Looking for Real Moussaka Recipe

[prosey]

Help! My husband has begged for Moussaka for his birthday dinner - any good fully leaded or otherwise delicious recipes out there?

[funnybone]

I have the following recipe from www.eatgreektonght.com . I have not made this recipe, but it looks authentic.

http://www.eatgreektonight.com/recipes/entrees/moussaka.html

Moussaka

Serves 6 - 8

3 large eggplants
2 lbs potatoes
1 onion (diced)
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tomatoes
parsley (diced)
salt & pepper
some corn oil (for frying)

“Beshamel” sauce
4 cups warm milk
8 spoons flour
3 spoons butter
salt & pepper
a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg

Prepare the “beshamel” sauce.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and mix thoroughly. Turn the heat down to minimum and add the milk carefuly a little at a time, mixing continiously. Keep mixing until it settles. Add the salt, pepper and cinnamon or nutmeg.

Moussaka

Wrap the eggplants in alluminum foil and bake until they are soft. Slice them in thick slices. Peel the potatoes, slice them and fry them lightly. Brown the onion and the ground meat together in the olive-oil. Grate the tomatoes and add them in along with the parsley and the salt & pepper. Simmer for 15'. Layer the potatoes, the ground meat mix and the eggplants (in this order) in a deep pan. Cover with the beshamel. Bake in a medium oven for 30-40 min..

[prosey]

thank you so much, that's a great link. All of my CL recipes looked yummy, but not quite what I thought they should be. Off to the grocery store I go!

[Gail]

I'm glad to see while I was busily typing someone came through for you. I know we've got a couple of folks here who are either Greek or married to Greeks and I was kind of hoping one of them might see your plea. But "oldies" around here know I'm utterly incapable of keeping away from those recipe requests for Greek food.

This is but a few of the recipes I have for moussaka (untried by me). I'm embarrassed to say the one and only time I made moussaka, many years ago, was from a Betty Crocker Cookbook. Having since been to Greece, I just don't think Betty quite had the right taste. This first recipe is probably the best of the bunch, but I threw in the others because they were easier (and because typically The Frug's recipes are reliably tasty.)

Get comfortable. This goes on about a week.

MOUSSAKA

(Baked eggplant with ground meet and béchamel)

6 to 7 pounds large eggplants, sliced lengthwise
Salt
Olive oil
½ cup plain bread crumbs (optional)
4 to 6 cups béchamel sauce
1 cup grate kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese

MEAT SAUCE
Olive oil
4 to 5 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 pounds lean chopped meat
3 cups peeled and chopped plum tomatoes, with juice
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
7 to 8 whole cloves
1 small cinnamon stick, or ½ teaspoon ground
2 small bay leaves
Pinch of allspice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine

1. To prepare eggplants: In making moussaka, the eggplants are traditionally fried in order to soften them. There has been a move away from such heavy cooking in Greece of late, but should you want to fry them first: Wash eggplants and cut off stems and tips. Cut lengthwise into large oval slices, about 1/3 inch wide. Place in a large bowl and douse with ample salt. Allow to rest in salt for 45 minutes. Rinse slices very well, drain thoroughly, and pat dry. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon olive oil for every two slices of eggplant. Sauté slices lightly and drain on paper towels.

Or, brush salted, rinsed eggplant slices on both sides with oil and place on an ungreased baking pan. Broil until golden brown and soft.

In either case, remove and cool slightly before using.

2. To prepare meat sauce: In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onion until translucent. Add chopped meat and brown lightly. Add tomatoes, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, salt, pepper, and a little water, if necessary. About 5 minutes before turning off heat add tomato paste and wine. Keep cover off and simmer until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove skillet from heat and cool slightly.
3. While the sauce is simmering, make bechamel. Cover and have ready to use.
4. Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly oil an 11 x 15 x 3-inch pan or Pyrex dish large enough to hold moussaka.
5. Sprinkle bread crumbs (optional) on bottom of baking pan. Place a layer of eggplant slices over bread crumbs. Spread meat mixture evenly over eggplant and cover with another layer of eggplant. Gently pour béchamel over top layer. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until béchamel is thick and golden brown on top. Serve warm.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Béchamel

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk, at room temperature or slightly warmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Grating of nutmeg
1 to 3 egg yolks (optional)

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat; do not brown. Add flour and stir to blend with a wooden spoon or wire whisk. Cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until flour no longer tastes raw. Slowly add milk over low heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon or wire shisk, until sauce is creamy, still liquid, but quite thick. (This will take 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon the strength of the heat.) Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cool slightly before beating inn egg yolks with a wooden spoon.

Yield: 1 cup

Note: When increasing the amount of the recipe, increase all the ingredients proportionately, except for the eggs. One to three yolks—as desired—are the standard number. Egg yolks are generally included for baked dishes, such as pastitsio and moussaka.

(From: The Food and Wine of Greece)

MOUSSAKA

Serves 6

1 ½ pounds eggplant
¼ cup salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ pounds ground lamb
28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup light cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 350º F.

Slice the eggplant lengthwise and spread the slices on paper towels. Sprinkle with half the salt and let them drain for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the pieces over and repeat with the remaining salt.

Heat the butter in a large pan over moderate heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb and continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.

Chop the tomatoes coarsely and add them to the meat. Stir in the tomato paste, half the reserved tomato juice, the thyme, nutmeg and pepper. Cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large skillet, add a third of the eggplant slices and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove them from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Fry the remaining batches of eggplant slices in the same way.

Place alternate layers of meat and eggplant in an ovenproof casserole, ending with a layer of eggplant. Cover and bake in the 350º oven for 40 minutes.

Whisk together the eggs and the cream in a small bowl. Stir in the cheese. Remove the lid from the casserole and pour the egg mixture over the top of the moussaka. Return it to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, uncovered, until the topping is puffed and golden.

(From: Good Old Food)

MOUSSAKA

Serves 10 – 12 as a main course

2 medium eggplants, about 1 pound each, slice ¼ inch thick
½ tablespoon salt

Meat Sauce
2 yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ pounds lean ground beef or lamb
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups Greek Tomato Sauce
Cinnamon to taste (optional)
A cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
½ cup olive oil

Topping
1/3 cup butter
½ cup flour
1 quart milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
6 eggs, beaten
Extra cheese for garnish

Slice the eggplants and sprinkle with the salt. Place in a colander to drain for ½ hour.

Prepare the meat sauce by heating a large SilverStone frying pan or porcelain-lined stove-top casserole and add the onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté until the onions are clear and then add the meat. Sauté until the meat begins to brown. Add the salt and Greek Tomato Sauce and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Taste for optional cinnamon and stir in the cheese. Set aside.

Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry with paper towels. Pour the ½ cup olive oil onto a large baking sheet and dip the slices in it, coating both sides. Arrange the slices on the sheet and bake at 425º for 30 minutes, turning once during this time. The slices should be tender.

Prepare the topping by melting the butter in a small frying pan and stirring in the flour, making a roux. Cook for a few moments. Heat the milk in a saucepan and stir in the butter-flour mixture, using a wire whip. Stir over medium heat until it thickens. Stir in the slat, nutmeg, and cheese. Stir 1 cup of the hot sauce into the beaten eggs, using the wire whip. Stir this mixture back into the saucepan and stir the whole over medium heat until it is thick and rich.

The Construction

Arrange ½ of the eggplant in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and top with the meat mixture. Place the remaining eggplant slices on the meat and pour the topping over the whole. Sprinkle the cheese for garnish on top and bake at 350º for 1 hour.

Cut into squares at serving time.

Greek Tomato Sauce

Makes about 6 cups of sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
5 very ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped (about 4 ½ cups)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoons whole oregano
1 cup dry red wine
1 8-ounce can tomato paste
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground allspice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large SilverStone-lined frying pan and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until clear. Add to tomatoes, parsley and oregano. Simmer, covered, until the tomatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook an additional 20 minutes.

NOTE: The sauce will keep very well in the refrigerator for several days.

(From: The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines)