Moussaka

Moussaka is pan fried eggplant slices that are layered in between a hearty meat sauce topped with a creamy bechamel sauce. My Yia-Yia wouldn’t make this dish as often as her other Greek dishes, like Pastichio or Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) so when she did we knew we were in for a treat!

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LIST OF INGREDIENTS

• 4 Eggplants, medium size, sliced lengthwise. (Make sure they are firm)

• 4 Tablespoons butter

• 2 Pounds of ground beef

• 2 Cups, chopped onions

• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste (I use Cento brand)

• 1/4 Cup, chopped parsley

• 1/2 Cup, red wine (I use a Pinot Noir)

• 1/2 Cup, beef broth

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 5 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 Cups, Parmesan cheese, divided into 2, 3/4 Cups

• Vegetable Oil for frying

Bechamel Sauce Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons, butter

• 6 Tablespoons, flour

• 3 Cups, warm milk (2 percent or whole)

• 4 Egg yolks, lightly beaten

EGGPLANT INFO:

• There are close to 2 dozen eggplant varieties out there. Who knew? The most widely used eggplant for Moussaka is the Globe eggplant. When picking out an eggplant you want to find firm, shiny, heavy eggplants.
• To salt or not to salt the eggplant is a common question. Because eggplants are sponges, by salting the eggplant, you are helping draw out moisture so that when baked, the Moussaka won’t be sitting in a bunch of liquid.
• To fry or not to fry is another common question. I find that this is a personal decision. Frying the eggplant results in a creamy, flavorful eggplant. However, if you don’t want to fry the eggplant you can grill them making sure both sides are slightly charred or bake them (400 degrees/30 minutes)

EGGPLANT PREP:

Start by cutting off both ends of the four eggplants. You’ll need the bottom of the eggplant to be flat so you can cut the eggplant diagonally, about 1/4 inch thick. You should yield about 5 slices per eggplant. Next, grab a colander and set it either in a sink or on top of a plate. Generously salt both sides of the eggplant slices and place them in the colander. By doing this step you are pulling out moisture from the eggplant to get them ready to fry for the Moussaka. Place a large, heavy bowl or pot on top of the eggplant slices to help squeeze as much moisture out as you can. Let the eggplant hangout for an hour.

MEAT SAUCE:

Start by melting butter in a frying pan. Add in your chopped onions, ground hamburger and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are soft. Drain excess liquid and return to the stove. Add in the tomato paste (I use Cento brand), chopped parsley, wine, beef broth and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and let simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the stove and set aside to cool. Once cooled, add in your beaten eggs and the Parmesan Cheese. Mix until well combined.

PREPARING TO FRY THE EGGPLANT

Time to get back to the eggplant slices. Start by preparing a spot to lay down a triple layer of paper towels. I lay 3 sheets, horizontally, and then add 2 more layers. Put several eggplant slices on top of the paper towels and cover with another layer of paper towels. Using a rolling pin, (I literally came up with this idea when I was making this..I think it’s a good one!) gently but with a bit of pressure roll back and forth until you can see the outline of the eggplant slices. Repeat this step until all eggplant has been rolled out. You will most likely need to change out the paper towels at some point.

FRYING TIME

Take a large cast iron skillet or large frying pan and add the vegetable oil. You’re looking for about 1/2 inch of oil, in the pan. I like to shallow fry my eggplant, meaning the eggplant isn’t submerged in the oil. However, you can absolutely put more oil in your pan. I promise you it won’t ruin the eggplant! Once your oil has a nice shimmer to it, carefully add the eggplant slices making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry each side for about 2-3 minutes or until they have a nice golden brown color to them.

Most likely you will need to add some more oil to the pan, especially if you are shallow frying. Although we did our best to release the moisture from the eggplant slices, they are still a sponge. Remember that when adding more oil, give it some time to heat up again. Once my eggplant slices are fried I lay them out on….yup, you guessed it, paper towels!! Just trying to absorb any extra oil. I often think that I should invest in a paper towel company at this point! Anyway, let the eggplant rest and let’s move onto the last step before assembly.

BECHEMAL SAUCE

Last but not least it’s time for the Bechemal Sauce. Start by whisking the egg yolks and place near the stove. Melt the butter in a large pot, on low heat. Once melted, add in the flour whisking until combined. Cook mixture for about a minute, just to get the raw taste of the flour out. Now, turn up the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the warm milk. Season with salt and pepper. Continue whisking until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the back of the spoon. Do not walk away from this step because the Bechemal sauce will start to burn at the bottom.

Once the sauce has thickened, turn down the heat. Take a spoonful of the Bechemal Sauce and add it to the egg yolks, whisking vigorously. This step is super important because you are tempering the eggs and getting them ready to join the sauce. I like to do this step a handful of times because I’d rather be safe than sorry and avoid the eggs from curdling. Next, pour the egg mixture into the sauce and whisk…whisk fast, whisk with purpose and whisk until you can’t whisk any more! Between 1-2 minutes, by the way!

ASSEMBLY TIME

Ready to put this all together? Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Next, put a layer of 6-8 eggplant slice down. It’s perfectly fine if they overlap. I promise you no one is going to be like “hey…the eggplant slices are touching!!” Top the eggplant with half of the meat sauce. Layer another 6-8 slices down on top of the meat sauce and pour the remaining meat sauce on top. Finish with the last layer of eggplant slices. Pour the Bechemal sauce evenly on top of the layered eggplant, sprinkling with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350ºF for an hour. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with a Greek salad.

I hope your friends and family enjoy this Moussaka as much as mine do. ~Christina

MAKE AHEAD/FREEZE

• Prepare the Moussaka up until you bake it. Cover tightly with tin foil and place in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
• The unbaked Moussaka can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 48 hours or frozen for up to a month. Simply thaw and bake per directions.