moussaka

when i asked my daughter alexandra what meal she would like me to make for her birthday she requested moussaka and a warm bean salad.. when she asked for moussaka i was reminded of a day when she was 7 months old and as yet she hadn't eaten any solids..the rest of the family were eating moussaka for dinner and she made it very clear that she wanted some of it..i remember hesitantly feeding her a little spoon of it and thinking that she would spit it out but she ate that spoonful and many more with great enthusiasm and with no negative repercussions..from then on i would cook her vegetables in a tomato base because she wasn't interested at all in typical baby food..

i love having enough left for the next day's dinner!

moussaka recipe
i don't follow an exact recipe so some of the measurements are approximations

serves about 8

ingredients 

vegetable layer *
4-5 medium sized eggplant

4-5 peeled sebago or other waxy potatoes

1/2 cup olive oil

salt

meat sauce

600 gms minced beef or lamb (i mince my own)

1 large onion cut fine

1 celery stalk cut fine

1 carrot grated fine

1-2 garlic cloves cut fine

1 (teaspoon) tsp honey

1 tablespoons (tbs) tomato paste
1 tbs plain flour

350 mls tomato puree (i used my own that i bottled in summer)

1 cup meat stock or water

1/2 cup dry white wine

2  tbs dried oregano

1 tsp allspice or to taste

1/2 tsp cinnamon or to taste

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

cheese sauce

85 gms butter

120 gms plain flour

3 cups milk

3 eggs beaten

1 cup grated cheese **

grated nutmeg to taste

salt and pepper to taste

extras

30 gms melted butter

1/2 breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated cheese **

1 tsp grated nutmeg or to taste

notes re ingredients
* the vegetable layer can comprise just one vegetable or a variety..i sometimes add zucchini too when it's in season
** the cheese can be parmesan, kefalotyri, pecorino, vintage cheddar or mizithra..this time i used a mix of mizithra, pecorino and vintage cheddar because that's what i had on hand

method


vegetables
~cut the eggplant into 1 cm slices and sprinkle with salt and set aside for about 1/2 hour
~rinse the eggplant slices and dry
~peel the potatoes and cut into 1 cm slices and steam the slices in batches until al dente
~pat the slices dry
~lightly brush the slices of eggplant and potato with oil and place on a ridged grill and cook until each side is browned

meat sauce
~brown the meat in batches in a heavy based pan and set aside
~cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a little olive until softened
~return the meat to the pan with the vegetables and add the flour stirring well over a moderate heat for a few minutes
~add the wine and cook for a further few minutes to evaporate the alcohol
~ add the tomato paste, honey, tomato puree, stock or water, allspice, cinnamon, oregano, chilli flakes and salt and pepper, mix well, lower heat to a simmer and cover and cook for about 45 minutes
~taste and adjust seasoning

cheese sauce
~melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan, add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until well blended
~remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk
~cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth
~remove from the heat, add the eggs and cheese, and adjust seasoning

assembly


~brush a large rectangular dish with half of the melted butter and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the extra breadcrumbs
~layer the base with half of the potatoes and eggplant
~cover the vegetables with the meat sauce
~layer the remaining vegetables over the meat sauce
~pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables
~drizzle with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs, extra cheese and nutmeg
~bake at 180 deg c for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown

note re serving

i like to rest the moussaka for about 1/2 hour before serving..i find that it's easier to serve and that it presents better when it's had a chance to firm up a bit

warm green bean salad

ingredients

300 gms or so of green beans

1 red onion finely sliced 

1/4 cup finely cut parsley

olive oil

lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

method

~lightly salt the red onion and leave it to 'pickle' for 1/2 hour to soften and remove the heat

~steamed the beans until they are al dente

~place the beans in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper while they're hot

~mix the onion with the beans and add the parsley and lemon juice* to taste

note

* i find it's better to add the lemon juice to the beans just before serving to prevent discolouration

happy thursday..x