Greek moussaka

Traditional Greek dish that every family will love

Ingredients

• eggplant 2 pcs (800 g)
• minced meat (lamb, beef, veal or pork + beef) 700-800 g
• onion 1 pc
• tomatoes 2-3 pcs (300 g)
• dry white wine 160-180 ml
• hard low-melting cheese (for sprinkling the surface of moussaka) 30-50 g
• vegetable oil for frying
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• For the sauce
• butter 40 g
• flour 30 g
• milk 400-500 ml
• eggs 2 pcs
• hard low-melting cheese 200 g
• pinch nutmeg
• salt

Directions

1. Prepare the Bechamel sauce.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat.
3. Add flour, stir with a wooden spatula and fry flour and butter for ~ 40 seconds.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the butter-flour mixture slightly.
5. Heat the milk in a small saucepan.
6. Advice. Milk and butter-flour mixture should be about the same temperature (but not hot), then lumps will not form in the sauce.
7. Return the pan with the butter-flour mixture to low heat and pour in the milk in small portions, stirring the sauce vigorously with a wooden spatula.
8. Leave a little milk (~ 100 ml) so that the desired thickness of the sauce can be adjusted.
9. Stir constantly with a spatula, bring the sauce to a boil (over low heat) and let it simmer for ~ 3-5 minutes.
10. Leave a little milk (~ 100 ml) so that the desired thickness of the sauce can be adjusted.
11. Stir constantly with a spatula, bring the sauce to a boil (over low heat) and let it simmer for ~ 3-5 minutes.
12. Pour grated cheese into the sauce.
13. Stir and cook until cheese is melted.
14. Salt the sauce to taste, add grated nutmeg and mix.
15. Remove from heat and let cool slightly for ~ 5 minutes (sauce can be poured into a bowl).
16. Break the eggs into a separate bowl and beat lightly with a whisk.
17. Add eggs to the sauce in two steps, stirring the sauce with a whisk each time.
18. Tighten the bowl with the sauce with cling film so that the cling film lies directly on the surface of the sauce - then no film forms on the surface.
19. Prepare food for moussaka.
20. Peel the onion and cut into quarters.
21. Wash the tomatoes, make a cross-shaped incision on each and lower them in boiling water for ~ 1 minute.
22. Then put the tomatoes in ice water and peel them off.
23. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes.
24. Wash the eggplants, cut off the stalks and cut into thin slices.
25. Fold the eggplants into a colander, lightly add the slices, and leave for ~ 30 minutes.
26. Then rinse and dry from water.
27. Eggplant can be cooked in three ways:
28. 1. Fry in a skillet in vegetable oil, then pat dry on paper towels to remove excess oil.
29. 2. Grease the slices with vegetable oil, put on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to ~ 180 ° C for ~ 15 minutes, until soft (baking time depends on the thickness of the slices).
30. 3. Brush the eggplant slices with vegetable or olive oil and grill in a skillet.
31. Put chopped onion in a pan with heated vegetable oil, lightly salt and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft.
32. Put the onion out of the pan (use a perforated spoon to keep as much oil as possible in the pan).
33. Increase the heat, add a little oil to the pan if necessary.
34. Put half or a third of the minced meat in the pan and fry, constantly stirring the minced meat with a wooden spatula.
35. Transfer the sautéed minced meat to a bowl.
36. Fry the remaining minced meat.
37. Return the fried minced meat to the pan (reduce heat to minimum).
38. Pour in wine and stir.
39. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, freshly ground pepper.
40. And mix.
41. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates completely.
42. Place a layer of eggplant in a baking dish.
43. Put the minced meat on top in an even layer.
44. Then the remaining eggplant slices.
45. Pour the moussaka with the Béchamel sauce on top.
46. And sprinkle with grated cheese.
47. Bake for ~ 40 minutes, until golden brown, in an oven preheated to ~ 180 ° C.
48. Remove the prepared moussaka from the oven, leave for ~ 15-20 minutes, then you can serve.