Moussaka for my dad
A touch of cinnamon takes as ordinary moussaka to a new level — it is then when an ordinary weekday meal turns into a delectable dish. Serve it on its own or as part of a lavish Mediterranean feast.
What you’ll need
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
750 g beef mince (traditionally it is made with lamb mince, but beef works just as well)
1 x 410 g peeled and chopped tomatoes
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or another teaspoon dried)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large aubergines, sliced
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons cake flour
2¼ cups warm milk
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs
This is how you do it
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy-based pot and fry the onion with the garlic until soft and translucent. Stir in the meat with a fork to prevent any clumps from forming and fry until the meat changes colour.
Add the tomatoes, cinnamon and oregano, fresh and dried. Season to taste. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Take off the lid and cook for some more until all liquid has evaporated.
Brush the aubergine slices with the remaining tablespoon of oil and grill until golden on both sides. (You can either do it in a griddle pan or under a preheated oven grill.) Drain on kitchen paper and season.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, remove from the heat and whisk in the milk. (The secret to a good white sauce is not to overthink it! If you start to stress about what could go wrong, it probably will.) Return to the heat and keep whisking until it forms a thick sauce. Remove from the heat, cool slightly, then beat in half the cheese and the egg yolk. Season to taste.
Places half of the aubergine slices in the bottom of a shallow, ovenproof dish. Spread the half the meat mixture on top, follow with the rest of the aubergine slices and the meat. Cover with the white sauce. Mix the rest of the Parmesan cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top.
Bake in a preheated oven of 180⁰C for about 1 hour.
