(GREEK MEAT & EGGPLANT BAKE)

Time: 2 hour + 20 minutes (+ 30 minutes rest)

Serves:

Ragu

1 brown onion, rough dice

1 red onion, rough dice

3-5 garlic cloves, minced

1kg beef mince

2 tbl sp dr oregano

2 tbl paprika

1 tbl sp gr cinnamon

1 cup red wine

800gm can crushed tomatoes

3 bay leaves

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

Add heavy large pot to medium heat, adda fair glug of oil and add in the diced onions. Allow to sweat for 8-10 minutes with a pinch of salt. Add in minced garlic after the sweat and mix through for a minute.

Bring heat to high and add in beef mince and using the spoon break it into pieces and allow it to brown in the pot. Once completely browned, add in the spices and mix through. Cook out for a minute.

Pour in red wine and cook out half the liquid, scrapping the bottom of the pan with wooden spoon to help deglaze. Add crush tomatoes and bay leaf, before seasoning to taste.

Bring to high simmer and let it gently simmer for 60-90 minutes, depends on heat but you want pretty much all the liquid gone.

Preheat oven 180 degrees celcius.

Roasted Vegetables

10 small potatoes or 4 large potatoes

3 medium large eggplants

Extra virgin olive oil

Start by slicing the eggplant long ways and around 1cm thick. Place on paper towel and season with salt to draw out liquid.

Slice potatoes long ways around half a centimetre thick and place onto lined tray with heaps of olive oil. Cook for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Do the same with the eggplant, cooking for 25 minutes or until you have a touch of colour.

Olive Oil Béchamel

100ml Red Island Extra Virgin Olive Oil

100gm plain flour

1 ltr milk

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 whole nutmeg

100gm parmesan/grana padano

Salt, to taste

Pour in olive into deep pot over high heat, whisk in flour and cook for a minute. Add in your milk and then whisk hard until béchamel thickens but you want it still have a loosish feel, so not as thick as a typical béchamel. Turn off heat and whisk in eggs and yolks, super quickly as to not scramble them. Microplane in fresh nutmeg and cheese before seasoning with salt to taste.

The Build

To build the moussaka begin with a layer of the potatoes. Followed by layering the eggplant. Make sure you really squish in the eggplant and cover any holes. Top with the ragu and level out with a spoon to make even and tight. Pour over the béchamel sauce and then smooth out with an offset spatula.

Place into oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes. At the end of the cook if it hasn’t got enough colour, ram up the oven to grill for a few minutes until you have that iconic burnt brown char I love with moussaka. Let it rest for minimum 30 minutes to allow the moussaka to set or it’ll become a puddle when you cut it.

*note

If you have not reduced the liquid out of the ragu enough, it will seep out during the oven cook. If this happens do not stress, grab a paper towel and fold in into a flat square, and gently place it in the oil coming out from the sides and it will draw it up. Do this as many times as you need.