Total DeliciousNess

I made Moussaka for the 1st time last week as part of my “fill the freezer” campaign. I looked at various recipes, all requiring a lot of time and separate cooking parts for the aubergines etc. Then I came across one similar to this and made some amendments – SIMPLE!

It tasted fab! Next time I make it I shall take a photo and add it to the page.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 aubergines, cut into chunks
• 675 g minced lamb
• 2 tin chopped tomatoes
• 284 ml chicken stock
• tablespoon ground cinnamon
• tablespoon ground cumin
• tablespoon grated/ground nutmeg

• 50 g butter
• 25 g flour
• 400 ml milk
• 150 g gruyère/cheddar cheese, grated
• 50 g parmesan, grated
• 2 egg yolks

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic, onion and aubergine with the remaining olive oil and cook gently for 5 minutes.

3. Add the lamb and brown for 2-3 minutes, then add the tomatoes.

4. Pour in the chicken stock and add the spices. Stir, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Season the mixture with salt & pepper. Spoon the mixture into a large baking dish.

6. To make the sauce: melt the butter in a pan. Stir in the flour, mixing well over a low heat and cook for 30-60 seconds to make a roux. Don’t worry, it’s not as thick as it would be for a normal white sauce roux, it still works. Gradually whisk in the milk, whisking thoroughly to ensure there are no lumps and continue cooking until smooth. Add the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper.

7. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks. Pour the sauce over the lamb mixture and cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and slightly brown.

8. Serve with either crusty or garlic bread or with some rice or a jacket potato. Would also be nice with a Greek salad if preferred.