Moussaka
Ingredients
- 200/250 gr. (7-9 oz.) minced lamb
- (or beef)
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled
- 2 aubergines, cut into thick
- rings and halved
- 1 small onion, chopped small
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 large beefy tomatoes, skinned
- and finely chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp. tomato purée
- 1 tbsp. freeze-dried mint
- 2 tsp. bouillon stock powder
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- Fresh parsley, good handful, chopped
- 150 ml. (¼ pt.) water (or white wine)
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 25 gr. (1 oz.) dried breadcrumbs (if you
- don't have a packet, whiz day old
- bread in blender)
- 25 gr. (1 oz.) butter
- 25 gr. (1 oz.) plain flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 570 ml (1 pt.) milk
- 110 gr. (4 oz.) cheddar cheese, grated
- A*
- B*
- Preheat oven to 220°C for browning aubergines then turn down to 180°C.
- Note: I usually make this in a large round casserole dish (photo B*). When I used the Lasagne dish (photo A*) I made 1¼ pts. (725 ml) of the cheese sauce just to cover it a little more, adjusting the ingredients accordingly,
- 1¼ oz. butter, 1¼ oz. flour, 1¼ pt. milk, 5 oz. cheese
Method
Begin with the aubergines. Tip the aubergine slices into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, mix round to coat well and empty the slices in one layer onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 220°C for about 10/15 mins. (turning over slices halfway through cooking) until nicely browned and softened. Put to one side. Turn oven temperature down to 180°C.
In the meantime, boil the potatoes until cooked. When cool, cut into thick slices and leave to one side.
Fry onions and garlic in a little olive oil, put on lid and allow to soften. Turn up the heat, add the lamb and give a good stir round. Cook until browned, flattening out any lumps. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, mint, stock powder, nutmeg, parsley, seasoning and the water or wine. Simmer for 30 minutes until mixture thickens and bubbles show just through the surface.
Place the aubergine slices in a deep ovenproof dish and sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Pour over the meat mixture and cover with the sliced potatoes, seasoning with a little more salt and pepper.
Make sauce:*
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in the flour, add bay leaf and then slowly incorporate the milk. Stir constantly whilst bringing to the boil. Season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove bay leaf and add the grated cheese, simmer gently for another minute. Pour cheese sauce over the aubergine, lamb and potatoes. Bake at 180°C. until browned.
* For a more intense flavour to the sauce, infuse a couple of small bay leaves, together with 3 cloves, into the milk, before starting the sauce. Place the milk in a pan with 1 or 2 bay leaves and the cloves, bring almost to boiling point, remove from heat and leave for 15/20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and cloves and make sauce as above (omitting the bay leaf).
