Moussaka
Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce:
- 2pounds canned whole tomatoes
- 1/4cup golden raisins
- 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1pound ground beef
- 1teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 6cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 2medium onionsfinely chopped
- 1each red bell pepperstemmed, cored, and finely chopped
- 1cup Red Wine
Potatoes and Eggplant:
- 1 1/2cups vegetable oil
- 2 each eggplantcut crosswise into 1/4
- 1each baking potatocut crosswise into 1/4
For the Béchamel:
- 6tablespoons butter
- 1/2cup flour
- 2 1/4cups milk
- 1each bay leaf
- nutmeggrated
- 1/2cup Greek yogurt
- 3large egg yolks
Assembly:
- 1cup pecorino cheesegrated
Yield:
Instructions
Make the Meat Sauce:
- Purée the tomatoes in a blender and set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt and pepper and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer beef to a large strainer set over a bowl and drain; discard any liquid left in the pot.
- Return pot to the heat and add the remaining olive oil along with the garlic, onions, and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost evaporated, 10-15 minutes.
- Add the reserved tomatoes, currants, and beef and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and set meat sauce aside.
Saute Eggplant and Potatoes:
- Heat the canola oil in 12" skillet over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, add the eggplant slices and fry, turning occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer eggplant slices to paper towels.
- Working in batches, add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 5 minutes, and transfer to paper towels.
Make a Béchamel Sauce:
- Melt butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until pale and smooth, 2 minutes.
- Whisking constantly, add the milk in a steady stream until incorporated; add the bay leaf and cook, whisking often, until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and discard the bay leaf.
- Let sauce cool for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and egg yolks and whisk into sauce until smooth.
Bake:
- Spray a 1/2 hotel pan with pan release and preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the reserved potato slices in the bottom of the hotel pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Put the eggplant slices on top, season with salt and pepper, and then cover with the meat sauce.
- Pour the béchamel over the top of the meat sauce and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
- Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top and bake until browned and bubbly, 45–50 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
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