In these very strange times of isolation…working from home (if we can work at all), communicating through Zoom, wearing masks and suspicious of complete strangers whose smiles are covered…I think we are all leaning towards things that bring normalcy to our lives. Comfort. We reread our favorite books, binge watch our favorite programs, and of course, eat our favorite foods. So if you happen to walk across the Spa Creek Bridge and smell garlic and onions wafting out a sailboat’s porthole, along with cheerful Greek music, that would be me being normal on Night Town. Bringing a little comfort and happiness to my day.
Moussaka, can be made a variety of ways. The use of eggplant is traditional, but it can be replaced with sliced potatoes and/or zucchini as well.
Moussaka
MEAT SAUCE
2 lbs eggplant (2-3 globe eggplants)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup EVOO, total
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt & pepper
BÉCHAMEL
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups warm milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat your galley over to 400º or as hot as you can get it.
Skin the eggplants with a vegetable peeler. (some chefs keep the skin on. Your choice.) Cut eggplant into 1/4-1/2″ slices. I like to keep my thick so I usually make my slices 1/2″. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and sweat in a colander for 30 minutes. The salt draws the moisture out of the eggplant leaving them a little firmer when you cook them.
After 30 minutes of sweating, pat the eggplants dry with paper towels. Brush both sides with EVOO, (eggplants are real sponges and will soak up the oil quickly) lay on a roasting pan or cookie sheet and roast in your hot oven for about 20 minutes. You will have to do this in at least two batches. If they have not browned after about 20 minutes, light your broiler for 5 minutes. Once all the eggplants have roasted, turn your oven down to 350º.
While the eggplants are roasting, prepare the meat sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a large fry pan or pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic, Sauté until onions start to soften. Add the ground beef and ground lamb. Cook until meat is browned.
Once browned, add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, white wine, cinnamon and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Grease a 13×9″ casserole (cake pan size) and place one layer of roasted eggplant on the bottom of the pan. Spoon on half of the tomato-meat sauce.
Repeat with another layer of eggplant, then the rest of the meat sauce on top. (I will add two more slices of eggplant here…)
Now it’s time to make the bechamel, which all begins with a white sauce. In the same large pot melt the butter, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the milk and cook, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the nutmeg, 1/4 cup parmesan, salt and pepper. Take off the burner and let cool down a bit so it’s no longer hot. You don’t want the eggs to cook when you add them.
Once the sauce has cooled down whip in the 4 beaten eggs. Pour the sauce evenly over the top of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake in the 350º preheated over for 1 hours, until golden on top.
Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with a glass of your wine of choice. A Skouras Saint George Agiorgitiko red would be nice with the hardy lamb-beef mixture. Or a more mellow Gaia Notios Red. But my skipper and I have a fondness for Retsina, with that resin bite that is apparently an acquired taste, and we have, for sure, acquired it.
Moussaka
Ingredients
MEATSAUCE
- 2 lbs Eggplant (2-3 globe eggplants)
- 1 Large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, pressed
- 1/4 cup EVOO, total
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 lb Ground lamb
- 14.5 oz can Diced tomatoes
- 6 oz can Tomato paste
- 2/3 cup White wine
- 2 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp Sugar, more or less to taste
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- Salt & pepper, to taste
BÉCHAMEL
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Four
- 4 cups Milk (warm milk works best)
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Salt, to taste
- 4 Eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
EGGPLANTS & MEAT SAUCE
- Preheat your galley over to 400º or as hot as you can get it.
- Cut eggplant into 1/4-1/2" slices. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and sweat in a colander for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes of sweating, pat the eggplants dry with paper towels. Brush both sides with EVOO, lay on a roasting pan or cookie sheet and roast in your hot oven for about 20 minutes. You will have to do this in at least two batches. If they have not browned after about 20 minutes, light your broiler for 5 minutes. Once all the eggplants have roasted, turn your oven down to 350º.
- While the eggplants are roasting, prepare the meat sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a large fry pan or pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic, Sauté until onions start to soften. Add the ground beef and ground lamb. Cook until meat is browned. Once browned, add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, white wine, cinnamon and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
- Grease a 13x9" casserole (cake pan size) and place one layer of roasted eggplant on the bottom of the pan. Spoon on half of the tomato-meat sauce. Repeat with another layer of eggplant, then the rest of the meat sauce on top.
BÉCHAMEL
- In the same large pot melt the butter, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the milk and cook, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the nutmeg, 1/4 cup parmesan, salt and pepper. Take off the burner and let cool down a bit so it’s no longer hot. You don’t want the eggs to cook when you add them.
- Once the sauce has cooled down whip in the 4 beaten eggs. Pour the sauce evenly over the top of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the 350º preheated over for 1 hours, until golden on top. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
