Recipe

How to cook dinner moussaka – recipe

Moussaka is, I assume, the perfect dish for April, an unprecedented mixture of southern sunshine and warming consolation. It’s also the proper way to deplete leftover lamb from the Easter roast. Most extensively related to Greece, it pops up in various forms from North Africa to the Balkans – sweetly spiced, wealthy, wobbly, and always delicious.

How to cook dinner moussaka – recipe 1

Prep 15 min
Salt 30 min (optional)
Cook 1 hr 35 min
Serves four, generously

500g minced lamb (see step 1)
three medium (or two massive) aubergines
Acceptable sea salt and black pepper
four tbsp olive oil
One big onion
four garlic cloves
1½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato purée
150ml pink wine
One small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, picked and chopped

For the béchamel
500ml milk
60g butter
60g simple flour
50g kefalotyri (or pecorino)
Two eggs overwhelmed
Nutmeg, to grate

1 Lamb isn’t the simplest meat

Though I like moussaka made with lamb – I suppose the spices paintings higher with its sweet flavor – in its homeland, the dish is regularly made with veal or beef mince, so sense unfastened to use the same weight of one of those instead, or, indeed, goat, hogget or mutton mince. Alternatively, finely chop 500g of leftover roast meat, discarding pores and skin.

2 Season the aubergines

Cut the aubergines lengthways into kind of ½cm- thick slices, install a colander, and salt lightly. Leave to sit down for half an hour, then rinse and pat dry. (This step isn’t essential, especially if you’re in a hurry. However, I assume it offers the finished dish a more robust flavor than seasoning at the cease.) Meanwhile, warm the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gasoline 6.
3 Bake the aubergines

Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil on both aspects (seasoning them properly, too, in case you skipped the salting in step 2), then arrange on a baking sheet (or, if want be). Bake for about 25 minutes, until soft and golden but no longer brown – hold a watch on them toward the end of the cooking time – then flip off the oven for now.

Four Fry the onions and garlic.

While the aubergines are roasting, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, and put two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-excessive heat. Cook the onion until it is tender and golden; however, it is not browned. Then, stir within the garlic, cinnamon, and oregano, and fry for a couple more minutes until the garlic loses its raw smell.
Five Brown the Mince

Turn up the warmth and add the meat, stirring to break up any lumps. Cook till the mince is well browned and the combination in all fairness dry, then season to flavor. If you’re using meat cooked, stir-fry it for a couple of minutes to heat through.

6. Add the beverages and go away to stew

Measure out 150ml water, beat a bit of it into the tomato puree to loosen it, then pour the pasta, the wine, and the rest of the water into the pan. Bring to a simmer, flip the heat properly, and leave to prepare dinner lightly for 30-forty mins until the maximum has evaporated and you have a thick meat sauce. Check and alter the seasoning again.
7 Make the white sauce

While the meat sauce is decreasing, make a bechamel. Pour the milk right into a small pan and bring it to a boil on low-ish heat. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium warmth, and stir within the flour. Cook for a few minutes until it starts to smell toasty, then whisk inside the warm milk step by step and cook, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens.

8 Add the cheese and eggs

Grate the cheese and stir it into the white sauce, then take off the warmth and leave to chill slightly. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6. Beat the eggs into the white sauce and season to flavor with salt and nutmeg; being ambitious with the latter, this dish can take it. Stir the chopped parsley into the meat sauce and season again to taste.

Assemble, cook dinner – and cool.

Arrange a third of the aubergines in the base of a gently greased oven dish and top with 1/2 the beef. Repeat those layers, finishing with a layer of aubergine, then pinnacle with the bechamel. Bake for about forty-five minutes till nicely browned, then go away to cool to just warm before serving. Trust me; the cooler serving temperature makes all the distinction.

Duane Simpson

Internet fan. Zombie aficionado. Infuriatingly humble problem solver. Alcohol enthusiast. Spent several months exporting UFOs in Jacksonville, FL. A real dynamo when it comes to exporting gravy in Tampa, FL. Spent 2001-2004 implementing saliva in Edison, NJ. Had moderate success getting my feet wet with junk food on Wall Street. Practiced in the art of building Virgin Mary figurines in Tampa, FL. Practiced in the art of marketing Roombas in Phoenix, AZ.

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