I love comfort food, especially when it’s cold outside and there is nothing more comforting than making and eating Moussaka. It has bold flavors with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg and is rich and creamy. Preparing moussaka takes time, but it is fun to make and the results are so worth the effort!

A little background on the origin Moussaka It is a traditional aubergine (eggplant) dish from the Balkans and the Middle East, but it mostly associated with Greece and Turkey. The Greek version, which is best known outside the region, consists of layers of ground minced lamb, tomato sauce, sliced eggplant and then topped with a cheese-flavored béchamel sauce (probably introduced by Nikos Tselementes in the 1920’s) and baked until golden brown. Just as an aside note, Tselementes was a well-known professional chef from the Greek island of Sifnos, who created the moussaka that most of us know today. He is credited with extending the traditional ingredients of mincemeat and aubergines and combining them with the béchamel topping.

Moussaka made in Greece, uses a varietal eggplant called langada which is smaller than many other varieties and has a slender pear-shaped fruit. It is believed by Greeks that moussaka only tastes right if prepared with the langada eggplant, which gives it a flavor that is characteristic to Greek cuisine. My version actually combines flavors and textures from the entire region. In addition to the eggplant, I also use potatoes, which is found in moussaka recipes from countries like Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia and Macedonia.

To start, slice the eggplant using a mandolin to 1/8 -1/4 inch in thickness. Place eggplant slices on a rack over a sheet tray and sprinkle with salt. Let eggplant sit for about 30 minutes to remove excess liquid (eggplants contain 92% water content) and any bitterness. Rinse eggplant of any salt and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss eggplant slices in Greek olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 400-degree oven until slightly charred and soft. Meanwhile, slice Yukon gold potatoes or white potatoes to the same thickness as the eggplant and toss in olive oil and roast in the oven until lightly browned and somewhat soft. Let both the potatoes and eggplant cool on the sheet trays until ready to assemble.

To make the tomato sauce, finely dice onion and garlic and sauté in olive oil until softened.  Add tomato paste and deglaze the pan with red wine.  Reduce the wine, and add chopped fresh thyme and dried Greek oregano.  (If you can’t find dried Greek oregano then use fresh chopped oregano instead.)    Then add canned crushed roma tomatoes with puree, bay leaf, and water.  Simmer for about 45 minutes until thick and flavorful.  Meanwhile, finely dice another onion and sauté in olive oil until soft, add chopped garlic, and fresh ground chuck or a combination of lamb and chuck.  Add chopped fresh thyme, dried Greek oregano, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook mixture until the meat is finely minced and the flavors are combined.  Add mixture to a large bowl and stir in the tomato sauce and let cool to almost room temperature.  When mixture is cool, add freshly ground seasoned breadcrumbs and egg whites.  (The breadcrumbs and egg whites act as a binder to the mixture and also soak up any additional moisture from the eggplant.)  Taste again and re-season if necessary.  You should definitely taste the cinnamon.

To assemble the moussaka, pour a small amount of olive oil in a casserole dish and distribute evenly along the bottom and sides.  Place a layer of the roasted potatoes (slightly overlapping) on the bottom.  Next spoon an even layer of the tomato sauce-meat mixture over potatoes and then a layer of roasted eggplant slices, followed by a final layer of the tomato sauce-meat mixture.  Make sure surface is smooth and even and set aside.  

Finally, make the béchamel sauce by melting butter in a saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux and then add warmed milk.  Stir over low heat for about 5 minutes until sauce thickens.  It should be really thick and creamy.  Do not add any additional cream or it will be too thin.  Add a small amount of lemon juice, freshly ground nutmeg, and grated Greek cheese.  I like using a combination of Kefalotyri and Manouri cheeses.  If you can’t find Kefalotyri or Manouri then you can substitute Parmesan and Goat cheese instead and get similar results with taste and texture.  Once cheeses are melted, add salt and white pepper to taste and spoon mixture evenly over casserole.  Cook in a 375-degree oven for about 50 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.  Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let sit for about 30 minutes until firm enough to cut into rounds or squares.  Re-heat if necessary after cutting.

I serve my version of moussaka with a brown sauce made by reducing veal stock, shallots, thyme and a small amount of tomato paste until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  I then strain the sauce through a fine strainer and season with salt and pepper and set aside.  I also drizzle the plate with oregano oil for color.  To make oregano oil, place a bunch of oregano in salted boiling water for about 30 seconds, then immediately immerse into ice water.  Once cool, remove the leaves from the stems and add to a blender along with olive oil, canola oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste and blend until smooth.  Top moussaka with shaved Kefalotryi cheese, chevril for color and serve!