How to make moussaka at home. Classic moussaka in Greek

This Greek dish includes both a meat component and a side dish. It requires no additions and is surprisingly tasty. There are many recipes for Greek moussaka with eggplant, and any option will please the most demanding gourmet.

Moussaka is not a national Greek dish. It has an author, the famous Greek chef Nikos Tselemendis. He was a supporter of not only national, but also European cuisine, so the recipe he invented whimsically combines traditional Greek vegetables and lamb, and exquisite French bechamel.

Finger-licking delicious.

The recipe is only about a hundred years old, but moussaka is enjoyed in all countries. There are many options for preparing it with different ingredients, but it all started with classic Greek moussaka.

This dish cannot be called low-calorie or dietary, but how delicious it is! When preparing, do not spare spices and olive oil.

What is important is that according to the classic recipe, Greek moussaka is prepared only from lamb. Well, as a last resort - from beef.

Of course, you can take pork or chicken, but it won’t be the same.

Ingredients:

• 4 small eggplants with a total weight of about 700 g;
• already twisted minced meat - 0.5 kg;
• 2 onions;
• some ripe tomatoes total weight about 300 g;
• cheese durum varieties– 75 g;
• dry white wine 150 ml;
• olive oil – 2 tbsp. spoons.

Moussaka should be topped with sauce. For it you need to take:

• hard cheese – 150 g;
• 2 chicken eggs;
• 400 ml milk;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of flour;
• butter – 75 g.

We will season the sauce with a pinch of grated nutmeg, and the minced meat with dry herbs to suit your taste.

How to cook:

1. If the eggplants are bitter, cut them into rings without peeling them and sprinkle them with salt. In 20 minutes. washed and dried.
2. Tomatoes are peeled, for which they should first be scalded.
3. Fry the eggplant rings over high heat, adding oil. It usually takes 1 minute for them to brown.
4. Sauté the onion, cut into half rings, in oil until it becomes transparent. Add minced meat, knead and fry for 5 minutes. Season with herbs, add wine and simmer until all the liquid evaporates. At the end of stewing, add salt to taste.
5. Simmer the tomatoes, cut into circles.

Prepare the sauce separately:

• fry the flour in butter until golden brown;
• dilute with warm milk, adding it in portions and thoroughly kneading until smooth;
• heat until sour cream thickens, turn off the heat;
• lightly beaten eggs are mixed into the sauce so that they do not curdle;
• All that's left is finely grated cheese, add to the sauce, season nutmeg and salt and mix well.

Next, cover the bottom of a tall baking dish with eggplants (take ½ part), place half the minced meat and cover with half the tomatoes. Lay out the products again in the same sequence, pour in the sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake a dish in hot oven about half an hour.

The liquid should evaporate completely, but the food should not be allowed to burn.

Before serving, allow the dish to steep for a quarter of an hour.

Cooking option with potatoes

The cooking technology is the same. If you add 300 g of sliced ​​potatoes to the ingredients specified in the previous recipe, the dish will have a different taste.

Potatoes must first be fried until half cooked or baked in the oven for 10 minutes. When forming a dish, it is placed in the first layer. The baking time for Greek moussaka with eggplant and potatoes will have to be extended a little, since potato slices take longer to cook than all other ingredients.

With the addition of zucchini - step by step

Moussaka with zucchini is easy to prepare; they add a special taste and juiciness to the dish.

With zucchini the dish will be juicier and tastier.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggplants;
• 1 zucchini squash;
• 1 onion;
• 5 tomatoes;
• 500 g of already rolled minced lamb or veal;
• 300 g hard cheese;
• 4 tbsp. spoons of flour;
• 2 glasses of milk;
• 70 g butter;
• 4 tbsp. spoons of olive oil.

The dish is seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.

How to cook:

1. Eggplants and zucchini cut into thin slices are sprinkled with salt.
2. After a quarter of an hour, wipe them of juice and lightly fry with the addition of olive oil.
3. Peeled tomatoes are chopped, as well as onions.
4. Sauté onions in oil for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add minced meat to it, mix and bring until half cooked.
6. Add tomatoes to the semi-finished ingredients, season with spices and mix.
7. Fry the flour in butter for 3-4 minutes. The mixture should be homogeneous, without lumps.
8. Dilute it little by little with slightly warmed milk, achieving homogeneity after each serving.
9. Remove the sauce from the heat, then mix it with half the finely grated cheese.
10. Divide the zucchini and eggplants into 3 parts, and the minced meat in half.

Next, place a third of the eggplants and zucchini on the bottom of a deep baking dish, then half of the minced meat, which is sprinkled with half of the remaining cheese, again a third of the eggplants and zucchini, the remaining minced meat, cheese, and then the zucchini and eggplants on top. All. Pour the prepared bechamel over the moussaka and bake in a not too hot oven for about 40 minutes.

After baking, the moussaka should cool slightly before serving, so its taste will become brighter and richer, and it will not disintegrate when cut.

Vegetarian moussaka Greek style

This recipe is for those who do not eat meat in any form, but do not deny themselves eggs and milk. The dish is not similar to the classic Greek moussaka with minced meat, although it is prepared using the same technology. But that certainly doesn’t make it any less tasty.

The dish is perfect for a pleasant evening dinner with the family.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized carrots and onions;
• a small celery root weighing 100 g;
• 5 potatoes;
• 0.5 kg asparagus green beans;
• 0.5 cups rice;
• 4 eggs;
• 2/3 cup milk;
• olive oil as needed.

In this recipe, the pouring sauce is made from a mixture of milk and eggs, but you can also make classic bechamel.

How to cook:

1. Three carrots and celery on a grater, chop the onion. Fry vegetables until soft.
2. Boil rice and beans until tender. We cut the last one into pieces.
3. Three boiled and peeled potatoes on a grater with large holes.
4. Make the sauce by mixing lightly beaten eggs with milk. You can add your favorite dried herbs to it.
5. Place the potatoes in a greased baking dish, first, and then the rest of the ingredients in layers.
6. Pour the sauce over everything and shake the pan so that it saturates each layer.

Vegetarian moussaka bakes in half the time traditional dish- only 20 min. in a hot oven at 200 degrees.

With eggplant and rice

There is very little rice in this dish, but it is this that will absorb the delicious juice, which is secreted by meat and vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants with a total weight of about 500 g;
• 100 g rice;
• 2 pcs. onions and large tomatoes;
• a couple of cloves of garlic;
• olive or vegetable oil - how much will be needed;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of flour and butter;
• 2 glasses of milk;
• 100 g hard cheese, ideally Parmesan;
• 500 g minced pork or mixed with beef;
• a pinch of grated nutmeg.

Salt and pepper are added to taste.

How to cook:

1. Peel the eggplants, cut them into lengthwise slices and soak for half an hour in well-salted water. Wash and dry on a napkin.
2. Fry on both sides until golden brown crust, but not overdrying.
3. Cook the rice until almost done.
4. Fry finely chopped onion until golden brown, adding chopped garlic.
5. After adding the minced meat, fry a little more, add some salt and simmer with the addition of finely chopped tomatoes for 5-7 minutes.

Cooking moussaka in a slow cooker will take a minimum of time.

Ingredients:

• 2 small eggplants;
• bulb;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream, flour;
• 0.5 kg minced meat;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of tomato paste and butter;
• 2 eggs;
• 150 g hard cheese;
• clove of garlic.

Spices and salt to taste and desire. In a slow cooker, moussaka is prepared a little differently, but it still turns out very tasty.

How to cook:

1. Cut the eggplants into circles half a centimeter thick, without peeling them.
2. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for about half an hour. Wash and dry. In this case, there is no need to fry them.
3. Chop the garlic and onion, fry with a piece of butter in a multicooker bowl in the “Baking” mode until golden brown.
4. Add the minced meat, season with salt, pepper and spices, fry for another 20 minutes.
5. Stir with tomato paste and simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Mix cheese, eggs and sour cream, add salt and gradually add flour, achieving homogeneity of the sauce.
7. Place eggplant slices on the minced meat, pour in the sauce and cook in the “Baking” mode for another third of an hour. We make sure that the “blue” vegetables brown.

When traveling around Greece, tourists do not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with local cuisine. Many people enjoy the savory taste of traditional Mediterranean dishes, which is why, upon returning to their native land, travelers often try to replicate the creations of Greek chefs at home. Among the popular dishes are Greek salad, Tzatziki, Taramasalata and Greek Moussaka with eggplant, the recipe for which we will give in today’s article. After reading the material, you will learn how to prepare classic Moussaka, as well as what variations of this dish there are.

What is Moussaka in Greek?

Every restaurant, cafe or tavern in Greece serves traditional Moussaka - a layered Greek casserole with eggplant, minced meat and cream sauce. By appearance and the cooking technology is very similar to Italian lasagna, with the only difference being that the Greeks use vegetables instead of pasta sheets. This dish is also associated with French cuisine, because the casserole is pouring famous sauce bechamel.

This combination of European flavor notes with traditional Greek products is due to the fact that the creator of Moussaka, chef Nikos Tselemendis, not only loved the national cuisine, but also appreciated the culinary discoveries of other countries. As a result of the hobbies and experiments of the Greek chef, classic recipe Greek Moussaka with eggplants and bechamel sauce. Let's consider detailed composition this original recipe.

Ingredients

It is difficult to surprise modern gourmets, so classic recipes are constantly undergoing changes in the composition of ingredients or production method. We will also get acquainted with the variations of the Greek casserole, but first we will look at the age-old classics.

Traditional Moussaka is made from eggplant and minced lamb. Lamb - a favorite meat of the Greeks, and substitutes for other types deli meats won't tolerate it. Beef, pork, chicken and turkey are a completely different taste for a Greek dish.

This is the complete list containing the main ingredients of Moussaka:

• Eggplants – 1 kg;
• Minced lamb – 500-700 gr.;
• Onions – 2 pcs.;
• Tomatoes- 3 pcs.;
• Oilolive – 2 tbsp;
• Cheese – 100 gr.;
• Dry white wine – 150 ml.

In addition, you need to stock up on spices and ingredients to prepare the sauce.

The composition and proportions of spices depend entirely on the preferences of the cook. Sometimes Eggplant Moussaka contains only ground pepper, salt and nutmeg. But in most cases, the dish is seasoned with a whole mixture of herbs. For a rich taste, add a sprig of cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano, lemon zest, bay leaf, salt, red pepper and regular ground pepper to the minced meat.

The Greek casserole is filled with bechamel sauce, for which you will need the following products:

• Milk – 0.5 l.;
• Butter – 90 gr.;
• Egg – 2 pcs.;
• Cheese – 150 gr;
• Flour – 2 tbsp.

General cooking principles

Preparing Moussaka is a rather lengthy process, consisting of several preparatory stages. The table below contains a description of each stage and important notes on the preparation technology.

Greek moussaka with eggplant
№	Stage	Description	Nuances and comments
1	Slicing eggplants.	At the discretion of the cook, you can cut the vegetables lengthwise into large slices, or crosswise into round pieces. Most cooks prefer to peel the skin, but in the classic recipe, eggplants are added to the dish with the skin. During the cooking process, it softens and does not interfere with enjoying the finished dish.	To prevent vegetables from becoming bitter, after cutting, keep them for 20-30 minutes in a “salt bath” (2 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water). After the procedure, dry the slices with a paper towel.
2	Preparing tomatoes.	Tomatoes are peeled and cut into circles. Before assembling the layers, saute the tomatoes a little in a frying pan.	To easily remove the skin, immerse the cut vegetables in boiling water for 1 minute and then pour over cold water and remove the skin.
3	Roasting and stewing (onion, minced meat, tomatoes, wine, spices).	Peeled and finely chopped onions are placed in a heated frying pan. When the color turns golden, add minced meat to the onion, mix thoroughly and continue frying. When the meat begins to release juice, it is seasoned with spices and poured with wine and water. The meat component is left to simmer until the liquid evaporates.	Products are fried exclusively in olive oil. Lamb is used as minced meat, but in extreme cases, it can be replaced with beef.
4	Roasting eggplants	While the meat is stewing, fry the prepared eggplant slices in a separate frying pan.	Fry over high heat, no more than 1 minute for each side of the vegetable.
5	Preparing the sauce	Place on a frying pan butter and warm up a little. Then add flour to the butter and fry until golden brown. Slowly pour milk into the mixture, stir, and bring the mixture to the consistency of liquid sour cream, then remove from heat. Beat the eggs a little and quickly pour them into the prepared mixture. All that remains is to add the grated cheese, season the sauce with nutmeg and salt, and mix thoroughly again.	The base is cooked over low heat, stirring constantly. Milk and eggs are added carefully so that they do not curdle ahead of time.
6	Assembling layers	The prepared products are placed in a baking dish in the following order: Eggplants (1/2 part); Minced meat (1/2); Tomatoes; Eggplant; Ground meat; Bechamel sauce; Grated cheese. The dish is placed in a preheated oven and baked for 40-50 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees.	Before serving vegetable casserole should sit for 15-20 minutes.

This is how traditional Greek food is prepared. Now let's look at popular variations of recipes.

Moussaka recipes

Besides classic way there are many delicious variations in production of this dish. For example, Moussaka with eggplants and potatoes, Lenten casserole, Moussaka with rice and more than 14 recipes for cooking this dish in the oven. In addition, often the meat used is not lamb or beef, but chicken and pork. And the composition of spices for snacks is completely inexhaustible. Chili, cinnamon, garlic, dill and parsley, nutmeg, ground black pepper - Moussaka goes with everything.

Classic recipe for Greek moussaka with eggplant and potatoes

This variation is different from classic dish“Greek Moussaka with minced meat and eggplant” only by the presence of potatoes. The process steps are:

1. Coarsely chop the eggplants, potatoes and tomatoes. Heat the vegetables separately in a frying pan until half cooked.
2. Fry the minced meat, adding a little parsley, salt, garlic, as well as olive oil and pepper.
3. Prepare Bechamel. Fry the flour in butter, slowly adding milk (500 ml) to the mixture. Remove the thickened mass from the heat and add beaten eggs (2 pieces), season with nutmeg and mix.
4. Lay everything out in layers: potatoes, eggplants, minced meat, tomatoes, again eggplants and minced meat. Pour over the sauce and add a topping of grated hard cheese (150 gr.). Place in the oven.

Moussaka is baked with potatoes for about 60-80 minutes.

Vegetarian (Lenten) moussaka in Greek

Preparing a classic Moussaka recipe with eggplant means getting a huge portion of calories. If you are a fan of lighter and proper nutrition, then you can replace the composition of the products and prepare vegetarian Moussaka.

Required Ingredients:

• carrots (2),
• potatoes (5),
• celery (100g),
• green beans (500g),
• rice (half a cup),
• eggs (4),
• milk (200 ml),
• olive or vegetable oil (50 ml),
• onions (2).

The onion is finely chopped, the carrots and celery are grated, after which the vegetables are placed in a frying pan and fried. Separately boil rice, beans and potatoes. The finished beans are cut into pieces, and the potatoes are grated coarse grater. The prepared products are laid out in layers in the mold, which are made in this order:

• potato;
• fried vegetables;
• rice;
• beans.

The sauce is made from a mixture of eggs and milk, but classic Bechamel is also acceptable. Vegetarian Moussaka is baked for only 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

For Lenten dishes In addition to rice, beans or carrots, cooks also use other vegetables. Therefore, Moussaka with cabbage is not at all uncommon, bell pepper, pumpkin, green peas etc.

Greek moussaka with eggplant and zucchini

Many people like to combine zucchini and eggplant in Moussaka, this makes the dish more juicy and rich.

This casserole is prepared with minced meat (meat mixtures from lamb, beef or veal are acceptable), the only difference is the amount of vegetables. Zucchini is chopped and cooked in the same way as eggplant, you can even fry the vegetables together. The only thing we note is that zucchini should not be soaked in water or kept in salt, because... they will lose their consistency.

Variation with eggplant and rice

Another recipe for people who do not accept meat and high-calorie pastas. Moussaka is prepared a little differently with rice, so the full step-by-step instruction cooking.

1. Eggplants (2 pcs.) are peeled, cut into large slices and fried. Place the fried vegetables on paper to drain off excess oil.
2. Rice (150 gr.) and white beans(300g) boil until tender and mix with each other.
3. Tomatoes (3 pcs.) finely chopped and sautéed in a frying pan with herbs(taste).
4. The prepared products are placed in the mold in the following sequence: eggplants - tomatoes - rice and beans - tomatoes - eggplants. The dish is baked for 30 minutes.

Ready Moussaka is served without sauce, but with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.

A traditional Greek dish is prepared very tasty using a slow cooker. Thanks to the gentle heating of the bowl, the Moussaka tastes more delicate.

Ingredients for the dish:

• eggplants – 2 pcs.,
• onion – 1 piece,
• minced meat – 500 g,
• eggs – 2 pcs,
• cheese – 150 gr,
• sour cream – 2 tbsp,
• flour – 2 tbsp,
• tomato paste – 1 tbsp,
• butter – 1 tbsp,
• garlic – 1 clove.

Cooking process

Cut the eggplants into slices and let sit for 20 minutes. in a salt bath, dry. Chop the onion and garlic, fry in the “Baking” mode until golden brown. Add the seasoned minced meat to the onions and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Season the mixture with tomato paste, leave to simmer in the same mode for 10 minutes

During this time, thoroughly mix the grated cheese, eggs and sour cream, achieving a homogeneous thick mass. Open the bowl, place the eggplants on top of the minced meat and pour the sauce over the dish. Leave to cook for another 20 minutes until the vegetables are browned.

Moussaka with chicken and eggplant

Just as salads and casseroles with chicken are popular and tasty, Greek Moussaka goes well with poultry. The cooking method is similar to classic recipe, only instead of minced meat, chicken fillet is finely chopped and fried with vegetables. The dish is laid out in layers and poured with a sufficient amount of bechamel sauce.

Moussaka with minced meat – business card Mediterranean cuisine. No one knows the exact history of this dish; it is prepared in many countries, and there are as many cooking options as there are countries themselves. In Greece, eggplants are added to meat; in the Serbian version, tomatoes are offered; in Bulgaria, potatoes are offered. In Arab countries, the dish is served as a cold salad with tomatoes and eggplants. By the way, the origin of the word “moussaka” (emphasis on the last syllable) is Arabic, and it means “chilled”.

I suggest you familiarize yourself with the recipe for Greek moussaka, so beloved by all tourists. In Greece, moussaka is also served in inexpensive cafes, and in luxury restaurants. But to try this one delicious casserole It is not at all necessary to go somewhere; the proposed recipe with photos is as close as possible to the classic Greek one and can easily be used at home. To prepare you will need eggplants, some potatoes, minced lamb and the traditional filling - Bechamel sauce. And of course, almost no Greek dish is complete without cheese and olive oil. Vegetables for casserole can be pre-fried or baked in the oven - do what you like best. In the first version, olive oil is used to lubricate the pan, in the second - vegetables.

Olive oil is a truly Greek product. Virgin oil is the healthiest, it contains a lot fatty acids(oleic, omega 3 and 9), vitamins A, D, E, K. It is believed that such oil is not used for frying, since all the benefits disappear under the influence of high temperature. But contrary to general opinion, many Italian, Greek, and French chefs fry exclusively with it. There is a way to preserve the maximum benefits of olive oil: fry foods over low to medium heat. If the oil begins to burn and smoke, the temperature has been exceeded. You can also bake vegetables in the oven - the oil will definitely not burn there, if you set the timer, of course.

Greek moussaka vaguely reminiscent of Italian lasagna, the recipe for which is in. Only instead of dough a vegetable layer is used. Initially greek recipe involves only eggplants, but modern modifications allow the addition of potatoes and zucchini. Greek eggplant and potato casserole is very filling and stands out a bit among the low-calorie Mediterranean dishes. According to tradition, it is prepared with minced lamb, but also with pork and beef it turns out quite tasty and juicy. You can even try using minced turkey or chicken if you need to reduce the fat content of the dish. What else gives the casserole its flair? This is red wine that is added during the stewing process of meat. And they give a special Mediterranean aroma meat dish cinnamon stick and mint. How to prepare juicy and delicious moussaka? I'm sharing the recipe!

Ingredients:

for moussaka:

• 3 eggplants (600-700 g);
• 4 large potato tubers (600-700 g);
• 3 small tomatoes (300 g);
• 1 small onion (300 g);
• 500 g lamb or minced pork and beef;
• 200 g mozzarella;
• 100 ml. dry red wine;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• salt, pepper to taste;
• cinnamon stick;
• a few mint leaves;
• extra virgin olive oil.

for bechamel sauce:

• 1 l. milk;
• 100 g butter;
• 3 tbsp. flour;
• a pinch of nutmeg;
• 0.5 tsp Provençal herbs.

Greek moussaka recipe with eggplant, potatoes, minced meat and bechamel sauce

1. Cut the washed eggplants into slices about half a centimeter thick.

2. Salt and leave for 20-30 minutes so that the pieces release juice, which will remove all the bitterness from the eggplant.

3. Cut the potatoes into slices approximately the same thickness as the eggplants.

4. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and lightly spray olive oil and bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. It should become soft and brown a little on top.

5. Make cuts on the tomato skin to make it easier to remove.

6. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and leave for 5 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion.

Tip: To avoid crying while cutting, chew something, or rinse the knife with cold water.

8. Place the onion in a frying pan with heated olive oil and sauté until half cooked.

9. Add the minced meat to the onion and break it up with a spatula, then mix with the onion.

10. You can now remove the skin from the tomatoes. Cut the fruits into small cubes.

11. The minced meat has set and meat juice has begun to come out.

12. It's time to add tomatoes to the minced meat.

13. Pour in red wine.

14. Add spices: mint and cinnamon stick.

15. Add water and simmer over low heat.

16. Wash the eggplants and squeeze out the juice, dry with paper towels.

17. We also bake the eggplants until soft (about 20 minutes), brushing a little olive oil on top.

18. Not a single moussaka is complete without Bechamel sauce. Interestingly, the origin of the fill is not Greek, but French! The preparation of the sauce is described in detail. So, melt half the butter over low heat, add flour and mix immediately. Now add warm milk in small portions, stirring continuously. Add salt and pepper, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes after boiling. Now turn off the heat, add the remaining oil and cover the pan with a lid until it is completely dissolved. Bechamel is ready. It will thicken a little as it hardens.

19. Half of the liquid from the pan has evaporated, leaving the minced meat in the sauce. You can take out a cinnamon stick (it has already served its purpose), add squeezed garlic, stir and remove the pan from the stove.

20. Grate the mozzarella on a fine grater.

21. We begin to assemble moussaka with potatoes and eggplants. Grease the bottom of the pan with bechamel sauce.

22. Place a layer of eggplants in the mold, placing the circles tightly to each other.

23. Place minced meat on top.

24. Sprinkle with a little cheese.

25. Place potatoes and cover with sauce.

26. The next layer is minced meat again.

27. And again sprinkle with cheese.

28. Lay out the remaining eggplants.

29. Pour in all the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Place the moussaka with eggplant in a heated oven and bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.

30. The moussaka is baked, the cheese is beautifully browned. You can garnish the Greek casserole with a sprig of mint and serve. Bon appetit!

Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes (including baking time)

Cost of 4 servings: 363 rubles

Cost of 1 serving: 91 rubles

Ingredients:

Eggplant 2 pcs (400g) - 28 rubles

Onions 1/2 pcs - 2 rubles

Vegetable oil 30ml - 3 rubles

Garlic 2 cloves - 1 ruble

Minced turkey 500g - 180 rubles

Salt, pepper to taste

Dried oregano 5g - 5 rubles

Bechamel sauce:

Butter 50g - 33 rubles

Flour 50g - 4 rubles

Tomato paste 30g - 6 rubles

Milk 600ml - 42 rubles

Nutmeg 3g (from whole nut) - 8 rubles

Salt to taste

Potatoes 3pcs (300g) - 6 rubles

Tomatoes 2 pcs (150g) - 12 rubles

Hard cheese 50g - 33 rubles

Fresh herbs (melissa, oregano, basil) for serving

Preparation:

• Cut the eggplants into thick rings. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and leave for 10 - 15 minutes. The juice will come out of the eggplants and the bitterness will go away. Then drain the liquid and rinse the rings under running water.
• Chop the onion into small cubes and fry on vegetable oil. Crush the garlic into the pan. Add the minced meat and stir constantly so that it does not stick together. When the meat is lightly fried, season it ground pepper, oregano and salt. There is no need to fry the minced meat completely - it will finish cooking in the oven.

Bechamel sauce:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, begin to melt the butter. Mix it with flour, stirring constantly. You need to sauté until it has a nutty aroma. The consistency of the mixture should not be like softened plasticine, it should be more viscous.
• Then add tomato paste and continue kneading. Gradually add milk, quickly stirring the sauce. Stir until the consistency is medium thick and the lumps disappear.
• Season with nutmeg and salt when the sauce is almost ready.

• Cut potatoes and tomatoes into round slices. Divide the potatoes into two equal parts.
• Place the first layer of potatoes in a baking dish. Add a little salt and pepper. Then make a layer of tomatoes and pour the sauce over it. Place all the minced meat on top. Top with sauce again. Then add the eggplants. Continue the layers in the following order: sauce - potatoes - sauce.
• Place in the oven at 200 degrees for 45 minutes. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, sprinkle the moussaka with grated cheese.
• After cooking, let the dish cool slightly and brew.

Moussaka is a dish similar to borscht. There are also endless debates about it - what ingredients, in what order, the technology for processing eggplants, which cuisine belongs... I am still inclined to the option Greek cuisine. Otherwise, where would this recipe come from in my family of crests-Russians-Moldavians-Jews? Nothing other than the influence of the Azov Greeks;)

So, for my moussaka the following ingredients were needed:

Ground meat:

4 small eggplants

400 gr. homemade minced meat(300 beef, 100 pork)

2 large sweet onions (I used white/pearl onions)

3 large cloves of garlic

3 large fleshy tomatoes

green basil

salt,

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

Sauce:

500 ml milk

50 gr. butter

50 gr. flour

salt,

freshly ground black pepper

nutmeg

First of all, we put the little blue ones in the oven, they are also eggplants. Many people advise pricking to prevent the skin from bursting. But since we are taking off this skin, it makes no difference to us whether it bursts or not. In the photo you can just see one eggplant with a burst skin. During ripening in the oven, we turn them over a couple of times so that they are baked evenly throughout. Take it out and let it cool.

While the blue ones are cooling, cut the onion - I cut it finely, I don’t like large onions in the dish, caramelize it for 5 minutes over low heat in vegetable oil, add chopped garlic - fry for 2 minutes.

Add the minced meat and stir well until the minced meat becomes grains. Speaking of minced meat, in general, we always make moussaka with lamb, but in difficult times, beef and pork also go well. For my taste, it's a lot about quality ready-made dish does not affect. add coarsely chopped tomatoes and chopped herbs to the minced meat. I used a mixture of lemon basil and clove basil. They give off such a strong aroma when steamed that I considered it blasphemous to add anything else. Salt and pepper. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

We clean the blue ones, cut them into pieces, add them to the minced meat. Transfer to a heatproof bowl.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. This is a classic bechamel. Take the butter, melt it in a saucepan, add the flour and stir vigorously for a couple of minutes so that the flour does not burn and mixes well with the butter. Then add cold milk. Mix vigorously so that there are no lumps. add salt, MSSP and nutmeg on the tip of a knife. Voila, the sauce is ready. If yours is very thick, add milk. And if you like a cheesy taste, add grated Parmesan to it.

Pour the sauce over the prepared minced meat.

And put it in the oven for 30 minutes.

We check readiness by smell. As soon as it gets to the bedroom, to the husband behind the laptop, who immediately breaks away from his car forums and rushes to the kitchen for his big spoon - then it’s ready.

Our family loves a juicy, non-photogenic mash :) And if you prefer moussaka that can be cut and will hold its shape, drain off the excess liquid before placing the minced meat in a heat-resistant form. And you will have drier moussaka.

Bon appetit.