Greek Moussaka

Moussaka is like lasagna except better for you since it uses eggplant rather than pasta in the layers.  This is my "go-to" recipe.  I generally always make it for company or take it as an entree if I am going to someone's house.  I got this recipe back in the days when PBS was the only t.v. station with cooking shows on weekends and I taped them on my VHS machine. This was from chef Pierre Franey and I hand wrote it out after "taping" his show.  That was probably 25 years ago now.  I have edited this dish over the years (practice makes perfect), but his recipe is what it was based on.  I still use it as my guideline but only in the respect of using all the ingredients as listed.

• 1 or 2 eggplants, about 1½ pounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 1 ½ pounds ground lean meat, preferably lamb although beef is acceptable
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup red wine
• ½ cup fresh or canned beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ¼ cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 5 or more tablespoons corn or olive oil
• ½ pound feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 ½ cups)

This is a dish best made on a weekend when you are not rushed.  It is not a "work night" dinner.  It takes some time and labour, so I believe you will get better results if you are not a slave to the clock.  When I've hurried this dish, it has always turned out to be a "Fail".  I find that if you don't love what you are making, it shows in the food.  I find that meals that I move hastily through just to get something on the table are uninspired and pedestrian.  I truly believe that people can feel love in food (and lack of)...Anyway, today was perfect as it was pouring rain and making this was number 1 on my agenda.

Ground lamb was on sale at No Frills so I made a stop there but it was all sold out.  I ended up using my usual lean ground beef instead.  :(

I find its best to make this dish in three stages.  I start with the sauce first, usually the night before.  Sauce just improves in taste as it sits.  That's what I did this time.

I followed the recipe ingredients for the meat sauce exactly except I used a teaspoon of cinnamon, a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 4 cloves of minced garlic and a half teaspoon of sugar.  I also simmered the sauce for an hour.  I cooled it down and then put it in the fridge overnight.  I warmed it up before assembling the moussaka the next day.  It was so good and the cinnamon was prominent which is important.

I do the eggplant second and then the Béchamel sauce last.  I usually use 3 eggplants but these were so huge, I just used 2 this time.

I sliced them cross wise, about a quarter inch thick.  I put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.  I brushed Kirkland organic extra virgin olive oil over one side and seasoned with kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and freshly cracked pepper.

They are like sponges and really suck up oil.  I find I like this cooking method best and end up only using about 1/2 a cup for all sheets combined.

I put them under the broiler heated to 500°F.  When browned, I flipped them and did the same to the other side.  It took me three cookie sheets/sessions to get all the eggplant done.

I stacked them on a plate when they came out of the oven for assembly later.

The eggplant took me about an hour and a half to complete from start to finish.  You do not want under cooked eggplant, it will ruin the dish - tough and rubbery (I've been there and done that) so don't slice it too thick.

I put my meat sauce on low to warm up and sprayed a baking dish with my "Misto" of olive oil. I find this dish sometimes bubbles over in the oven, so it is best baked on a cookie sheet lined with foil to be safe.  I put a layer of sauce down, then a layer of eggplant.

I did this step one more time until all was finished.

The next step is the Béchamel.  I double his recipe ingredients and my key to making this a good white sauce is using freshly grated nutmeg, which I do over a microplane.

Egg yolks ( I used two) go in last when you remove from the heat  (I used my egg whites to make me a "gin fizz").

The sauce all gets spread over the top of the dish after it's all mixed together.

The final thing to do is top with Feta cheese.  I get mine from Costo.

I crumbled it over until it was all covered.  This time I baked it at 400°F for 50 minutes.  Sometimes I do it at 350°F.for an hour and fifteen.

The last thing I can say, is that after it comes out of the oven, it has to rest.  It should really sit untouched for at least a full hour. I was able to do that this time as I made it Saturday afternoon.  Anything less, I find it falls apart and becomes soupy.

Last time I made this was around Christmas for family.  I put so much time and care into it, but they were starving and I couldn't let it rest.  I had to serve it in bowls.  They loved it but I was stressed about the way it looked/ate.

This is a dish that would  be better sitting in the fridge overnight first.  That would make the best presentation.  That's just me, as I like appearance because I take pictures of my food.  :)  So mine was still a little sloppy, after an hour and fifteen minutes.

Wow, this entry was long and kind of like a lengthy love story...It's because I've been making this for over twenty years now.  I usually post recipes I am trying for the first time.  This one has all my trials and tribulations built in.  ;)  If I was doing this for company I would serve with Greek salad, tzatziki and pita.

Tonight I just ate mine as is and I made my son a piece of garlic Naan bread from the freezer.  When he was little, he hated this and refused to eat it.  Now he ingests it, but it still is not one of his favourites because of the eggplant.  He loves Feta though.  I know he will never ask me to make it for him when I offer to make 'whatever he wants'...he always asks me for my deep fried Buffalo wings when that question comes up.  :)

He did tell me that tonight was the best serving he's had of this so far.  I have to admit, it was one of my better renditions to date - it was love on a plate  <3  When done right, the eggplant takes on a sweetness that melds so well with the cinnamon in the sauce and the nutmeg in the white sauce. All this offsets with the saltiness in the Feta.  To me it's heaven.

Below is how it looks after it sets.