Moussaka - Μουσακάς (Greek Version)

Moussaka is a great recipe made in various ways. It hails from different areas of the Mediterranean area namely, Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Middle East, hence the different versions. My favourite version is definitely the Greek one which consists of aubergines, minced lamb and a nice thick white sauce. The meat is spiced with ground allspice and cinnamon which gives the meat a very tasty flavour. The aubergine slices are fried but if you want to go for a lighter version, you can always grill them! The best lamb cut for this recipe is the shoulder of lamb but if you want to use already minced lamb you can. If you opt for the shoulder of lamb, get your butcher to mince it for you. So try and give this one a go, it is so tasty...you will need...

• 700g shoulder of lamb, minced
• 700g aubergine, sliced into 1cm slices
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 500ml Béchamel Sauce
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• Large pinch of ground nutmeg
• Grated Kefalotiri or Parmesan, to taste
• Olive oil, for frying

How to...

1. Put the sliced aubergines in a colander across each other and sprinkle with salt between the layers. Put the colander in a bowl or sink and leave covered with a plate for about 45 minutes to remove the bitter juices from the aubergines.
2. After the 45 minutes, wash the aubergines from the salt and pat them dry. 
3. Start to fry the aubergines in batches in the heated olive oil until golden, turning once, if necessary top up the oil between the batches, when all ready, set aside.
4. Drain the oil from the pan and leave just around 2 tbsp of oil. Heat again and fry the onion until browned.
5. Add the meat to the onion and fry until cooked.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
7. Add the tomatoes, allspice, cinnamon, parsley and pepper and cook covered for about 25 minutes.
8. When everything is done, start by alternately layering the tomato & meat mixture and aubergine slices in a deep oven dish.
9. When all the tomato/meat mixture & aubergines are all used up, add the yolk and nutmeg to the béchamel sauce and stir well.
10. Now, pour the béchamel sauce over the dish and top with the grated cheese.
11. Baked into the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the top is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!!

R&A