Moussaka

There’re so many versions of moussaka out in the world, that sometimes it’s tricky to know which is going to taste the best.

I used high protein SuperNutrio Semi Skimmed Milk in the bechamel sauce, makes this moussaka recipe the one to add your family recipe book and very high in protein, but if you don’t want to use that, please use whichever milk you prefer, it’s such a great recipe it will taste just as amazing.

 The filling is rich with wine and spices, the topping decadent with eggs and once cooked, flavours meld together for a perfect bubbling dish of moussaka goodness.

Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!

Cut through the topping and onto the spicy lamb.

What You Need

 Filling

•  800g Lamb Mince

• 700g Potatoes - See Tip Box

• 200ml Red Wine – See Tip Box

• 200ml Water – Plus extra to cook potatoes

• 3 Medium Aubergines

• 1 Large Onion – Finely chopped

• 1-2 Green Chillies – Finely Chopped – See Tip Box

• 2 Large Garlic Cloves - minced

• 2 Bay Leaves

• 6tbsp Olive Oil – Plus more if needed – See Tip Box

• 4tsp Dried Oregano

• 4tbsp Tomato Puree

• 2tsp Ground Cinnamon

• 1tbsp Light Brown Sugar

• Salt and Pepper to taste – See Tip Box

Browning the aubergine slices take s just a few minutes.

 Sauce

•  450ml SuperNutrio Semi Skimmed Milk - Or the milk of your choice.

• 100g Parmesan – Finely Grated

• 40g Butter

• 40g Plain Flour

• 1 Large Egg

• Yolk from 1 large Egg

• 1/2 tsp Grated Nutmeg

• Salt and Pepper to taste – See Tip Box

Adding the egg to the sauce makes it puff up and form a tender layer .

How It’s Done

 Filling

•  Peel the potatoes and then slice them into rounds with a thickness of about 5mm – See Tip Box

• Place the sliced potatoes into a large pot, add 1 tsp of salt and enough water to cover the potatoes.

• Put the pot on a high heat, bring the water to a boil and let the potatoes cook until they are soft enough to poke with a fork, but not completely soft – See Tip Box

• Once they’re cooked, use a colander to immediately drain away the water and let them sit in the colander until needed.

• Wash and dry the aubergines and slice off the ends.

• Cut each aubergine into round slices roughly around 5mm.

• Find a large non-stick frying pan and add 4tbsp of olive oil.

• On a medium heat, fry the aubergine slices, in a single layer and in batches, until each slice becomes golden and soft, around 5-7 minutes - turning half way through cooking. – See Tip Box

• Once cooked, lay on kitchen paper to drain and set them aside until needed – You may need to add more olive oil to the pan when cooking the remaining slices.

• Once all the aubergine slices are cooked and out of the pan, add two more tbsp of olive oil to the pan along with the chopped onion, pinch of salt, brown sugar, minced garlic, oregano, cinnamon, chopped chilli and bay leaves.

• On a low to medium heat, let the onions cook, occasionally stirring, until they are soft and translucent – around 10-12 minutes.

• Remove the cooked onion mixture to a plate and set it aside until needed.

• Add 2 more tbsp of olive oil to the pan, and on a medium heat, cook the lamb for around 8-10 minutes – stir and break down the mince as it cooks so there are no big lumps.

• Add the onion mixture back in with the lamb and give everything a really good stir.

• Let it cook for another 3 minutes.

• Pour the red wine in the pan and after a good stir, let it simmer on a medium heat until the liquid has reduced by about half – Stir occasionally so that the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

• Add the tomato puree to the pan along with 200ml of water.

• Season with salt and pepper and after another stir, let it simmer on a low heat for around 15-20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

• Once thickened, remove the bay leaves and discard them.

• Switch off the heat and let the filling sit until needed.

A nice layer of aubergines

Bechamel Sauce

•  Place the into SuperNutrio Semi Skimmed Milk in a saucepan and heat it to just below boiling point.

• Once hot, set it aside until needed.

• Place the butter into a medium saucepan and let it melt.

• Once melted, add the flour, mix it altogether and let it cook, on a low heat, for two minutes, stirring constantly.

• Take the flour mix off the heat and slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly.

• Put the pot back on a low heat and keep whisking, until the sauce thickens.

• Once thick, once again remove the pot from the heat and add the grated parmesan, nutmeg, 1 egg and the 1 egg yolk and whisk until the parmesan has melted and the sauce is smooth.

• Give it a taste and add salt and pepper to your own liking.

• Mix all together until what’s left is a smooth, creamy bechamel sauce.

The last layer is the sauce.

 Assembly & Cooking

•  Heat the oven to 180c

• Find a large oven proof dish and set it on an oven proof tray – See Tip Box

• Layer the moussaka in the oven proof dish as follows:

• Layer 1 – Lay 1/3rd meat on the bottom and spread it out to cover the entire bottom of the dish.

• Layer 2 - Lay ½ the aubergine slices over the meat, spreading them out over the entire layer of meat.

• Layer 3 - Lay ½ the potato slices over the aubergine, spreading them out to cover the entire layer of aubergine.

• Layer 4 – Remaining 2/3rd of the meat – Spread it out so it covers the entire layer of potatoes.

• Layer 5 - Remaining aubergine slices, spreading them out so they cover the entire layer of meat.

• Layer 6 - Remaining potato slices, spreading them out so they cover the entire layer of aubergines.

• Layer 7 - All of the bechamel sauce, taking care to spread it over the entire layer of potatoes.

• Smooth the top.

• Place the tray with dish of moussaka in the hot oven, and cook until the top is a deep golden brown and it’s piping hot in the centre – about 50-60 minutes – See Tip Box

• Let the cooked moussaka sit uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.

Layers of flavour

 Tip Box 

• Cooking Potatoes – 1) Don’t be too precious about the precise weight of the potatoes. It can be difficult to get the exact weight, and a little extra won’t make a difference to the finished dish.

2) I like to leave the skin on my potatoes to add extra goodness and roughage to the dish, but if this isn’t your thing, give them a peel first.

3) The potatoes are going to be cooked twice so it’s important, when giving the potatoes their first cook, they aren’t too soft. Just boil the potato slices long enough so a fork slips in easily. This will ensure the potatoes don’t go mushy when they’re cooked for a second time.

• Cooking the Aubergine – If the aubergine slices look a little dry when frying, add a few more tbsps. of olive oil to the pan as they cook. You may have to do this often.

• Red Wine – Use whichever wine you like to drink, this way, not only will the moussaka taste great, it also means you get to drink the leftovers.

• Chilli – If you like it a bit spicier, add more of the chilli and of course, remember, the seeds add even more heat.

• To Taste – Give the dish a taste at as many stages as you can, this way you can add more salt and pepper to suit how you like to eat it.

• Oven Proof Tray – Putting the oven proof dish onto a tray helps with the clean-up if there’s an over flow of melted moussaka.

• Cooking the Moussaka – The moussaka should be a very deep dark golden brown and if it has scorched bits, so much the better. However, it if begins to burn before the inside is piping hot, cover the whole dish loosely with foil and continue with the cooking. Just adjust the cooking time.

• Cooking Time – All ovens vary so adjust the cooking time accordingly.