Few dishes can beat this multi-layered meat, sauce and vegetable dish; it's spiced with cinnamon and rich with lamb and red wine. Serve it with crusty bread and a glass of good red wine.
Moussaka serves 8 -10
The meat sauce
2 pounds ground lamb
2 chopped onion
3 cloves of chopped fresh garlic
2 cups wine
1 28 ounce can crushed tomato
2 teaspoon each thyme, sweet paprika, cinnamon, dried parsley
Plus 1 large bay leaf
Salt and pepper
2 TBSP olive oil
Method
Brown the lamb, discard the fat, remove lamb from pan add 2 tablespoon olive oil and sweat the onion on low. When onion is cooked add the garlic, the seasoning- stir 2 min, add meat add deglaze w wine and add tomato salt and pepper about teaspoon each simmer on low for 30 minutes and taste again re-season if needed w salt and pepper
The vegetable layer
Slice 1 large eggplant and 3 zucchini and brush both sides with olive oil season with salt and pepper Heat a large skillet and sear the vegetables on both side until golden
Prepare a 9 x 13 roasting pan with olive oil and a thin layer of the meat sauce.
Layer the eggplant and zucchini in the pan lightly salt and pepper if needed then sprinkle about a cup of grated parmesan or feta or a combination of both over the vegetables REMOVE THE BAY LEAF -Spread the meat mixture over the vegetable and cheese let it rest until it's cool enough to to put in the refrigerator
The Potato layer
Peel and slice 6-7 medium red bliss or Yukon gold potatoes. Make your slices a little over an 8th of an inch- place in a pot of water and simmer about 16-17 minutes until they are just cooked. Drain and spread our on a sheet pan to cool. once the potatoes are cool sprinkle 1 cup of shredded parmesan over the meat mixture and shingle the potatoes over the meat layer and season with salt and pepper and place in the fridge over night or jump right to the the béchamel layer.
The Béchamel layer
ingredients:
4 TBSP Butter
4TBSP Plain Flour
4 cups whole milk
1 cup grated Parmesan
3 Egg Yolks
1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp grated Nutmeg,
1/4 tsp White Pepper
Method
Béchamel Sauce: In a medium sauce pot over medium heat melt butter. Stir in flour to create a paste then gradually begin whisking in your milk. Once you've poured in all the milk - KEEP STIRIRING until the sauce is thick, stir in salt, white pepper. Take the pot off heat and stir in parmesan until the sauce is smooth.
In a small bowl with the 2 yolks add a little of the sauce and whisk it then add the yoke mix to the pot quickly whisk it all together
Pour the Béchamel mixture over the casserole, sprinkle with nutmeg and bake at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and set
Let the dish stand for about 20 minutes before serving this allows the dish to set up and will cut nicely with the custard on top.
Quick and easy side steps-
If you are not comfortable making the béchamel sauce, here is a little quick step:-)
Use a pre-made Alfredo Sauce like Bertolli! 2 jars of alfredo sauce with 3 egg yolks and ta da! You got this:-)
Or try a little variation by substituting the sliced potatoes with creamy parmesan mashed potatoes- It's a little moussaka meets Shepard's pie and it's a really delish option for family's with smaller children:-)