Moussaka: a classic Greek dish

I was born on this day quite a few years ago. For many years, I would celebrate my birthday with my friends and family, either in Thessaloniki, where I was born and raised, or in England, where I’ve lived for the last 12 years. This year, however, a birthday party is simply not an option. I shouldn’t be complaining though; instead, I am spending this special day with my mother, who’s come all the way from Greece to London. To mark the occasion, I’ve baked a classic Greek (albeit not Christmassy) dish: moussaka.

Moussaka is perhaps the best-known Greek dish. It is a layered dish, traditionally made with fried sliced aubergines (eggplants), minced meat, and béchamel sauce; some chefs also use courgettes (zucchinis) and potatoes. Once assembled, the dish is baked in the oven. My recipe, however, is a healthier alternative to the standard version; I have double-baked the aubergines, instead of frying them, and I have also made a lighter sauce, in place of the béchamel. I have also substituted the kefalotyri cheese, with feta cheese, simply because I couldn’t get hold of kefalotyri and I did not want to use a non-Greek cheese.

Ingredients:

For the base:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs or rusk crumbs

For the aubergine layer:

1 kg aubergines, finely sliced
200 grams feta cheese, crumbled

For the minced meat sauce:

A diced onion (I use frozen pre-diced onion)
A bit of garlic, chopped
500 grams minced meat
1/4 cup cognac
500 grams tomatoes, chopped
A squeeze of tomato paste
1-2 bay leaves
Spices: cinnamon and nutmeg
Pepper

For the white sauce:

500 ml milk
50 grams plain flour
1 tbs butter or margarine
Nutmeg

Makes 4-6 servings

Method:

Prepare the base:

Grease a baking pan and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Place aside.

Prepare the aubergines:

Slice the aubergines (1 cm thick) and place them on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes at 190 degrees (170 fan).

In the meantime, prepare the minced meat sauce:

In a pan, add a little olive oil and the diced onion. Sauté until it softens.
Add the chopped garlic.
Add the minced meat and cook for 10 minutes.
Pour the cognac, then add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the bay leaves, the spices and pepper.
Cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, prepare the white sauce:

First, dissolve the flour into half of the milk.
In a pan, add the remaining milk, the butter, and some nutmeg, and bring to the boil.
When it starts boiling, lower the heat and add the milk with the flour. Mix continuously until the sauce thickens, then remove from the heat.

Fold 2 tablespoons of the white sauce into the minced meat sauce.

You can now assemble the moussaka:

Place half of the baked sliced aubergines over the breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle with half of the crumbled feta.
Cover with half of the minced meat sauce.
Place the remaining baked sliced aubergines over the minced meat layer.
Sprinkle with the remaining crumbled feta.
Cover with the remaining minced meat sauce.
Top with the white sauce.
Bake for 50 minutes at 190 degrees (170 fan).
Allow the moussaka to cool before serving.

Further reading

For more mouth-watering Greek recipes, check out the following recently-published posts:

Sweet recipes:

‘Melomakarona: Greek Christmas honey cookies‘

‘Greek semolina halva with orange and honey‘

‘Alex’s portokalopita (orange pie)’

‘Fanouropita: a Rhodes-inspired recipe‘

Savoury recipes:

‘Tomato pie with phyllo pastry‘

‘Traditional Greek stuffed vegetables‘

‘Baked tomato fritters from Santorini‘

‘Baked zucchini (courgette) fritters‘

‘Spinach and feta cheese pie‘

‘Fava: a healthy Greek island recipe‘

‘Trahanas: heart-warming Greek winter recipes‘

‘6 delicious Greek summer recipes‘

‘Watermelon & feta: Mykonos-inspired recipes‘

Since this my last post before Christmas, may I wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)