Most Authentic Greek Moussaka Recipe

  This Recipe does not contain Chicken broth, however, since it is one of our favorite foods and we encourage people to try it, we thou, get we’d include it on the site anyway.This Summer …

Most Authentic Greek Moussaka Recipe

 

Most Authentic Greek Moussaka Recipe

Most Authentic Greek Moussaka Recipe

This Recipe does not contain Chicken broth, however, since it is one of our favorite foods and we encourage people to try it, we thou, get we’d include it on the site anyway.
This Summer we had the fortunate occasion of visiting Greece. My sister who lives in Berlin was marrying a lovely German fellow and they had decided to hold their nuptials on the Island of Crete in August. Before we headed to Crete, we visited the mainland – Athens and then the Peloponnese – a charming beach town called Gythion about 3 hours south of the Corinth Canal (one of the great modern wonders of the world). Our tour in Greece introduced us to many amazing dishes, and Moussaka has to be one of our very favorites. I bought a cookbook in Crete, but I actually like this recipe – which I found in Saveur magazine issue no. 123 – much better. It is the closest to what we tasted in Crete – which was the best, most fresh, and the creamy version we had on our travels. It takes a little time, but don’t be intimidated by the ingredients list – it's absolutely worth the time and it gets easier every time you make it.
There are three parts to this recipe:
1.) The cooking of the eggplant and potatoes in oil and the browning of the lamb
2.) making the bechamel sauce
3.) Combining all the ingredients and baking together. It takes about an hour and a half to make the whole thing.
Prep Time 35 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs 10 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 45 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 465 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup dry currants
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • to taste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
  • 6 finely chopped cloves of garlic
  • 2 medium yellow onions finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper stemmed, cored and finely chopped
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs eggplant cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 1 large russet potato
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • to taste freshly grated nutmeg 
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup grated parmesan

Instructions
 

  • Puree tomatoes in a blender and set aside. If you are using currants, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain them and set them aside.
  • Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a 6 qt pot over medium heat. Add lamb, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt and pepper. Stir to break up the meat until browned – 5 minutes.
  • Using a fine mesh strainer, strain grease from the lamb and discard the liquid left in the pot. Return pot to heat and add remaining olive oil and garlic, onions, and bell pepper. Stir occasionally until soft – 10 minutes. Add wine and cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until almost evaporated. Add reserved tomatoes, currants, and lamb, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened – 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Heat Canola oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant slices and fr in batches, turning occasionally until tender – 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain the grease. Do the same with the sliced potatoes.
  • Melt butter in a 2 qt saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook whisking constantly until pale and silky smooth – 2 minutes. Add the milk in a steady stream and whisk constantly until incorporated. add bay leaf and cook – whisking often until reduced to 2 cups – 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and discard the bay leaf. Let sauce cool for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and egg yolks and then whisk this into the bechamel sauce until smooth.
  • Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place potato slices in the bottom of an oval 3 qt baking dish (or two smaller dishes) and season with salt and pepper. Put eggplant slices on the top, season, and cover with meat sauce. Pour the bechamel over the top of the meat sauce and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle parmesan evenly over the top and bake until browned and bubbly 45-50 minutes. Let cook for at least 20 minutes before serving (otherwise, it will be a mess on the plate, the cooling lets it solidify so you get nice neat slices.)

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