Greek moussaka is a dish that can be roughly compared to lasagna. Yes, the comparison is very rough, but in general look: there is minced meat, there is a rich sauce, there are layers, there is a lot of cheese on top. But due to the fact that instead of sheets of dough we use vegetables, the dish turns out much easier.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – August 08, 2021 – Kitchen
It turns out a chic and hearty seasonal dish.
Ingredients (for the form of 22 * 22 cm)
eggplant – 3-4 pcs
hard cheese – 100 g
Meat sauce:
meat (minced veal, you can take any) – 700-800 g
bulb – 1 pc
carrots – 1 pc
garlic – 3-4 cloves
tomato juice – 400 g
red dry wine – 150 g
vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.
spices for moussaka – 1 tbsp. l. (spices can be taken separately: oregano – 1 tsp., coriander – 0.5 tsp., cinnamon – 0.25 tsp., hot pepper – 0.25 tsp.)
salt
Quick Béchamel:
milk – 400 g
butter – 40 g
flour – 30 g
eggs – 2 pcs
salt – 0.5 tsp.
black pepper
Preparation:
1. In eggplant, cut the sepals and cut into plates about a centimeter thick. Put the eggplant in a deep container in layers, carefully salting each layer. Leave for 20-30 minutes. The salt will dissolve and remove the moisture, and if the eggplant is bitter, the salt will also remove the bitterness.
2. Now you need to get rid of excess fluid. To do this, spread the eggplant on a cutting board covered with paper towels, and wipe them well with towels on top.
3. Now the eggplant needs to be cooked. According to the classics for moussaka, they are fried in hot oil, and for those who watch calories – a little oil with a cooking brush put on a baking sheet covered with parchment, and bake in the oven at 200 ° C for 15-20 minutes.
4. We begin to prepare meat sauce. It is very reminiscent of Italian bolognese. Cut the onion into small cubes and chop the garlic. Grate carrots on a large grater. Heat a frying pan over high heat, pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil, and send the stuffing there. Stir from time to time to break up large lumps. Prepare for the appearance of light gold. Add salt, moussaka spices, and dry wine to the minced meat. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. I send onions, garlic, and carrots to the pan. Stir until divided and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour tomato juice into the pan. Stir and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the sauce becomes thick. Leave the finished sauce in the pan.
5. Now prepare a quick version of bechamel sauce. Pour milk into a saucepan and send butter there. Send the mixture to the fire – let it boil. Meanwhile, pour the flour into a bowl. Add salt and pepper. We kill eggs. Thoroughly mix the mixture with a whisk until smooth. When the milk and butter boil, stirring, pour it into the egg mixture. Pour about half, mix, and then pour everything back into the pan. Stir and return the future sauce to the heat. Stirring, cook the sauce until thickened. Send a spoonful of bechamel sauce in the meat sauce and mix. Béchamel will make it more tender.
6. Grate the cheese. Now let’s start assembling. At the bottom of the form, a thick layer spread two-thirds of eggplant. Spread a thick layer of meat sauce on top of the eggplant. Spread eggplant on top. Distribute the bechamel sauce on top and flatten it. Sprinkle the top with cheese and distribute it evenly.
7. Bake the moussaka in the oven at 180 ° C for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is ruddy and appetizing bubbling at the edges.
See the video for details.
Read Also: Cabbage Pancakes, an Original Recipe
Source: Ukrgate
