Main courses
Moussaka: eggplant, beef and béchamel
Moussaka: eggplant, beef and béchamel. Ingredients, quantities and clear home cooking instructions from the EL GRECO food journal in Bucharest.
Layers of potato and eggplant, a rich beef sauce and a golden béchamel topping. This recipe fills a roughly 25 × 35 cm baking dish and serves eight.
LET’S COOK
Ingredients & method
Total time, including resting: 2 h 40 min
- Preparation
- 40 min
- Cooking
- 1 h 30 min
- Resting / cooling
- 30 min
- Servings
- 8
Step by step
Slice potatoes 4–5 mm thick and eggplant about 8 mm thick. Brush with some of the oil and roast separately at 210°C until tender and lightly browned, about 25–35 minutes.
Soften the chopped onion in the remaining oil. Add beef and brown, breaking it up with a spoon.
Add garlic, tomato paste and wine. Reduce, then add passata, cinnamon, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30–40 minutes until thick. Remove cinnamon and bay leaf.
For the béchamel, melt butter, stir in flour and cook for two minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and simmer gently until thick.
Remove from heat, cool briefly, then stir in egg yolks, half the cheese and nutmeg.
Layer potatoes, half the eggplant, beef sauce, remaining eggplant and béchamel. Scatter over the remaining cheese.
Bake at 180°C for about 40–50 minutes until browned and the centre reaches 74°C. Rest for 25–30 minutes before slicing.
SMALL DETAILS, BETTER RESULTS
Tips for a good result
The meat sauce should be thick with no loose liquid. Roast the vegetables while making the sauce to reduce total time. Resting helps the layers stay defined when sliced.
Serving ideas
Serve with a fresh salad. Contains milk, egg and gluten; wine may contain sulphites.
