Hubby's Moussaka

This recipe belongs to Jackson! (my fiance)

(Originally posed November 21 2020 - I've move this recipe from my old site here so everything can be in one place )

(Scroll down to the bottom of the page for full recipe)

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven’t posted in so long! I’ve been so busy over the past couple months; going back to work, moving house and now we got a puppy! I just didn’t find the time to cook and post recipes, but we did manage to cook up a moussaka before we moved house but i just didn't post it until now 😝 This is Jackson’s recipe so I hope you enjoy it!

I do most of the cooking at home because I love to cook. Jackson loves to cook too but he doesn't get to do it often but when he does I get to sit back, relax and enjoy the food heheh 😉He's a bit of a messy cook but I love it when he cooks for me, he puts so much effort into the dish to make sure I have a good meal and I appreciate that a lot! My favourite recipe that he has cooked for me so far... is his moussaka dish. I thought that would be good to share it with you too when he decided to make it for me a couple months ago. This made it easier for me to document because all I needed to do was to take the photos while he cooked 😃 It is a lengthy process to make but its worth it, and its fun if you are cooking it with your partner or friend so you can work together and make the different components of the dish.

We made a salad as well but the ingredients that you need for the moussaka are: eggplant, lamb mince, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, kosher salt, olive oil, onion, parsley, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk, parmesan cheese, butter, flour and white pepper.

Start by slicing the eggplant and then salting each slice on both sides and put aside in a bowl.

While the eggplant are resting, dice the onion, garlic and parsley. In a pan on high heat, brown the onion and garlic.

Add the mince lamb and then add the crushed tomato and paste. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and parsley, turn down the heat and simmer for 20mins. If it is a bit watery, just drain some of the liquid out.

By the time you do all those steps, the eggplant should have release a lot of water. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and then pat them dry with paper towels. Lay them in a single layer and brush with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees, for about 10mins until brown, ensuring to turn the slices. This part is going to take the longest because you may have to do it in a few batches if you have a small oven. Once it is all done, set aside.

For the béchamel sauce its equal butter and equal flour to make the roux. Once the butter is melted, add the flower and stir. Cook for about a minute and then add half of milk and whisk, so the are no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and cook until it thickens. You can tell it is ready when it holds it shape on the back of a spoon. (sorry i've missed place the photos)

Finally, time to assemble! Put a layer of eggplant and then a layer of meat, repeat until you reach the top of your dish. Top it off with the béchamel and some parmesan cheese and then bake in the over at 180 degrees until golden brown.

Rest for 15mins and then serve! We made a greek salad to eat with it, gives it a bit of freshness so its not too heavy 😉

I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think about it.

Until next time! 😝✌️

Jackson's Moussaka

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

For Moussaka

- 2 Large Eggplant

- 500g Lamb mince

- 400g crushed tomatoes

- Tomato paste

- Cinnamon

- 1 Onion diced

- 3 Garlic cloves minced

- Mozzarella cheese

- Olive Oil

- Kosher Salt

For Béchamel Sauce

- 3 tbsp Butter

- 3 tbsp Flour

- 1 1/2 Cups Milk

- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

- 2 tsp Nutmeg

- 2 tsp White pepper

For Salad:

- Tomatoes

- Cucumber

- Feta cheese

- Red onion finely sliced

- Avocado

- Pitted Olives -

Method:

1. Wash the eggplants and slice them into 0.5cm pieces. Sprinkle some kosher salt on each pieces both sides and set aside for 30mins so the moisture have time to seep out.

2. While the eggplant is resting, dice onion, mince garlic and sauté them in a pot with olive oil. Once it is lightly brown, add the tomato paste and stir for another minuter.

3. Add the lamb mince and cook until the meat is cooked. Then add the crush tomatoes and turn the heat down to a low simmer for 20 mins.Then set aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Going back to the eggplant, it should have released quite a bit of moisture, now you need to rinse off the salt and dry off the eggplant with paper towels.

5. On a baking tray or rack, lay the eggplant on a single layer and brush lightly with olive oil on both sides. Put the eggplant into the oven until they are golden brown, about 10mins depending on the thickness of the pieces. Remember to turn them during the cooking process. Once all the pieces are done, set aside and turn the oven down to 180 degrees C.

6. To make the béchamel sauce; in a pot melt the butter, once the butter is melted add the flour, continue to stir and cook for another 2mins, add 1/2 cup of milk and using a whisk, mix the sauce until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps, then add the rest of the milk, mix, and then the cheese, nutmeg and pepper. Set aside.

7. To put the moussaka together, either use small individual serving dish or a large baking dish, layer the dish with eggplant and then meat until it reaches the top of the dish. The top layer will be the béchamel sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

8. Place the completed moussaka into the oven and bake until it is golden brown. Take it out of the oven and rest for 15mins before serving.

9. Serve with a side of salad or have it just as it is 😁