Moussaka

Name: Moussaka
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Cuisine: Greece
Ingredients: 1¼ kg (2½ lb) eggplants, about 3, in 1 cm rounds; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) waxy potatoes, peeled, in 5 mm slices; 5 tbsp olive oil, 75 ml; 6 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt; 2 tbsp olive oil; 750 g (1⅔ lb) ground lamb or beef; 8 g (1⅓ tsp) fine sea salt; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 125 ml (½ cup) dry red wine; 1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes, 400 g; 1 cinnamon stick, or ½ tsp ground; ½ tsp ground allspice; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 bay leaf; 3 tbsp chopped parsley; 80 g (5½ tbsp) unsalted butter; 80 g (⅔ cup) all-purpose flour; 800 ml (3⅓ cups) whole milk, warm; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; 4 g (⅔ tsp) fine sea salt; 2 egg yolks; 60 g (⅔ cup) kefalotyri or Parmesan, grated, divided

Layers of eggplant, spiced lamb and a thick, golden béchamel

Serves: 8
Hands-on: 1 h 15 min
Total: 2 h 45 min
Level: Project

The Greek moussaka we know — with its thick, custardy béchamel top — is usually credited to the chef Nikolaos Tselementes, whose cookbooks popularized it from the 1920s on. Roasted eggplant (and often potato) is layered with lamb simmered in tomato with cinnamon and allspice, covered with nutmeg béchamel and baked until golden. It's a project, but each stage is simple, and it's even better the next day.

Ingredients

Vegetables

1¼ kgeggplants (2½ lb)about 3, in 1 cm rounds
500 gwaxy potatoes (1 lb 2 oz)peeled, in 5 mm slices
5 tbspolive oil75 ml
6 gfine sea salt (1 tsp)

Meat sauce

2 tbspolive oil
750 gground lamb or beef (1⅔ lb)
8 gfine sea salt (1⅓ tsp)
1large onionfinely chopped
3 clovesgarlicchopped
2 tbsptomato paste
125 mldry red wine (½ cup)
1 canchopped tomatoes (14 oz)400 g
1cinnamon stickor ½ tsp ground
½ tspground allspice
1 tspdried oregano
1bay leaf
3 tbspchopped parsley

Béchamel

80 gunsalted butter (5½ tbsp)
80 gall-purpose flour (⅔ cup)
800 mlwhole milk (3⅓ cups)warm
¼ tspground nutmeg
4 gfine sea salt (⅔ tsp)
2egg yolks
60 gkefalotyri or Parmesan (⅔ cup)grated, divided

Allergens: gluten, milk, egg, sulphites
Origin: Greece
Season: Summer, Autumn

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Brush the eggplant and potato slices with the olive oil, season with salt and spread on 2–3 sheet pans. Roast until the eggplant is soft and golden and the potatoes tender, 25–30 minutes, turning once. 28 min
Meanwhile, make the meat sauce: heat the oil in a wide pan over high heat and brown the meat with the salt, breaking it up, until well browned, 8–10 minutes. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes over medium heat, then the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute. 16 min
Add the wine and boil 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, allspice, oregano and bay. Simmer, stirring now and then, until thick with almost no liquid, 30–40 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay, stir in the parsley. 35 min
Make a thick béchamel (see Béchamel): melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes without browning. Whisk in the warm milk gradually and simmer, whisking, until very thick, 5 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the nutmeg, salt, egg yolks and half the cheese. 8 min
Lower the oven to 180°C (350°F). Assemble in a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in) baking dish: potatoes in one layer, then half the eggplant, all the meat sauce, the rest of the eggplant. Spread the béchamel over the top in a thick, even layer and scatter with the remaining cheese.
Bake until the top is deep golden and puffed and the center reaches 74°C (165°F), 45–50 minutes. 48 min
Rest at least 30 minutes (ideally 1 hour) before cutting, so it sets into clean layers. 30 min

Why it works

Roasting the eggplant instead of frying it needs far less oil and drives off water so the layers don't turn soggy. Cinnamon and allspice give the lamb sauce its warm, distinctly Greek flavor, and reducing it until thick keeps the layers defined. Egg yolks in the béchamel make it set into a firm, custardy top that browns well. Resting lets everything firm up before slicing.

Common mistakes

A wet meat sauce makes the whole dish slump. Reduce until spoonable but thick.
Cutting it hot. It needs at least 30 minutes to set.
A thin béchamel: it should be as thick as soft mashed potato.

Variations

Vegetarian moussaka: Replace the meat with 2 cans of drained lentils and 300 g chopped mushrooms simmered in the same sauce.
Without potatoes: Use 1.6 kg eggplant and skip the potato layer, as many Greek cooks do.

Make ahead and storage

Assemble up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate; bake from cold for 60–70 minutes. Baked moussaka keeps 4 days and freezes for 3 months.

Notes

Kefalotyri is a hard, salty Greek sheep's-milk cheese; Parmesan or pecorino are good substitutes.