Does anyone have a recipe for Moussaka? Thanks?!


Question: I know feta cheese is needed but I may not be able to find some here, a substitute would be good. TY


Answers: I know feta cheese is needed but I may not be able to find some here, a substitute would be good. TY

Hi
There's no Feta cheese in the traditional Greek recipe, although some Greek cooks do add coarsely-grated Feta to the mince meat.

It's really easy - I don't know how many people you want to make it for so I'll give you a recipe for 4 people.

THE AUBERGINES

1lb or 1/2 a kilo of aubergines.

Wash the aubergines and cut off both ends - you don't need them in the recipe.
Slice the aubergines (1/4 inch or 5mm thick) sprinkle with salt and leave for about an hour. This removes the bitterness. Rinse the aubergines. You can either fry the aubergines in oil - or if you want a lightly easier/healthier Moussaka, just place them in a lightly greased baking dish and cook at about 180C (350F or Regulo 3) for about 30 minutes - or until they are golden brown.

MEAT SAUCE
About a tablespoon of oil (Olive is traditional) for frying.
Half a kilo of mince meat
two tablespoons of tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste
a teaspoonful of oregano
a cup of water
two egg whites

OPTIONAL
half a teaspoon ground cinnamon.
half a cup of coarsely-grated Feta cheese.


TOPPING
3/4 of a teacup of yellow cheese (Gouda, cheddar etc)
1/4 cup of hard, salty cheese (Parmesan, Peccorino etc)
4 teacups of milk.
Half a cup of flour (plain or self-raising - whatever you have).
two teaspoonfuls of butter or margarine.
Extra grated hard cheese for topping.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add one chopped onion and a crushed garlic clove. Fry until the onion is transparent.

Add a half a kilo(or about a pound) of mince and brown - stirring constantly to prevent sticking.

Add a cup of water and two tablespoons of tomato puree, salt and pepper to taste and a teaspoonful of oregano. (In some parts of Greece it is usual to add ground cinnamon at this stage, but it is optional, it's a matter of personal taste). Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. If you want to, you can add some coarsely-grated Feta at this stage. Separate two eggs and add the whites to the mixture. (save the yolks, you'll need them for the topping). Leave aside.

There are three different ways of making the Topping.

1 The easiest

Put 4 teacupfuls of milk into a saucepan and two teaspoonfuls of butter or margarine and bring to the boil.
Mix half a cup of flour with cold water until smooth. Add enough boiling milk to fill the cup and mix well. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and stir until it thickens. Add a cup of grated cheese - I've found the best is a mixture 3/4 of a tea cup of either Gouda or cheddar and 1/4 of a teacup of a hard, salty cheese like Parmesan. When the mixture has cooled add two beaten egg yolks.

2 A bit trickier
If you have a blender put half a teacup of flour, two teaspoonfuls of butter or margarine, a level teaspoonful of salt and four teacups of milk and blend. Pour the mixture into pan and slowly bring to the boil. Add the cup of grated cheese (as in 1 above). When the mixture has cooled add two beaten egg yolks.

3 Trickier still.
If you don't have a blender put four teacups of milk in a saucepan with two teaspoons of butter or margarine. Sift in a cup of flour and bring to the boil STIRRING CONTINUOUSLY so that it doesn't go lumpy. Add the grated cheese (as in 1 above). When the mixture has cooled add two beaten egg yolks.

In a square oven pan/pyrex dish put:
1. half of the aubergines

2. half of the meat sauce

3. the rest of the aubergines.

4. the rest of the meat sauce.

Pour on the topping. Dot with butter and add finely-grated cheese - Parmesan or any other hard salty cheese is best.

Place in a moderate oven (around 350F or 180 C or regulo 3)
for about 45 minutes. The Moussaka is ready when the topping has risen and is a nice golden brown colour.

Tip

Before serving leave the Moussaka for about 20 minutes. It will be easier to cut into squares to serve.

Incidentally, if you can't find aubergines there's a similar Greek dish - called Pastichio which is made with macaroni. Just replace the aubergine layers with layers of boiled macaroni.

Kali Orexi (Bon appetit in Greek).

Yes.. The internet has thousands of them or are you far to lazy to type it into your search engine and expect me to do it... lazy twat!

Put a cow in a sack!!!

Moo-sack-a

INGREDIENTS
3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound lean ground beef
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups hot milk
salt to taste
ground white pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg


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DIRECTIONS
Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Huh, what be that, actually just give that person with the whole recipe above me the best answer!

Moussaka (Lamb-Eggplant Casserole)

Recipe origin: Greece

Ingredients

* 2 medium eggplants, thinly sliced
* 3 Tablespoons olive oil
* 2 medium onion, diced
* 2 green peppers, seeded and diced
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1? pounds ground lamb or beef
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* ? teaspoon black pepper
* ? teaspoon salt
* ? teaspoon cinnamon
* ? cup plain yogurt
* 4 egg yolks
* 1 Tablespoon flour

Procedure

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the onion, peppers, and garlic.

2. Add the ground meat, paprika, pepper, salt, and cinnamon.

3. When the meat is crumbled and cooked, put it in a bowl and set aside.

4. Sauté the eggplant slices in the skillet, adding more oil if needed.

5. Brown on both sides, remove, and set aside.

6. In a large casserole dish, alternate layers of the eggplant and the meat mixture.

7. Preheat oven to 350°F.

8. Place cover or aluminum foil over the dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

9. In a mixing bowl, beat together the yogurt, egg yolks, and flour. Remove the casserole from the oven and remove cover.

10. Spread the yogurt mixture over the top of the moussaka.

11. Return uncovered casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 6 to 8.

Here's the recipe I use: time-consuming to prep, but very easy to cook and extremely tasty. This one uses Parmesan, which isn't authentic but gives a good flavour.

Moussaka for six


Ingredients
200ml olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
? tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground allspice
500g minced lamb
200ml white wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
30g finely grated Parmesan
1kg aubergines

For the white sauce and topping:

30g finely grated Parmesan
568ml carton milk
1 bay leaf
3 black peppercorns
75g butter
75g plain flour
2 egg yolks


Method
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently until soft. Add the cinnamon and allspice and continue to fry for 2 minutes, before mixing in the minced lamb. Increase the heat slightly and stir-fry the meat briskly until it separates into small granules and turns brown. Add the wine, tomatoes, lemon zest, parsley and oregano and bring to the boil. Adjust the seasoning and reduce the heat so the meat gently simmers. Cook for 30 minutes or until rich and thick, then beat in the Parmesan and adjust the seasoning.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Make the white sauce: put the milk, bay leaf and peppercorns into a saucepan. Set over a low heat, and 'scald' the milk by bringing it up to boiling point then removing from the heat. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.
While the milk is infusing, top and tail the aubergines and cut them lengthways into slices about 7.5mm thick. Pour a little of the remaining olive oil into a non-stick frying pan and set over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add a single layer of aubergine slices and fry briskly until pale gold on both sides. As they cook, they will begin to release some of the oil they initially absorbed. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and gently pat with extra paper to soak up some of the excess oil. Repeat the process with the remaining aubergine and oil, then lightly season the aubergine slices.
Finish the white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the flour, to make a roux, and cook for about 3 minutes. This might seem a lot of butter and flour but you are making a thick, yet light topping. Strain the flavoured milk and, using a wooden spoon, slowly stir it into the roux, only adding more milk after it has been smoothly absorbed into the roux. You will end up with a thick sauce. Simmer over a very low heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Then remove from the heat and beat in the two egg yolks. Add salt to taste.
Line the bottom of your baking dish with half the aubergine slices. Cover with the meat, followed by the remaining aubergine. Then evenly spread the warm white sauce over the top and scatter with the final 30g Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the topping has formed a thick, golden crust. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving in slices.

Try the following

Moussaka with Roasted Aubergines and Ricotta

1 lb (450 g) minced Scotch lamb
2 medium-sized aubergines
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped small
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 rounded tablespoons tomato purée
3 fl oz (75 ml) red wine
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the topping:
9 oz (250 g) ricotta
10 fl oz (275 ml) whole milk
1 oz (25 g) plain flour
1 oz (25 g) butter
? whole nutmeg, grated
1 bay leaf
1 large egg
1 level tablespoon grated Parmesan
salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need an ovenproof baking dish measuring 10 x 8 inches (25.5 x 20 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep, and a 14 x 11 inch (35 x 28 cm) baking sheet.

First of all you need to prepare the aubergines to get rid of their high water content and concentrate their flavour. To do this, remove the stalks and, leaving the skins on, cut them into approximately 1? inch (4 cm) chunks. Then place them in a colander and sprinkle them with about 1 level dessertspoon of salt. Now put a plate on top of them and weigh it down with something heavy, then put another plate underneath to catch the juices. Leave them like this for 1 hour. Then, shortly before the end of this time, pre-heat the oven to its highest setting. When the hour is up, squeeze out any of the excess juice from the aubergines with your hands and dry them as thoroughly as you can in a clean cloth. Next, spread them out on the baking sheet, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over them and toss them around to get a good coating. Now pop the baking sheet in the oven and roast the aubergines for 30 minutes or until they are tinged brown at the edges.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in your largest frying pan and fry the onions and garlic gently for about 5 minutes. After that, turn the heat up high, add the minced lamb and brown it for a few minutes, turning it and keeping it on the move. Now cook the whole lot, stirring all the time, for 2-3 minutes. Then reduce the heat and, in a small bowl, mix the mint, parsley, cinnamon, tomato purée and red wine. When they're thoroughly combined, pour them over the meat, season well and cook the whole lot very gently for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time so it doesn't catch on the base of the pan.

Now remove the aubergines from the oven and reduce the temperature to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C). It's a good idea to leave the oven door open to cool it down a bit.

Next, make the topping by placing the milk, flour, butter, nutmeg and bay leaf in a saucepan. Using a balloon whisk, whisk over a medium heat until everything comes up to simmering point and the sauce becomes smooth and glossy. Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook gently for 5 minutes. Then taste and season, discarding the bay leaf, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool a little before whisking in the ricotta and egg. Give it a good whisk to blend everything thoroughly.

Finally, combine the roasted aubergines with the meat mixture and transfer it all to the baking dish. Then pour the topping over, sprinkle the surface with the Parmesan and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 50 minutes, by which time the top will be golden brown. Let it stand for 10 minutes to settle, then serve with brown rice and a Greek-style salad of cucumber, tomatoes, olives and crumbled Feta cheese dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.





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