Mousakas
Recipe by Kyknos
Preparation time:
Cooking time:
Difficulty:
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- 5-6 eggplants
For the minced meat sauce layer
- 850 g minced meat
- 1 dry onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (smashed)
- 1 package concentrated tomato juice KYKNOS
- 1-2 spoons of tomato paste KYKNOS
- ½ bunch parsley (chopped)
- 1 glass of dry white wine
- 2-3 allspice grains
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1-2 pinches of cinnamon
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Olive oil
For the béchamel
- 7-8 tablespoons of flour or corn flour
- 4 spoons of butter
- 1 1/2 liters of fresh milk
- 2 eggs
- 2-3 pinches of nutmeg
- Lots of hard spicy cheese e.g. graviera, parmesan etc.
Instructions
Clean the eggplants and cut them into slices about 1 cm thick. Salt them and leave them in a strainer for at least 45 minutes. Then wash them, dry them, and fry them in plenty of olive oil. Leave them on absorbent paper to drain.
For the minced meat: heat some olive oil in a deep pot and sauté the onion. Add the minced meat and sauté, stirring frequently, until it changes color. Add the garlic, mix 2-3 times and "turn off" with the wine. Wait a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate and add the pulp, dissolved in a little water, the tomato juice and the parsley. Season and let everything simmer together, until the mince is left with its oil.
For the béchamel:
melt the butter in a saucepan and "roast" the flour for a few minutes. Add the milk, stirring constantly and season. Stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add the lightly beaten eggs. Stir constantly with quick movements so that the eggs do not cook. Pour a generous amount of the cheese and mix.
Assemble: oil a deep pan or pyrex and spread on a layer of eggplants. Put the minced meat on top and cover with the rest of the eggplants. Cover with the béchamel and sprinkle with plenty of grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven for about 1 hour, until its surface is puffed up and golden brown. Leave the moussaka out of the oven for at least ½ hour before cutting it into pieces.
TIPS
• Alternatively, for a lighter taste, we can bake the eggplants on a sheet lined with non-stick baking paper.
• In the base, you can replace the eggplants with potatoes or zucchini. The result will be just as delicious.