you wish
19. Bake at 375º until the cheese sauce begins to bubble and brown a little bit ( 40-45  minutes )
20. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

NOTE:  Using Gruyere cheese gives this a very nice depth of flavor