Moussaka Recipe – Made Easy

Moussaka is an Aubergine and or potato, one pot dish popularised in  predominantly Balkan and Mediterranean cuisines, although today it has a huge following by many families in the UK. There are hundreds of variations of this recipe with many Mediterranean families citing mamas secret moussaka recipe.
The way in which this Moussaka recipe is eaten varies from country to country. In Greece, the dish is layered and usually eaten hot. In Turkey, it is fried then eaten in the style of a casserole, then served at room temperature. In Arabic countries, a slight variation of the Moussaka recipe, by choice, is eaten cold.

Moussaka Ingredients

1 large onion
2 cloves Garlic
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
60–90ml or 4–6 tablespoons olive oil
150ml or ¼ pt beef stock made with 2 stock cubes
450g or 1lb lean minced beef
5ml or 1 teaspoon salt
10ml or 2 teaspoons tomato paste or good quality ketchup
salt and black pepper for seasoning
4 aubergines
25g or 1oz butter
25g or 1oz plain flour
300ml or ½ pt milk
1 egg

Method

1. Switch on and Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas mark 4

2. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, heat 15ml / 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy bottom saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, cover the saucepan with a tight fitting lid.

Add the minced beef and fry until it is browned.

Add salt,oregano, tomato paste or ketchup and the beef stock.

Season the mixture according to taste with freshly ground pepper.

Bring this mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the minced beef is beautifully tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

3. In the meantime, peel and slice the aubergines thinly, put them in layers in a colander and sprinkle each slice with salt to remove the bitter juices that can sometimes be found in aubergines.

Let them stand in the colander for approximately 30 minutes, Drain, rinse in cold water and pat until thoroughly dry with clean kitchen paper.

4.Once Dry, Fry the individual aubergine slices in the rest of the oil until they are a light golden colour,then again dry and drain on kitchen paper.

Arrange a layer of the aubergines at the bottom of a buttered ovenproof dish or a loaf tin as shown above.

Cover the aubergines with a layer of the minced beef mixture, continue to layer in this manner until you have used up all the ingredients and ensuring the final layer is on of aubergine slices.

5.To Make the sauce for this moussaka recipe, melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat and stir in the flour(some people sieve the flour Idon’t usually bother).

Cook gently for just over 1 minute, then gradually stir in the milk,mixing continuously.

As the sauce comes to the boil, season with the salt and freshly ground pepper and simmer for another 1–2 minutes.

Take the saucepan off the heat and after a few seconds beat in the egg.

6. Spoon the Savoury Custard style sauce over the layered Moussaka and place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 35–40 minutes or until t is piping hot and evenly browned.

We hope you enjoyed this Easy Moussaka recipe and also try out some of our other easy home cooking recipes