MOUSSAKA
Hope Korenstein
MOUSSAKA
4 large eggplants
3 large baking potatoes
cinnamon
garlic powder
1/3 cup olive oil
For the meat sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound ground beef or lamb
3 Tbsp tomato paste
¾ cup red wine
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp oregano
For the cheese sauce:
3 ½ Tbsp butter
3 ½ Tbsp flour
3 ½ cups whole milk
2 eggs
½ cup kefalotyri cheese (or parmesan), plus another ½ cup for the top
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the eggplants and the potatoes, and slice the vegetables into roughly ½ inch slices. Brush the eggplant and potato slices with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cinnamon on the eggplant (trust me: it’s delicious) and garlic powder on the potatoes. (You should have two very full sheet trays of eggplant and one very full sheet tray of potatoes, which you can fit in the oven all at once if you use all three racks.) Bake until the vegetables soften and brown, about 30-45 minutes. Flip them over about halfway through the cooking. When you remove the eggplant and potatoes from the oven, reduce the heat to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, make the meat sauce. Add the olive oil to a hot pan, and sauté the onion with some salt until soft. Add the meat and some more salt, along with garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg and oregano, until the meat browns. Add the tomato paste, and cook until it darkens slightly in color. Add the wine and cook it down until it disappears into the sauce.
For the cheese sauce: In a pan, melt the butter and flour together until it forms a roux. Add the milk, and whisk until it is incorporated into the butter and flour, and the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Take if off the heat and let it cool a little, then whisk in 2 eggs and the cheese.
Assemble the moussaka:
At the bottom of a 9x13 lasagna pan, layer in the eggplant. Sprinkle with half the meat mixture, then add the rest of the eggplant and the potatoes. Sprinkle with the rest of the meat mixture, then pour the cheese sauce on top. Sprinkle the remaining half-cup of cheese on top of the moussaka, and bake it in the oven at 350 until it is bubbling and the top is brown, about 45 minutes. Let it sit for 15 minutes to settle before cutting and serving.
Serves a crowd.