I really wanted to share this classic recipe as it’s a unique combination of flavours blend together to give a real taste of Greece no matter where in the world you are.
My partner had a craving for moussaka and so we set to work
I’m going to show you how to make a really delicious moussaka and give you the option of going either veggie or the full on meat lover option, how good is that!
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the main part of the dish:
- 2 x TSP of ground cinnamon
- 500g x Potatoes
- 3 x Medium sized red onions
- 1 x Large or two medium sized red peppers
- 1 x Aubergine
- 100ml x Good un-oaked red wine
- 2 x Heaped TBSP of tomato puree
- 1 x TBSP of chopped parsley
- 1/2 x TBSP of fresh chopped mint or ½ a TSP if using dry
- 1 to 2 x Garlic cloves
- 200 to 250 grams x Mince (lamb is traditional but you can use beef or veggie!)
- Olive Oil
- Salt
For the topping:
- 200g x Good feta cheese, not the fake stuff.
- 200g x Greek yoghurt
- 200g x Crème fraîche
- 50g x Parmesan cheese, grated finely
Peel and slice your potatoes about ½ centimetre (1/8 Inch) thick and add to a frying pan with the ground cinnamon a good glug of olive oil then slow fry on a low heat. We want them soft rather than crispy. Once slightly softened put to one side to cool.
Reserve oil as you will use it later.
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) or gas mark 4.
Take 2 of the onions (or 1 large) quarter and roast for about15 minutes just to the point that they are soft and the edges are curling.
Chop the peppers into good inch sized chunks and give them a nice splash of olive oil and season with a little salt. Roast until they are soft but not mushy, as you want the pepper to hold its own in the symphony of everything else going into this dish.
Sliced the aubergine to 1 centimetre (½ inch) thick slices, again season and give a splash of olive oil and roast until they have colour and have softened, about 20 minutes. I did this in batches so there was only one layer in the roasting tray. It is a little time consuming but worth it.
Leave all the roasted vegetables to cool as we will use them to build our dish later. Don’t mix them up though as moussaka is about the layers unlike its English cousin the casserole!
In a bowl add your red wine and two heaped table spoons of tomato puree, the chopped parsley and fresh chopped mint – if you use dry then half a teaspoon is enough. Mix well until combined and then leave to one side.
Chop one medium sized onion and using the oil from the potatoes fry the onions gently. They will pick up the aroma from the cinnamon just perfectly.
Add one or two garlic cloves, chopped finely and according to taste. You don’t want it to be garlicky. All the flavours are to enhance not over power one over the other.
Once onions are softened add the 200-250 grams of mince – we used frozen quorn mince (but you can of course use lamb!) the amount you use depends on how hungry you are!
Stir fry at a low temperature, season with salt and pepper.
After about 10 minutes add the wine and tomato mix and you can swirl a splash or two of water in to loosen the mixture.
You aren’t looking for a saucy mix – just a rich glistening mince and onion mix. Once warmed through turn off.
The topping
Mix crème fraîche and yoghurt together, add grated parmesan and about the same amount of feta cheese finely crumbling it in so it fully combines.
Grate remaining feta as you will use that for the top of the moussaka.
The build
We used a 7inch by 7inch and 3inch deep tray. You need the depth.
Start with a layer of the mince mixture, use about half.
Follow with aubergines, then onions and then peppers. Cover that layer with potatoes. Press down so you compact everything as you go.
Then cover that all with the rest of the mince mix and repeat layering making sure you end up with a layer of potatoes on top. Ensuring you have clean hands and a clean spoon so you get the perfect white topping, spread the yoghurt, crème fraîche and cheese mix carefully and evenly over the top.
Add remaining grated cheese for a nice golden crust and cook in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes at 180C (350F).
The cheese will melt and brown a little, however you don’t want to burn it so check on the dish every 15-20 minutes or so.
When it is ready, the top will wobble as it has set while cooking but will not be hard, let it all rest for 5-10 minutes and then serve.
A nice salad (maybe Greek if you love your feta!) is a perfect accompaniment to this dish.
I would love to know how you got on with this recipe so please remember to tell me in the comments below!
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