Greek moussaka
Description
The meat sauce adds juiciness to the dish and pairs especially well with eggplants. The creamy, velvety sauce forms an appetizing golden crust. Juicy, hearty, aromatic, and delicious, this dish is perfect for a romantic dinner, a filling Sunday lunch, or a festive celebration.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients for making Greek moussaka. Prepare the meat and creamy sauce in advance.
- 2
Step 2
For the meat sauce, it is preferable to prepare the minced meat yourself by grinding beef flesh through a meat grinder.
- 3
Step 3
Cut the carrots, onions, and celery stalks for the sauce into cubes of the same size. Mince the garlic clove.
- 4
Step 4
Heat a frying pan, pour in vegetable oil and sauté the prepared onion.
- 5
Step 5
Add the ground beef to the fried onions and sauté over medium-high heat until browned. Stir the mixture with a spatula while cooking, breaking up the meat clumps.
- 6
Step 6
Add garlic, carrot cubes, and celery to the skillet. Continue sautéing, stirring occasionally.
- 7
Step 7
Add tomato paste to the pan. It will add brightness to the sauce.
- 8
Step 8
Pour in the tomato sauce. You can use homemade sauce or canned tomatoes in their own juice.
- 9
Step 9
Add salt, ground black pepper, a sprig of rosemary, dried basil, and a bay leaf to the sauce. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer the sauce over low heat for 30-40 minutes.
- 10
Step 10
Prepare the ingredients for making the creamy sauce. Use milk or 10% fat cream.
- 11
Step 11
In a skillet, melt the butter, add the flour, and stir with a silicone spatula.
- 12
Step 12
Pour in half of the milk portion and thoroughly rub the mixture until smooth. You can use a whisk or strain the mixture through a sieve. Add the remaining milk.
- 13
Step 13
Add salt, bay leaf, nutmeg, ground white pepper, and simmer the sauce over low heat until thickened.
- 14
Step 14
Remove the finished sauce from the heat. The sauce should have a thick, smooth consistency, slowly running off the spoon.
- 15
Step 15
Remove the bay leaf. Transfer the cream sauce to a container and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce.
- 16
Step 16
To assemble the moussaka, prepare the vegetables. Peel the potatoes and slice them into rounds 0.5–0.7 mm thick.
- 17
Step 17
Slice the eggplants into rounds, salt them to remove bitterness, then rinse and dry.
- 18
Step 18
Preheat the grill pan. Lightly brush the vegetables with oil and grill until characteristic grill marks appear.
- 19
Step 19
Place a layer of potatoes at the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
- 20
Step 20
Place the meat sauce on the potato layer. Spread a thin layer of grated cheese on top.
- 21
Step 21
Next, add a layer of eggplants and a thin layer of cheese, season with pepper.
- 22
Step 22
Spread the prepared meat sauce evenly over the surface and top with grated hard cheese.
- 23
Step 23
Bake the Greek moussaka in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30-40 minutes.
- 24
Step 24
Greek-style moussaka is ready!