Moussaka

9 years ago

I posted this in the recipe forum, but there is more activity here. We love my moussaka recipe but I keep wondering if there could be one better. Mine has: potatoes, eggplant, lamb or beef and lots of bechamel with eggs. Any ideas?

Featured Answer

cloudy_christine

9 years ago

Here's the one I like. It's a huge recipe. I make half of it in an 11 x 11 Corningware dish.
You may want to increase the tomato paste a little bit.
I make the meat sauce ahead of time and freeze it.

Moussaka a la Grecque

Recipe adapted from The New York Times Cookbook, Craig Claiborne, Harper/Rowe, 1961

3 medium eggplants
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 onions, chopped
2 pounds ground lamb
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Pinch cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, heated
4 large eggs, beaten
Pinch nutmeg
2 cups ricotta
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Peel the eggplant and slice it crosswise 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle
both sides of each slice lightly with salt, arrange in 1 layer on paper
towels and let drain for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat;
add as many slices as will fit in 1 layer and brown on both sides.
Repeat the procedure with 4 tablespoons of the remaining oil and the
remaining eggplant. Drain the eggplant as they are cooked on paper
towels.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the onion to the skillet and
cook until the onions are brown. Add the ground meat and cook, stirring
occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink. Combine the tomato paste
with the wine, parsley, and cinnamon. Add this mixture to the skillet
and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until all the liquid has
evaporated. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

In a sauce pan, over low heat, melt the butter, add the flour and
whisk for 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to moderate and add the milk in a
stream, whisking. Simmer for 5 minutes, add salt and pepper, to taste,
and remove from the heat. Cool slightly and stir in the eggs, nutmeg,
and ricotta.

Grease and 11 by 16-inch pan and sprinkle the bottom lightly with
bread crumbs. Arrange alternating layers of eggplant and meat sauce in
the pan, sprinkling each layer with Parmesan and bread crumbs. Pour the
egg sauce over the top and bake one hour in a preheat 350 degree oven,
or until top is golden. Let cool twenty minutes before slicing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moussaka - from NYT cookbook

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Comments (6)

shambo
9 years ago
My family recipe is similar to the one Cloudy posted. The biggest difference is that the bechamel sauce does not contain ricotta. Just 2 c milk, 4 eggs, and 1/4 c Parmesan. It also doesn't use breadcrumbs in the layering. It's for a 9 x 13 pan, and the sauce is flavored with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a bit of oregano.
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Although my family always made moussaka with only eggplant, potato moussaka is a variation. The same is true, to a lesser degree, with using zucchini. I've seen recipes from Greek Orthodox church cookbooks that use only eggplant, only potato, and a mix of the two. I've used potato before but prefer straight eggplant. That said, I think the potato slices contribute a sturdiness that you don't get with just eggplant. Eggplant softens and can get smushy. The potato slices add textural appeal. The only moussaka I don't care for is when the custard is in the middle rather than on the top. It must be a texture thing for me. Too much creaminess mixed with the softened eggplant. I like the browned crust of the custard baked on top.
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Most moussaka recipes contain a meat sauce layered with eggplant, sometimes with potato slices thrown in. So I think you could add just about anything. Greeks love braised greens (like spinach or chard) dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. You could throw in a minced or crushed clove of garlic. (We had greens with olive oil & lemon almost every night when I was growing up. It was years before I discovered other people put butter on their vegetables.) Another option would be a pilafi of some sort. Simple cooked rice that had been browned before adding stock is always good. You could also cook cracked wheat or bulgur the same way. That was always a favorite of mine. Or orzo, browned in a bit of butter or oil and then cooked in chicken broth.
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I make eggplant parm, but I do the eggplant cutlets as mentioned in the Mooswood cookbook. I bake mine. I remember that book but have never used it. It just seemed the most logical thing to do to bake them instead of frying. My Italian MIL used to fry those breaded eggplant cutlets and they soaked up copious amounts of oil, made a mess in the kitchen and were downright loaded with calories and fat! And, it took a long time to do all that and to clean up the mess. My cutlets still are fragrant with olive oil. Because I dont use as much oilive oil, I can use a nicer quality of olive oil that has a welcomed taste to it. I dunk the slices in egg whisked with a bit of buttermilk, and dredge them into a plate of nice home made breadcrumbs from my special bread recipie. The crumbs are seasoned with black pepper and bit of dried oregano and a nice dollop of grated pecorino romano. They go onto a heavy baking surface that that has been graced with a nice bit of olive oil, dressed with another nice round of olive oil on top, and thet go into a hot oven for about 20 minutes, or so. For even nicer browning they can be flipped over and given a few minutes more. I slice the cutlets about 1/2" thick and never salt out the eggplant. By the time the cutlets are browned they have also been relieved of the excess moisture. They keep well in the fridge for a few days and do freeze well. They are easy to make some eggplant parm on top of the stove in one of my iron skillets because the cutlets are all prepared. The cutlets are great even without the added sauce and cheese or whatever you choose. Pork chops can be done very much the same way. I find that the breading that coats the chop allows the meat under the breading to cook to perfection.
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plllog
9 years ago
We never had cheese in moussaka (though it's from farther East than Shambo's Greece--the word spread), nor potatoes, though definitely some tomatoes/paste. Just flour or bare for frying the eggplant. Lots of lamb. Really not so different. All variations on a theme.

I agree with Shambo--the way to punch it up is with the spices and herbs.

When I'm in the mood to go the distance, I spice the layering ingredients for mixed dishes like moussaka, lasagna and couscous separately. So I'll put hot pepper (cayenne, hot paprika, or whatever), cardamom and thyme, and salt, in the lamb, nutmeg and finely ground black pepper in the coating flour (if any), or sprinkled on the eggplant hot out of the pan. Maybe do the onions with fenugreek (just because I love fenugreek). Tomatoes and paste cooked down with wine, oregano, just a little cinnamon. That kind of thing. Garlic or ginger might find its way in. And the nutmeg in the béchamel in the usual way, enriched with egg yolks, but not cheese. The eggwhites probably make it taller, though, and then the cheese would help bind it. Some salt and pepper in the béchamel, which you don't need if you use cheese.

Now I have a hankering to make moussaka!
User
9 years ago
Love Moussaka.

This is my favourite Moussaka Recipe.

Moussaka

I've had this recipe for years. I have no idea where I got this recipe,

but it is my favourite Moussaka.

2 eggplants cut into 1/4 inch round slices

3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick long slices
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
Vegetable oil. (1 to 2 inches deep)

For the beef tomato sauce:

2 pounds lean ground beef/veal/pork or lamb
1 large onion, medium diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large can tomatoes, chopped

Bechamel

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Garlic clove cracked (not minced)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To Finish:(Optional)

3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Slice eggplant and salt Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes Wipe dry
Season flour with salt and pepper. Dip eggplant into flour and fry in hot oil turning when golden. Dry on
Paper towels.

Fry potato slices until lightly golden. Remove the potatoes to a paper Towel.

Saute the ground beef for 2 minutes, until it Begins to turn brown. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 more Minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat from the Pan. Season the mixture with allspice, oregano, and cinnamon and cook For 3 more minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally
Until the mixture is a thick tomato sauce consistency, about 30 Minutes. Check for seasoning. Remove from the heat and cool.

Bechamel: In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook the Roux over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, or until it becomes a very Pale tan color. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the garlic clove, the Nutmeg and the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat For 15 minutes. The mixture should be fairly thick. Remove the garlic clove. In a separate bowl, Whisk the eggs together. Take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk It into the beaten eggs. This will temper the eggs. Whisk the egg/milk Mixture back into the milk mixture. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir. Over very low heat, cook this mixture for 3 more minutes. Be careful Not to let the mixture simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from The heat and cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the bottom of a Baking dish with 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the eggplant Over the breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the potatoes over the eggplant. Place 1/2 of the beef tomato sauce mixture over the potatoes. Add Another layer of eggplant and another layer of potatoes. Top with the Remaining lamb mixture. Place one more layer of eggplant and potatoes. Over the beef mixture. Top with bechamel. Sprinkle with The Parmesan cheese.(If using)

Place in the oven And bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from The oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
annie1992
9 years ago
Ann T, it's good to see you here again, I miss you and your pictures.

That recipe posted by Ann T is the one I use, she posted that here clear back in 2008! Elery loves moussaka, and he says it's even better after it sits overnight. I don't care for cinnamon in the tomato based sauces (yeah, yeah, I know) so I just leave it out, but I definitely want the potatoes in there.

Annie
colleenoz
9 years ago
Maybe I'll try Ann T's moussaka when the weather cools down. My mother used to make it and go nuts about it (but I'm sure she must have used beef as she hated lamb) but I never cared for it. I admit I'm not a fan of eggplant. Perhaps my taste buds have matured :-)

Moussaka

cloudy_christine

Comments (6)

shambo

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