Moussaka

Moussaka
SERVES: 4 - 6
PREPARATION: 30 MINS + 40 MINS STANDING TIME 
COOKING: 1 HR 10 MINS

This little recipe comes not from a cook book or foodie magazine but from  Better Homes and Gardens  which is a bit of a lifestyle home improvement TV show that also has a magazine :). This recipe is From one of their regular chef's Fast Ed, from a section called Food in a Flash.....nothing fast about making this one lol. It's been yonks since I have had Moussaka and I'm looking forward to it. :p From the April 2010 Issue. 


Ingredients
2kg eggplants, cut into 1cm thick slices
1/4 cup salt flakes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
600g beef mince
400g can diced tomatoes
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp brown sugar
1 bunch oregano, finely chopped (I couldn't get fresh so had to use 2 tsp dried oregano)
Salt and Pepper to season
1 cup breadcrumbs
150g grated vintage cheddar cheese
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp plain flour
400ml hot milk
1 tsp ground nutmeg
120g grated parmesan
300ml cream, very cold
4 egg yolks 

Method

Preheat oven to 190C. Sprinkle eggplant with salt flakes and stand in colander for 20 minutes. Rinse well, then pat dry. Set a frying pan over a medium heat and cook eggplant in half the oil for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel.

Briefly fry onion and garlic in remaining oil, then add beef mince. Stir with a whisk to remove any lumps and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Add tomato, allspice, sugar and oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then set aside.

Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs over base of a 26cm square baking dish and top with a third of the eggplant. Top with half the mince mixture and half the remaining breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat with eggplant, mince, breadcrumbs and cheese, then top with remaining eggplant. 

Combine butter and flour in heavy based pan and set over a medium heat, stirring well. When mixture resembles wet sand, whisk in milk (don't forget it has to be hot milk! I forgot!) nutmeg and parmesan. Bring to the boil then remove from heat. Whisk in cream, then stir in egg yolks. Pour mixture over Moussaka, put in oven and bake for 1 hour. 

Set aside to cool for 20 minutes before serving. 

Serve with Greek Salad. 

My Notes

I found I needed more oil when frying off the eggplant 

I think the cheese sauce was too thin and needed more flour, will see how it comes out when cooked.....


Well this is one recipe which won't be repeated! what a shame! It was just a awful gluggy gray mess. The cheese sauce was really floury. So much effort went into it as well :( oh well you can't win them all...........now what am I going to do with the leftovers?