Moussaka

Anyone who has been on a Greek holiday will be aware of moussaka, and will probably know that it is as easy to find a terrible one as it is a good one! But a good, proper moussaka is a wonderful thing and although it takes a bit of time and effort, the safest way to ensure your moussaka is wonderful is to follow this recipe which we picked up working in a kitchen on the island of Zakynthos many years ago. It has never failed us! The Bechamel on a moussaka should be a bit stiffer than one you would use for lasagna, otherwise there is a danger of the moussaka collapsing – another good trick to prevent this happening is to let the moussaka rest for a while once removed from the oven. And finally, the use of potato in moussaka is contentious; we believe it is essential but many moussakas do not include it. If you prefer to leave it out that’s fine, just add another aubergine instead to make sure your moussaka has a sturdy base.

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Ingredients

1 large Potato, cut into 1/2in slices
1 large Aubergine, cut into 1/2in slices
For the Meat Sauce
250g Minced Lamb
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 can Chopped Tomatoes
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2tsp Celery Salt
1/2tsp Ground Allspice (Pimento)
1/2tsp Ground Cumin
6 Cloves
1tsp Ground Cinnamon
4tsp Turkish Oregano
For the Bechamel
500ml Milk
60g Plain Flour
60g Butter
1 Egg Yolk
pinch of Nutmeg
Salt/Pepper to taste

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Method

1

First make the meat sauce; in a little olive oil saute the onion and garlic until translucent, then add the mince. Saute this until fully browned, then add the rest of the meat sauce ingredients. Mix it all up thoroughly and add enough water to cover the mince. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for an hour or so. While the meat sauce is cooking, prepare the potato and aubergine; heat an inch or so of oil in a heavy frying pan, and fry the potato and aubergine slices until they are almost cooked through, then place the slices on kitchen paper to drain and set aside. To make the Bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan then amalgamate the flour with it. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, bringing it slowly to the boil when it should thicken nicely. Add the nutmeg and the egg yolk, turn the pan down and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, to make sure the flour is cooked through. Build the moussaka by laying in a baking dish first the potato slices, then the aubergine slices. Next cover the vegetables with the meat sauce, and finally pour and spread the Bechamel over the top. Sprinkle the top of the moussaka with Parmesan/Grana Padano cheese, then place the moussaka in an oven preheated to 180C. Let the moussaka bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden. Remove from the oven, and let the moussaka rest for a good 15 minutes to set before serving at the table.

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