Beef Moussaka
A delicious meat sauce layered with eggplant and topped with a creamy cheesy bechamel sauce. Full of Mediterranean flavors.
Ingredients
Eggplant Layer
- 3-4 eggplants approx. 4 lbs.
- 1 cup olive oil
- Sea salt as needed
Beef Ragu
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Onion, Large diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper or to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ⅓ cup dried currants rehydrated
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ginger, powdered
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 28 oz canned whole tomatoes San Marzano preferred
- ½ cup dry red wine
Béchamel Sauce
- 8 oz unsalted butter 1 stick
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup Pecorino cheese grated (1/4 cup reserved for topping)
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 4 egg yolks
Instructions
For the Eggplant
- Slice the unpeeled eggplant lengthwise in 1/4" thick slices. Salt both sides of each slice liberally and place on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and place a weight on top to press the eggplant. A heavy bottom pan works great for this. Set the eggplant aside for at least an hour (2 + hours is even better) to draw out some of the moisture.
- Pat dry and fry each slice in olive oil for 2-3 minutes a side. Drain the browned caramelized slices of additional oil over paper towels. Set aside.
For the Beef Filling
- Soak the currents in hot water and allow to steep of 30 minutes.
- Brown the beef in a large sauté pan. Transfer into a mesh strainer and drain any fat in meat and remaining in pan.
- Return pan to heat add olive and sauté the onions, garlic, bell peppers and red pepper flake until soft. Return the meat to the pan and and the tomato paste, currants, bay leaves and remaining spices. Mix to incorporate well. Hand crush the whole tomatoes directly into the pan along with any remaining juices in the can. Add the red wine and allow the mixture to reduce 20 - 30 minutes. The ragu should be thick and rich without being runny. Remove any remaining bay leaves.
Béchamel Sauce and Assembly
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- In a medium sauce pan melt butter and stir in flour. Whisk in milk in a slow steady stream to avoid clumps. Add grated nutmeg and whisk in the pecorino and feta cheese until smooth and thick. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl separate egg yolks add a few tablespoons of the warm béchamel and whisk in briskly order to temper the egg yolks. Incorporate the egg into the sauce.
- In a 9 x 13 baking dish begin with a layer of overlapping friend eggplant slices. Cover with half of the ragu mixture. repeat this process one time ending with the ragu mixture. Top with the béchamel sauce and sprinkle grated Pecorino cheese.
- Bake for 1 hour. The top should be browned and bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 30 - 40 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Serving: 12ozCalories: 1021kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 29gFat: 85gSaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 249mgSodium: 534mgPotassium: 1186mgFiber: 8gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 1901IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 382mgIron: 5mg
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