This is really not a quick recipe but my mousakas is everybody’s favourite, “magnificent” is one of the comments I have received over the years whenever I am making this version. I would dare to say it’s a great Greek food but we all know it’s Turkish! However this version belongs to me…!
Ingredients
2 aubergines
1 onion
2 garlic gloves
half a bunch of parsley
1/2 kg potatoes
1/2 kg free range beef mince meat
1 tin organic tomato sauce
2 tbs organic tomato paste
200ml vegetable or beef stock
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp paprika
a pinch or oregano, dried basil black pepper and cayenne
Bechamel sauce (gluten free)
1 Lt goat’s milk
100g manchego
100g parmezan
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbs butter
9 tbs cornflour
Method
-First make the mince meat sauce. Finely chop the onion and garlic and saute them in low medium heat. After 5 min add the mince meat, increase the heat and try to give it a bit of colour. After 10 min add the rest of the ingredients, 1 tin organic tomato sauce , 2 tbs organic tomato paste, 200ml vegetable or beef stock, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp paprika, a pinch or oregano, dried basil black pepper and cayenne. Let it simmer in gentle heat for 1 hour. Taste and add a pinch of salt.
In the meantime you have a lot of things to do.
-Slice thinly the potatoes and the aubergines and fry them in medium heat. For the potatoes I use a lot of olive oil – deep frying. For the aubergines pan fry the aubergines in plenty of olive oil.
-Bechamel. Whisk all the ingredients apart from the cheese. Pour the mixture in a saucepan and keep whisking over high heat. It only takes 5 or 7 min of whisking and you will see the sauce start thickening. If you stop whisking you should also see a few bubbles. Reduce the heat and keep stirring for a couple more minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese and a pinch of salt. Manchego is the cheese closest in taste and texture that we would use in Greece.
-Assemble. Layer potatoes, a bit of mince meat sauce, aubergines, the rest of the meat sauce and finish off with the bechamel sauce.
