Who doesn’t love Moussaka? Lovely memories of having this famous Greek dish when on holiday there many times. What’s interesting is that in Greece they tend to include sliced, cooked potato on the base along with the aubergines; I think this makes it quite heavy, so I prefer to just include the roasted aubergines, which gives a lighter result. I’ve included this along with other larger serving dishes because it is a great one to freeze in individual portions and makes an ideal weekday dinner as you dream of white-sand beaches!
Ingredients
600g minced lamb
2 medium-sized aubergines
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped small
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup of fresh mint, chopped
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 rounded tablespoons tomato purée
1 large glass of red wine
salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the topping:
9 oz (250 g) ricotta
10 fl oz (275 ml) whole milk
1 oz (25 g) plain flour
1 oz (25 g) butter
¼ whole nutmeg, grated
1 bay leaf
1 large egg
2 level tbsp grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
Slice the aubergines into approximately 4cm chunks and spread them out in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season lightly, and toss until evenly coated. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the aubergines are tender and lightly browned around the edges.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently for around 5 minutes, until softened. Increase the heat, add the minced lamb and cook for a few minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until nicely browned.
In a small bowl, combine the chopped mint, parsley, cinnamon, tomato purée and red wine. Pour the mixture into the pan with the lamb, season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan.
Remove the aubergines from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
To make the topping, place the milk, flour, butter, nutmeg and bay leaf in a saucepan. Whisk continuously over a medium heat until the sauce comes to a gentle simmer and thickens to a smooth, glossy consistency. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf, season to taste, then leave the sauce to cool slightly before whisking in the ricotta and egg until smooth.
Place the roasted aubergines at the base of an oiled oven dish and spoon over the lamb mixture, spreading it evenly. Pour the ricotta topping evenly over the surface and finish with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
Bake for 50 minutes, until the topping is golden and bubbling. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving with a crisp Greek salad.