Moussaka Recipe
Ingredients:
2 lb. ground lamb,
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped,
2 large eggplants, sliced,
4 large tomatoes, chopped,
2 medium zucchini, chopped,
1 medium onion, chopped,
1 cup button mushrooms, chopped,
1/2 lb. yogurt,
1 cup olive oil,
2 tsp. ground cumin,
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg,
1 tsp. dried oregano,
1 tsp. sage,
2 cloves garlic, minced,
1 cup bechamel sauce,
1/2 bell pepper, chopped,
1 tsp. allspice,
2 large eggs, lightly beaten,
salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe:
Brown the ground lamb in the olive oil with the mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini, garlic, onion and spices. Add the tomatoes and herbs at the end, except the fresh basil. Slice the eggplant thinly; grease a baking dish and layer the bottom with eggplant. Spread some of the ground lamb over the eggplant and repeat until you layer all the eggplant. Bake at medium-high for about 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Mix the bechamel with the yogurt and eggs and pour the mixture over the moussaka. Bake until the white sauce topping is set and has a nice golden brown skin. Sprinkle with the basil and let the moussaka stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Moussaka was made popular by the Greeks, but it is a traditional dish in many other cuisines in the Balkans and the Middle East. Although the Greek version is made with eggplants many other Balkan cuisines use potatoes instead of eggplant. For those of you who never tried moussaka, the easiest way to describe it is a nice Lasagna Bolognese layered with eggplant instead of pasta. Of course it is more then that, but you should try it for yourself.
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