Greek Moussaka
Ingredients:
3 large potatoes (700 g)
1 large onion
2 eggplants
½ can of peeled tomatoes (of 400 g)
700-800 g of minced meat
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper
½ bunch parsley
150 g feta cheese
4 tablespoons flour (I used rice flour)
5 tablespoons olive oil
500 ml milk
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg
100 g grated cheese
Preparation:
Peel the potatoes and cut into slices of about 1 cm, lengthwise. Cook them in a large volume of salted water about 15-20 minutes. Do not let soften. Remove from heat and drain the water.
Meanwhile, cut the eggplant into slices about 1 cm thick, lengthwise again. Grill them on a non-stick frying pan, brushing them with a little olive oil. Then let them stew in a lidded dish. Salt and drizzle with oil.
Meanwhile prepare the meat. First, sauté the onion, then add the minced meat. Stir well to reduce it to uniform crumbs. Then stir in the chopped tomatoes and dry spices. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Finally, add the crumbled feta cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
Arrange the Greek moussaka in a large rectangular dish (quite deep, too). Start by brushing the bottom with oil, them make a thick layer of the potato slices. Fill the hollow spaces with chunks of potatoes.
Spread the meat mixture over the potatoes and cover with a thick layer of eggplant.
Make a bechamel sauce with the ingredients from the last group. You can follow the traditional technique of this sauce or facilitate a little bit your work. For the latter, whisk the flour, olive oil, spices and milk directly into the saucepan and heat slowly, stirring until the sauce thickens.
Pour the béchamel over the moussaka, mixing it before that with grated cheese. Bake at 200°C until golden and well cooked through, which takes about 40 minutes. Serve warm, but not immediately out of the oven.
And some Greek emotions:
