Greek Moussaka

Before we begin….over years of making moussaka, the thing I’ve learned is that if you can do one thing while something else is happening when making this recipe, it does save a significant amount of time. What that means is, if you have them available to you, you’ll be using the microwave, the stove and the oven all at the same time. If that feels overwhelming the first time you make it, that’s ok and you can do it all step by step separately because you don’t have to worry about things being hot all at the same time because you’re putting it in the oven to warm through anyway. 

Start with the AUBERGINES/EGGPLANTS and salt them. Yes, it does make a difference and yes, it does take some time which is why you’re starting here. Cut all three eggplants into rounds about 1-1.5 cm thick. If you don’t know how big that is, your index finger from the tip to the first knuckle is about an inch (in adults) so you want to cut them so that a stack of three will be at your first knuckle or just over. 

When they are all cut, put them on some paper towel and SALT them so they dry out a bit. You’re going to put them in the oven later (or your air fryer? would work) and you want them to bake rather than steam so let them sit for about half an hour. 

Preheat your oven to 200 C/ 180 fan / 375 F

Start the meat sauce by putting some olive oil in a large skillet. When it has warmed up, put in the GROUND MEAT to brown. It will go through a phase where it has a lot of liquid in it, let all of that burn off because you don’t want everything to steam and the meat won’t brown until it is gone. All about the patience, this one. Take the time to let the meat get brown. 

While the meat juice is boiling off, chop the ONIONS and the GARLIC. When the meat is brown, add in the onion and garlic to the pan. Stir it through and let it cook for a few minutes. 

After the onions have softened a bit, sprinkle the CINNAMON and OREGANO over the mixture and stir through. 

Add in enough TOMATO PASTE to make the meat mixture turn reddish. It is generally about 2 tbs but you’re going for the flavour of it so don’t skimp. 

After you’ve stirred that in, pour in the GLASS OF WINE and throw in the BAY LEAVES. Pour yourself a glass of wine, too. You’re going to be here for awhile yet. Let the wine burn off for a few minutes until it is reduced a bit then add the CAN OF TOMATOES. Stir and turn the heat down so it can simmer until you’re ready to assemble. 

At this point the oven is most likely preheated so take those AUBERGINES/EGGPLANTS and put them on a baking tray in a single later and put them in the oven. Again, you want them to bake, not steam, so if you need a second tray to make sure they don’t overlap then use the second tray. Set the timer for 20 minutes to start checking if they are getting browned. 

Here’s where shizz gets real. You’ve got the sauce on the stove, the eggplants in the oven and now you’re going to put the POTATOES in the microwave, if you have one. You can also use the stovetop and boil them but I think the microwave goes faster. Peel the POTATOES, slice them into about the same thickness as the aubergine, put them in a microwave safe bowl and add enough water to come up a third of the way of the POTATOES, no need to submerge them because that will take longer and you might as well have boiled them in a pan at that point. In our kitchen we start checking to see if they are done at 11 min at 600W. It is better that they are slightly underdone, rather than overdone because you want them to remain intact so they can be layered with the other veggies and the meat sauce. 

Go to the bathroom. Hydrate. Check your AUBERGINES/EGGPLANTS because we’re into the final stretch. You should wait until both the aubergines/eggplants and the potatoes are finished before starting the white sauce, to be honest, or you’re just asking for trouble.

If you’ve never made a white sauce before (and, really, you are in the majority) you should watch this video and have Christine Cushing show you how: https://youtu.be/Vsxbuh1s-g0

La Cushing says nutmeg is necessary and doesn’t use cheese so there is room for a little improvisation in your white sauce but watching that video will give you the technique much more effectively than reading anything I could write. If you don’t get it on the first try, don’t worry. The best advice is that once the milk/flour mixture has started to boil you need to keep stirring or it will burn faster than you think possible. If you would like to add the cheddar cheese wait until the sauce is hot and the consistency you would like it to be then just stir in the cheese and let it melt.

Ok. You have everything you need to make moussaka now! Congratulations! It is all easy from here. In the oven proof dish you have chosen you want to layer the meat, aubergines, potatoes as many times as you’d like (and in whatever order you like as long as it is consistently the same). When you get to the top, smother it all in that white sauce and put it in the oven until the top is golden brown. It will take about 45 minutes but go by the color of the top and some bubbling around the edges.

NOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT. This is the worst part. You’ve worked so hard and have been in the kitchen so long all you want to do is plonk it on the table and ask someone else to do the dishes but it really will be better if you let it stand for 30 minutes so the layers firm up. It isn’t exciting but it is a good time to tackle the mountains of kitchen stuff that have been used and will distract you from digging in too soon.