VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA

vegetarian version of the Greek classic

Ingredients

Tomato

sauce

• 2 large onions
• 30 ml olive oil
• 30 g butter
• 150 g minced mushrooms (if you insist upon using meat, substitute 500 g ground beef or lamb for the mushrooms)
• 3 tomatoes, peeled and puraeed
• 50 ml tomato paste
• 175 ml dry red wine
• 20 g chopped parsley
• 5 ml cinnamon
• 15 ml finely chopped garlic
• 15 ml oregano
• 5 ml sugar

Bechamel

sauce

• 1 liter milk
• 100 g butter
• 40 g flour
• 0.5 ml nutmeg
• 1 ml white pepper

The

casserole

• some olive oil
• 1.5 kg eggplant
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 350 g ricotta cheese
• 120 g dry bread crumbs
• 350 g grated kefalotyri or parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. First make the tomato sauce: peel and mince onions. Sautae onions in 30 ml oil and 30 ml butter, over moderate heat, until they are soft and lightly colored (about 8 minutes). Add mushrooms and sautae. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, parsley, seasonings and sugar.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Most of the liquid should be evaporated, and the mixture quite thick. Remove skillet from heat and let it cool completely.
3. Start seasoning the eggplants: peel eggplants and slice vertically, 2 mm to 5mm thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit for 30 minutes.
4. Now make the Bechamel Sauce: Place the milk in a saucepan, and heat it just until tiny bubbles appear along the edges. Remove and set aside.
5. Melt one cube butter in 3-liter saucepan over very low heat until foamy, being careful not to brown. Slowly add the 40 g flour, stirring constantly until smooth (3-4 minutes), and still being careful not to let it brown. Add the milk slowly, whipping with a wire whisk. When the mixture is thick and smooth, remove it from the heat and stir in seasonings. Cool sauce slightly.
6. Back to the eggplant: Rinse well with cold water; squeeze gently and pat dry. Dredge the eggplant in 150 g flour, and sautae each in olive oil until it is brown on both sides.
7. Put it all together: Stir ricotta cheese until it is smooth and creamy. Gently fold it into the Bechamel sauce. Stir in beaten eggs until thoroughly incorporated.
8. Remove and discard any excess oil that has risen to the top of the tomato mixture.
9. Lightly grease a 40 x 25 baking pan that is at least 7 cm deep, and sprinkle the bottom with a few breadcrumbs. Place a layer of eggplant in the pan, following with a layer of tomato mixture. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Repeat as many times as you have eggplant to last.
10. Pour the Bechamel-ricotta sauce over the top and bake at 150C for one hour, or until a golden-brown crust has formed on top. Remove moussaka from oven and let it stand undisturbed 20-30 minutes; the delay allows the layers to fuse.

Notes

This recipe is sized for a large cake pan. If you cut the recipe in half it will fit into an ordinary lasagna-size baking dish.

Rating

Contributor

 
Moira Mallison 
Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon, USA 
tektronix!moiram 
 

Original header

Path: decwrl!recipes
From: moiram@tektronix (Moira Mallison)
Newsgroups: mod.recipes
Subject: RECIPE: vegetarian moussaka
Message-ID: <2713@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: 2 May 86 03:43:10 GMT
Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM
Organization: Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Lines: 116
Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP


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