Moussaka

This Greek moussaka takes some time, but can be prepared very well in advance. Preferably make the dish a day ahead; after a night in the fridge, the flavours develop more deeply and the moussaka holds its shape better when sliced. If preparing a day in advance: allow 55 to 65 minutes of oven time when the moussaka comes cold from the fridge.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 75 minutes + 45 minutes oven time
Total time: approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes

Ingredients

• Vegetables
• 2 aubergines
• 1 courgette
• 3 medium potatoes
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• Minced beef filling
• 500 grams minced beef
• 400 grams passata or tinned tomatoes
• 70 grams tomato purée
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• Béchamel sauce
• 60 grams butter
• 80 grams flour
• 750 ml milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 small bay leaf
• 2 sprigs thyme
• half an onion
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• Finishing
• 75 grams grated cheese

Preparation

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices.
• Cut the aubergines and courgette into thin slices.
• Finely chop the onion for the minced beef filling. Finely chop the garlic.
• Finely chop the half onion for the béchamel sauce.
• Strip the leaves from the thyme sprigs for the minced beef filling.

Method

1. Heat the olive oil
   Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic
   Gently sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly.
3. Cook the minced beef
   Add the minced beef and cook until crumbly. Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and thyme.
4. Cook the tomato purée
   Add the tomato purée and cook it for 2 minutes.
5. Simmer the sauce
   Pour in the passata or tinned tomatoes. Let the sauce simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, until well reduced.
6. Make the roux
   Melt the butter in a pan. Add the flour and stir into a smooth roux. Cook the roux for a few minutes without letting it colour.
7. Add the milk
   Gradually pour the milk into the roux, stirring well, until a smooth sauce forms.
8. Infuse the béchamel sauce
   Add the bay leaf, thyme, chopped onion, nutmeg and salt. Let the sauce infuse gently for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
9. Heat the olive oil for the vegetables
   Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
10. Fry the vegetables
    Fry the potato, aubergine and courgette in batches on both sides until lightly golden brown. Do not fry too much at once, otherwise the vegetables will stew rather than fry.
11. Drain the vegetables
    Drain the fried vegetables on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
12. Strain the béchamel sauce
    Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the béchamel sauce. If desired, strain the sauce through a fine sieve for a smooth sauce.
13. Add the egg yolk
    Let the sauce cool slightly and stir in the egg yolk.
14. Preheat the oven
    Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
15. Make the potato layer
    Place a layer of potato slices on the bottom of an oven dish.
16. Make the vegetable layers
    Place a layer of aubergine on top, followed by a layer of courgette.
17. Spread the béchamel sauce
    Spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce over the vegetables.
18. Add the minced beef filling
    Spoon the minced beef filling on top and spread it out evenly.
19. Add the rest of the béchamel sauce
    Cover with the rest of the béchamel sauce.
20. Add the cheese
    Sprinkle with the grated cheese.
21. Bake the moussaka
    Bake the moussaka for 45 minutes in the middle of the oven, until the top is golden brown.
22. Rest the moussaka
    Let the moussaka rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
23. Assemble the moussaka in advance
    Moussaka can be prepared well a day in advance. Assemble the dish completely, but do not add the grated cheese yet. Let the dish cool, cover and store in the fridge.
24. Bring the moussaka to temperature
    Take the moussaka out of the fridge 30 to 45 minutes before baking the next day. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.
25. Bake the cold moussaka
    Bake the cold moussaka first for 35 to 40 minutes, covered with aluminium foil, at 180 °C. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the dish is hot all the way through.