Lamb Moussaka- Greek casserole

Recently at a buffet I mistook a dish from the Ottoman Empire for the popular Italian lasagna. The moussaka is essentially an egg plant based dish originating from the regions which were once part of the ottoman empire like turkey, Greece, the Balkans, the levant regions and as far as Egypt. All of these regions have evolved the Moussaka into their own variants, such that n some they are baked after layering, some have the eggplant as a principal component, some have potato, some eaten hot while some chilled and served after a day.

Today’s food journey will be with a Moussaka cooked the greek way, as a  layered dish including sautéed eggplants a ground meat, which in this case will be minced lamb, and Béchamel  sauce topping. The English name moussaka finds its origin in the greek mousakás, which in turn borrows from the Turkish musakka, an evolution of the Arabic musaqqa‘ah. The Arabic word means chilled.

Like most of our journeys this one will also start at the pantry of the kitchen the way my mom has taught me to with every of my journeys. First order of business in this journey, will be garnering the ingredients. To make a serving for about 6 people we will need:

1. Eggplant or brinjal-2 large or 3 medium
2. Russet potatoes-  2 large
3. Olive oil- 1/3^rd cup
4. Onion -3 large
5. Minced lamb- 600 gms
6. Plum tomatoes -6 large
7. Minced garlic – 2 teaspoon
8. Cloves- 2-3
9. Cinnamon stick- 4- 5 cm long
10. Bay leaf-1
11. Ground allspice(garam masala)- to taste/1 pinch
12. Freshly ground black pepper- to taste
13. Tomato puree- 2 table spoons
14. Dry red wine-1/4^th cup
15. Bread crumbs- 1/4^th cup
16. Cheese sauce- 2 cups
17. Salt- as per taste.

Like all dishes before the actual cooking there is some amount of preparation involved. In the moussaka, we will have to prepare the layers of the eggplant potato and lamb, before topping it off with the Béchamel sauce and then combining it all to bake it.

To begin with we will rinse the eggplant, off needed peel it and then slice it into appropriate thickness. This is now placed in a colander standing on a larger bowl. Now sprinkle salt liberally over the slices and mix thoroughly and let it stand for about 20 minutes. At the end of about 20 minutes, moisture will start to rise from the vegetable and onto the surface. Now thoroughly wash the slices and drain off all extra salt and blot them dry. This will ensure that the vegetable collapses a little allowing it to soak less of oil while frying it. Any bitterness within the vegetable will also be drawn out by this. While the eggplant is being cured, peel and wash the potatoes and boil them in a covered bowl for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Alternatively it can be pressure cooked for 2 whistles. Once done cool and slice into slices of about 1/8^th of an inch width and set aside.

Now in a pan heat oil till it shimmers and add the egg plant slices few at a time, turning them over and sautéing so that they soften, tenderize and take a light colour. Remove the done slices, draining excess oil and add fresh slices to the oil and repeating the process till all the slices are done and set aside.

Dice the onions and after heating oil in a pan add the diced onions to it, and sauté till oil separates and the onions tenderize. Add the minced meat to the fried onions and cook over a high heat for about 7 minutes frequently stirring it. This will lead to the meat losing its raw texture and tenderize. Dice the tomatoes to about 2 cups worth and then add to the cooking lamb and onions along with garlic, bay leaf, clove, salt and pepper to taste, the all spice powder and cinnamon also ground into the powder. Stir frequently to mix the flavours and then add about ½ cup of water. Let this simmer for about 10 minutes, then add the tomato paste and red wine and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Now cover and let this simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat. Remove cover and on a simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, allowing the paste to thicken and flavours to intensify. The wine will add a sweet aroma to this meat sauce. Cool this and set it aside

We are now ready to make the moussaka. To begin with we preheat the oven to  about 180 C. grease a baking dish and spread the bread crumbs on the bottom, add a portion of the eggplant and layer evenly, followed by the meat sauce. Now spread an even layer of the sliced boiled potatoes followed by the remaining sautéed eggplants, topped with an even layer of the Béchamel sauce. To make things easier we will be using a cheese sauce instead of the traditional Béchamel sauce. Now bake for about 30 to 40 minutes till the white cheese sauce starts browning. Remove it from the oven and stand for about 20 minutes before serving. This may be served with some pilaf or bread after cutting into sliced layered portions.

This is a dish that has a lot of history in it and so my mom’s secret ingredients of love and smiles make wonders to transcend it onto something special. So while pouring the sauce, pour in a large dose of love. While layering the dish layer it in with some extra special smile. Enjoy the creation. Bon appétit.