Moussaka

Traditional Greek moussaka is a dish of eggplant with meat and tomatoes, baked in layers with a creamy sauce. The classic moussaka recipe calls for young lamb for its preparation. But since moussaka has many variations, both beef and pork are used. There is also a recipe for meatless moussaka.

Summary

Ingredients

• Eggplant – 1 kg
• Pepper – 0.5 teaspoon (to taste)
• Salt – 1 tbsp (to taste)
• Potatoes – 800 g
• Onions – 200 g
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• Olive oil – 5 tbsp
• Rosemary – 1 teaspoon
• Thyme (thyme, Bogorodskaya herb) – 1 teaspoon
• Sage – 1 teaspoon
• Minced meat – 400 g
• Fresh tomatoes – 400 g
• or canned tomatoes – 400 g
• Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
• Eggs – 3 pcs.
• Milk – 125 ml
• Cheese – 200 g
• Nutmeg – on the tip of a knife (to taste)

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Instructions

1. Cut eggplants into slices, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 15-20 minutes
2. Wash potatoes and boil in salted cold water in their skins until tender, about 20 minutes
3. Peel and finely chop onions and garlic cloves
4. Wash fresh tomatoes and grate them, or use canned tomatoes as is
5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add onions and garlic, sauté for 1-2 minutes
6. Add minced meat with rosemary, thyme, and sage, cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally
7. Add grated tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, stir well
8. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes
9. Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry
10. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium heat, fry eggplant slices for about 5 minutes
11. Peel the boiled potatoes and cut them into slices
12. Preheat oven to 200 °C (392 °F)
13. Grease a baking dish with oil, arrange eggplant slices on the bottom
14. Spread the meat and tomato mixture over the eggplant
15. Layer potato slices on top
16. Grate cheese on a coarse grater
17. Beat eggs with milk and grated cheese, season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg
18. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the layers
19. Place the dish on the middle shelf of the preheated oven
20. Bake at 200 °C (392 °F) for 20-25 minutes