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Moussaka Thursday, September 19, 2013, 09:59 AM

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This is the version from 2010-10-28. Last updated 2013-09-24

See below for lentil moussaka variation.

Moussaka

(Inspired by My recipes.com)

Meat mixture:

• 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds lean ground lamb or beef (or lentils, see notes below)
• 2 cups chopped onion (~1 onion)
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon black pepper
• 4 x 14.5-ounce or 2 x 28 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 large garlic clove, minced

Sauce / Béchamel:

Note: See this Béchamel recipe for a less-healthy but tastier version

• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk or Almond Milk, divided
• 1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine or Smart Balance/Olivio [Optional]
• 3 large egg whites (~3/8 cup egg beaters). OR 2 real eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (Whole wheat optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Remaining ingredients:

• 2 x 1-1/4-pound (Graffiti if possible) eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 3/4 pound yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 cup (ish) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• Oregano sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Much of this happens concurrently. The following is my general ordering:

1. Start water boiling for potatoes
2. Roast eggplant
3. Brown meat (or prep lentils) and make filling
4. Slice and boil potatoes
5. Make Béchamel
6. Assemble

Eggplant

(The instructions for the eggplant were updated on 2014-03-25 based on 2014-03-23)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place slices of eggplant on a tray and spray with pam. Sprinkle generously with salt. Roast for 15 minutes until well cooked. No need to flip and can do multiple trays at once.

(Alternatively, broiling the eggplant gives better and crispier slices but in the end, that doesn't matter. However, the original instructions are below)

Preheat broiler.

Place half of eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or on a wire wrack on baking sheet (makes them more crispy). Spray slices with pam (or olive oil). Sprinkle generously with salt (only salt one side).Broil 4 to 8 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining eggplant.

Meat Mixture

Sauté onions for about 5-10 min. If using beef, add to onions and break it up as you go. This may need to be drained if the beef is very fatty.

If using lentils, prepare as per the instructions below.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the onions. Add beef (if separate) or lentils (after cooking) and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Béchamel

This version of béchamel is healthier than a traditional one. But you can use this traditional recipe instead

To prepare béchamel sauce, cook 1-1/2 cups milk and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat to about or below 180°F or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Combine 1/2 cup milk, egg whites, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; gradually add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan, and cook until thick (about 15 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Potatoes

Slice potatoes into 1/4 in. slices. Cook potato slices in boiling water 5-15 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Arrange potatoes in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half the eggplant slices over potatoes. Pour half meat mixture over eggplant, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese. Arrange remaining eggplant over cheese, and top with the remaining meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese. Spread sauce over cheese, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes. Garnish with oregano sprigs, if desired.

Lentil Variation:

Cook in a separate pot, 1-1/4 cups lentils in 2-1/2 cups of water. Bring to a "rapid simmer" and reduce heat to a "gentle simmer" for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are just slightly undercooked. (older lentils take longer). Add water as needed to keep the lentils submerged. (see this Kitchn post for details)

While the lentils are cooking, make the traditional "meat" mixture (sans meat obviously). Approximately multiply all seasonings (except salt) by 1.5x. (Rather than "heaping " measures, I did a regular doubled measure).

Drain the lentils and add to the other mixture. Proceed as usual

(Lentil variation based on 2013-03-02 and 2013-09-23)

Changes:

• 2020-01-12: Major reordering and reworking

Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6671, 2013-09-19_095942