Moussaka

This dish is traditional Greek Comfort food. It’s got such a unique taste, that you’ll soon be looking for more of it. The dish is great when served hot or cold, and the flavours improve if left in a refrigerator overnight, and then heated up the next day to have hot.

A traditional Greek Moussaka tends to use Pork mince, but Beef is more than fine – you can also make this a vegetarian dish by using more Aubergines instead of the Minced Meat.

To Serve 4
600g Aubergine, Sliced into 1cm Thick Rounds
1tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped Roughly
2 Garlic Cloves, Chopped Finely
400g Minced Beef
1tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon (or 2 Cinnamon Sticks)
Small Bunch Parsley, Chopped
1tbsp Clear Honey
470g Jar of White Sauce
100g Cheese
Sea Salt and Pepper

1. Sprinkle the Aubergines with a little Sea Salt, and allow to stand for fifteen minutes, before rinsing and drying off with kitchen paper. Heat a grill up, and grill on each side for two minutes until they are lightly browned and dry.
2. Heat the Oil up in a large pan, and cook the Onion and Garlic until soft and brown – around four minutes. Add the meat (if using it), and cook brown it off for about five minutes.
3. Add the Worcestershire Sauce, Chopped Tomatoes, Cinnamon, Parsley and Honey to the pan, and simmer for fifteen minutes uncovered, before removing the Cinnamon Stick (if you aren’t using Ground Cinnamon). Pre-heat the Oven to 170C
4. In a large Ovenproof dish, layer the Aubergines with the Meat Sauce, then pour the White Sauce over the top and scatter the Cheese over the top. Bake for thirty minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.

Photo Courtesy of: zrzka2010