GrowCreateSave.com – Recipes Traditional Greek Moussaka This recipe for a traditional Greek moussaka has wonderful rich flavors and is a great way to use eggplants when they are in abundance. The fragrant beef sauce is complimented by the grilled eggplant and cheese sauce. Serve with a garden salad and garlic bread or mashed potato. Moussaka does take a bit of time to get together making it the perfect treat for a lazy weekend. It can be made up to 1 day ahead of time then stored in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Both the traditional large eggplant and long eggplants can be used in this dish. Serves 4 Ingredients Grilled Eggplant 1 Pound (500g) Eggplant Salt 2 Tsp. Olive Oil Beef Sauce 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil 1 Large Onion Diced 1 Pound (500g) Ground Beef 14 oz. (400g) Tomato Puree ½ Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Mint Leaves 1 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Parsley ½ Tsp. Ground Cinnamon ¼ Tsp. Ground Pepper Cheese Sauce 3.17 oz. (90g) Butter ⅓ Cup Flour or Cornstarch 2 Cups Milk 2 Eggs Lightly Beaten ¾ Cup Cheddar or Romano Cheese

Method First Cut the ends off the eggplant then cut into ½ inch (1cm) slices. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt then place in a bowl. Leave for 1 hour. The salt will draw the moisture from the eggplant. Next make the beef sauce by heating the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and ground beef then cook until done. Drain the fat from the pan. Stir in the tomato puree, mint and parsley leaves, cinnamon and pepper then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Set aside. Wash the salt off the eggplant then pat dry with paper towels or dish towels. Grease a grill pan with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil then heat the pan over medium heat. Grill the eggplant slices for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until cooked through then place on paper towels to soak up any excess grease. Grease the grill pan with the last teaspoon of olive oil then grill the remaining eggplant slices. Set aside. Next lightly grease a 2-quart (2 litre) casserole dish then place half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on the bottom. Place the beef sauce over the top then lay the remaining eggplant slices over the beef sauce. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) while you make the cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat then add the flour. Stir for 1 minute then take off the heat. Add the milk while stirring with a whisk then return to the heat. Cook stirring until thickened and bubbly. Take the sauce off the heat then whisk in the cheese followed by the lightly beaten eggs. Continue to whisk briskly until you pour the sauce over the top of the casserole. Shake the dish back and forwards to cover the top evenly. Bake for 40 minutes until the top is golden and the sides are bubbling then let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Tip It is important to whisk the cheese sauce briskly as you add the eggs in a steady stream so they don’t scramble. If you have more eggplants on hand, an extra layer can be added in the middle of the beef sauce. A normal frypan can be used to cook the eggplant if you don’t have a grill pan.