Greek Moussaka (aubergine & beef bake)

Recipe No.: W-67

InternationalGreek120 minServes 6

The name moussaka is linked to the Arabic word "musaqqa'a" (roughly "moistened"), and the dish is thought to have crossed the sea with Ottoman cuisine into Greece and the Balkans. The famous Greek version with a white béchamel top is credited by many to the chef Nikolaos Tselementes in the early 20th century. It is layers of baked aubergine and cinnamon-scented meat sauce under a golden crown that cracks gently when the spoon goes in. It is said that moussaka tastes even better the next day, once its layers have settled.

Origin of the dish: Greece — The word has Arabic roots (musaqqa'a), and the Greek béchamel version is linked to the chef Tselementes in the early 20th century

Photo: Meat Moussaka - Kouzina, Brighton 2023-11-24.jpg by Andy Li, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Ingredients for Greek Moussaka

• 3large aubergines (about 1 kg), sliced 1 cm thick
• 2medium potatoes, sliced (optional)
• 4 tbspolive oil for brushing + 2 for the sauce
• 600 gminced beef (or lamb)
• 1onion, chopped, and 3 cloves garlic
• 400 gcanned chopped tomatoes + 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tspcinnamon, a pinch of ground cloves, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 bay leaf
• ½ cupbeef stock or water (no wine)
• 2 tbspchopped parsley
• 100 gbutter, 100 g flour and 750 ml warm milk (For the béchamel)
• 3egg yolks and ½ cup grated cheese (kefalotyri or halal-certified parmesan) and nutmeg
• salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Salt the aubergines and leave for 20 minutes, then pat dry. Brush them and the potatoes with oil and bake at 200°C for 20 minutes, turning, until browned.
2. Heat the sauce oil and brown the onion for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and the meat and stir until crumbled and browned.
3. Add the tomatoes, paste, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, oregano, bay leaf, stock, salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, then stir in the parsley.
4. For the béchamel: melt the butter, add the flour and stir for 2 minutes, then add the milk gradually while whisking until thick (8–10 minutes).
5. Take it off the heat and add the cheese, nutmeg and salt, then whisk in the egg yolks once it has cooled slightly. Stir 2–3 ladlefuls of the béchamel into the meat sauce so the layer holds together.
6. In a 23×33 cm dish, layer the potatoes, then half the aubergine, then the meat sauce, then the rest of the aubergine.
7. Pour the béchamel over and level it, and bake at 180°C for 40–45 minutes until the top is browned.
8. Rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Halal note: no wine is used in the sauce, stock is enough; choose halal-certified cheese.

Try the interactive Chef Meerath on the main site · هذه الوصفة بالعربية