Moussaka
The last time I made this I used a packet mix for the cheese sauce and buttermilk for a low fat option.
The last time I made this I used a packet mix for the cheese sauce and buttermilk for a low fat option.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 60 grams butter
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- nutmeg
- 2 onion chopped
- -- meat sauce --
- 1 1/2 kilograms eggplant sliced (5mm)
- 750 grams lamb mince
- 4 gram tomato, tinned
- 3 tablespoon parsley chopped
- -- cheese sauce --
- 35 grams parmesan grated
- Carbohydrate 24.0101671923382 g
- Cholesterol 354.3125 mg
- Fat 39.8880021875621 g
- Fiber 8.02048454634827 g
- Protein 29.3887696881549 g
- Saturated Fat 16.9826518750098 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (432g)
- Sodium 364.431687500127 mg
- Sugar 15.9896826459899 g
- Trans Fat 3.5097382187706 g
- Calories 567 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 180?.
- Fry eggplant slices in batches 2 minutes each side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.
- Meat sauce
- Add more oil and cook onion over medium heat until soft.
- Add garlic and spices. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add lamb mince and book until browned.
- Add tomato, tomato paste and wine.
- Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Stir through parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- Cheese Sauce
- Make standard cheese sauce. Stir in egg just before using.
- Assemble
- Layer eggplant and meat sauce, finishing with eggplant.
- Spread with cheese sauce and top with cheese.
- Bake for 1 hour, then leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Why is the eggplant rubbery instead of meltingly tender? This dish succeeds or fails based on how water behaves inside the pan. Without proper frying, moisture stays trapped, turning your layers into a soggy mess. Achieving structural integrity requires deliberate control over heat and fat absorption.
- Slice eggplants to an even 5 millimeters thickness to ensure uniform cooking rates across every batch.
- Fry the slices in batches for precisely two minutes per side in oil heated to medium-high, draining them thoroughly on paper towels to remove excess surface grease.
- Simmer the lamb, tomato paste, and wine mixture over low heat for a full thirty minutes until the pan liquids reduce completely, preventing watery pooling during the final bake.
- Incorporate the beaten egg into the warm bechamel sauce immediately before assembly to stabilize the top layer and promote a golden crust at 180 degrees Celsius.
- Allow the assembled bake to rest for ten minutes out of the oven so the starches and proteins set enough to hold clean slices.
Precise sequencing separates a cohesive wedge from a collapsed pile. Manage your stove space by building the meat sauce while the eggplant drains.
