"Layers of potato and eggplant separated by a spiced, sweet meat-sauce and topped with crumbled feta, creamy béchamel sauce and grated kasseri cheese!!"
Traditional Moussaka
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Prep time: 1hr
Cook time: 3hrs 20mins
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 finely chopped blanched medium brown onions
- 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1200 gram full fat beef mince
- 1200 gram pureed canned diced tomato
- 1 bunch finely chopped parsley
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 whole nutmegs
- 8 whole cloves
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
ingredients
For Layering
- 4 extra large potatoes
- 4 large eggplants
- 400 gram crumbled feta cheese
ingredients
For the béchamel sauce
- 2 litre full cream milk
- 2 whole eggs
- 225 gram sifted plain flour
- 100 gram salted butter
Method
Preparing the meat sauce
Step 1
Sauté the onions in the olive oil until they begin to brown
Step 2
Add the mince-meat and push down on it with a wooden spoon to help break it down
Step 3
Continue mixing and pushing down on the mince until it cooks through and browns a little
Step 4
Add the puréed tomatoes and mix through
Step 5
Add a little water to any tomato residue remaining in the cans or food processor (if either used), swirl to release the residue and add that water to the pot
Step 6
Add the parsley and mix in well
Step 7
Place the cloves and nutmeg in a closed tea-strainer or bouquet-garni container. Place it in the pot and add the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, parsley, salt and pepper
Step 8
Simmer until all the water has reduced, leaving a layer of orange-hued oil on top - about an hour or so
Step 9
Remove the cinnamon, bay leaves and tea-strainer from the pot
Preparing the eggplants and potatoes
Step 1
Peel the potatoes and trim them to form a rectangular block
Step 2
Cut them into thick, rectangular slices (2cm thick)
Step 3
Bake the potato slices at 200°C, ensuring they brown nicely on both sides
Step 4
Top and tail the eggplants
Step 5
Cut them lengthways into thick, rectangular slices (2-3cm thick)
Step 6
Bake the eggplant slices at 200°C, again ensuring they brown nicely on both sides
Assembling the moussaka
Step 1
Line the base of a large baking dish with the cooked potatoes ensuring no gaps remain
Step 2
Spoon one half of the meat sauce onto the cooked potatoes
Step 3
Layer the cooked eggplants on top, ensuring no gaps remain (Sofia suggests orienting the eggplants perpendicular to the potatoes)
Step 4
Spoon the remaining meat sauce on top
Step 5
Sprinkle top evenly with the feta
Preparing the béchamel sauce
Step 1
Place all ingredients in a pot on medium heat and stir continuously with a whisk, until all the flour is combined and the butter has melted
Step 2
Continue to heat and stir the sauce until it thickens and shows the first signs of bubbling
Step 3
Remove from the heat and pour on top of the final meat sauce layer
Step 4
Using the back of a spoon or a spatula, spread the béchamel evenly across the top of the moussaka
Finishing the moussaka
Step 1
Drizzle the top of the moussaka sparingly with EVOO and generously top with finely grated kasseri
Baking the moussaka
Step 1
Bake the moussaka at 200°C for approximately 30-40 minutes, until the top has browned
Step 2
Keep an eye on the moussaka as it bakes and place pieces of either baking paper or aluminium foil over the areas that have browned
Step 3
Continue to do this until the entire moussaka has browned on top
Serving the moussaka
Step 1
Allow the moussaka to cool and set for 1 hour before serving
Step 2
Serve and enjoy!
Key Points
Step 1
As the water content in the meat sauce reduces during the simmering process, the heat setting on your cooktop also needs to be lowered; otherwise you run the risk of burning the sauce. Keep an eye on your sauce and your cook-top heat setting!
Step 2
Since documenting this recipe, Sofia now adds half a bunch of chopped basil to her sauce too. She says it makes her sauce even more flavoursome
Step 3
Do not overcook the sauce or the beautiful infusion of spices will be overwhelmed by the overcooked flavour of the oil, tomato and meat
Step 4
You can fry the eggplants and potatoes if you prefer
Step 5
Continuous stirring and patience is essential for the béchamel sauce. If you do not stir the sauce it may ‘catch’ or burn at the base of the pot and then when you do stir it, small brown fragments will appear throughout your sauce – not a good look!
Step 6
The béchamel sauce is ready to pour once it starts bubbling. It will appear runny when you’re pouring it into the pan, but do not worry, as it will thicken further in the baking process and it will set and firm up during the cooling phase
Step 7
If the moussaka cools for longer than 2 hours, reheat it covered at 180°C for approximately 30 minutes before serving
Step 8
The recipe halves perfectly!