Moussaka (Eggplant and minced meat casserole)

Step 1

Put the aubergine slices in a colander and sprinkle evenly with salt. This is done to remove any bitterness from the eggplant. When it has rendered enough liquid (about half an hour later), rinse the slices and pat them dry. Put the vegetable oil in the frying pan, on a high heat, and when really hot, fry the eggplants until golden brown. Then place them on a kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

Step 2

Now, to prepare the tomato sauce, fry the minced meat in olive oil, on a medium heat, until nicely coloured, then add the onions and the garlic. When the onion is translucent, add the herbs, the spices and the tomato paste, stir fry for 1 minute before adding a splash of red wine, 1/4 of a cup of chicken stock or water and let it simmer until the sauce has thickened and the liquid has evaporated. Add the salt and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Put the sauce aside.

Step 3

To prepare the béchamel sauce (white sauce), put 2 full tbsp of butter (about 35g) in a saucepan, on low heat. It should not brown. When it has melted, add 2 tbsp of flour and stir quickly until the flour has absorbed the butter and the mix is smooth. At this stage, add very slowly the milk making sure it has incorporated with the flour before adding more, and keep incorporating bit by bit, until halfway. Then, you can add larger amount of milk but keep whisking all the way. Season with the chicken stock cube, the spices and the salt then add half of the grated cheese and cook further, always whisking, until you obtain a thick and creamy sauce.

Step 4

Finally, choose an ovenproof dish, butter it and start assembling the Moussaka. Put the 1st layer of eggplants on the bottom of the dish then top with a layer of meat sauce. Repeat the operation as many times as needed then pour over the white sauce, making sure it covers everything in a thick last layer. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and bake in the oven at 180C, until bubbling and golden brown.

Step 5

Let the moussaka cool down a little before serving, to facilitate cutting it into pieces. Serve with some greens (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus...) and/or a green salad.