Moussaka

Serves: 3-4

main greek beef aubergine

Ingredients

  • 1000 g aubergines, 0.75cm thick slices
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Bolognese Sauce

  • 600 g Bolognese sauce with 0.5-1 tsp Cinnamon

Thick Bechamel

  • 60 g butter
  • 5 tbsp plain flour
  • 600 ml milk
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 125 g parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1.25 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp pepper

Panko Breadcrumbs

  • 80 g Panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

  1. Place eggplant slightly overlapping in a large colander. Sprinkle with some salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant. Leave to sweat for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 240°C/450°F.
  3. Pat eggplant dry and lay on parchment paper lined trays, brush with oil. Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and softened. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

Béchamel Sauce

  1. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  2. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened, then remove from heat and whisk in cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
  3. Whisk in eggs after allowing to cool for 5 minutes. Cover until required.

Assembly

  1. Lower oven to 180°C/350°F.
  2. Place half the eggplant in the bottom of a baking dish, then top with all the Bolognese sauce.
  3. Add remaining eggplant, then pour the Béchamel Sauce over it and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
  4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Make sure to properly pat dry the eggplant after sweating to avoid it being too salty.

For nutmeg in Béchamel, use freshly grated if possible.