Sara's Moussaka

The first moussaka I made was from a book I bought in Greece called "The Best Traditional Recipes Of Greek Cooking". Over the years I have changed and added to that recipe so much, in an effort to catch the flavour of the moussaka I enjoyed many, many times in Greece. It is now so different from that original basic recipe, and in my opinion, pretty much spot on to the "real" thing :) **It may seem like a lot of olive oil, but you do drain it off in the end, and it is essential to the flavour!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 -5  eggplants, sliced into 8mm rounds
• 1  kg ground beef
• 3⁄4 cup olive oil
• 3  tomatoes, diced
• 1 (400 g) can diced tomatoes
• 4  large onions, diced
• 4  garlic cloves, crushed
• 3  bay leaves
• 1⁄3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2  teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 2  tablespoons  beef stock, paste
• 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 1⁄2 cups plain flour
•  salt
•  pepper

• BECHAMEL SAUCE

• 1  cup plain flour
• 2  cups milk, warmed
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 2  eggs, lightly beaten
• 1  cup parmesan cheese
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and saute the onions. And the ground beef, nd cook 10 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, and stock paste. Allow to boil for 1 hour.
2. In the meantime, soak the eggplant slices in salted water for 1 hour.
3. Place the meat mixture into a colander to drain the excess oil.
4. Drain the eggplant, coat them in flour, and fry them in very hot oil until browned.
5. In a baking dish, place a layer of eggplant slices, salt & pepper, and a layer of meat mixture.
6. Add another layer of eggplant, and another layer of meat mixture.
7. Finally, pour the bechamel sauce over the last layer and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
8. Bake at 180C for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden.
9. Remove from oven. Stand for 20-30 minutes, cut into swares, and serve with a green salad.
10. BECHAMEL SAUCE:
11. In a large bowl, microwave butter and oil for 1 minute.
12. Add flour, whisking until smooth. Microwave 1 minute.
13. Slowly add milk, whisking until smooth. Microwave 2 minutes.
14. Add eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Microwave in 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.