does anyone have a good recipe for moussaka?

Answer 1

Hiya. I'm not saying this is your typical moussaka (i'm french) but i know it's a hit when i make it for friends and relatives. Besides, i try to keep it healthy and low fat. I cut fresh aubergines into thin slices and bake them in the oven until grilled and moist/soft. I use ground beef that i cook in a pan with no oil or fat and add low fat/low sugar etc... tomato sauce (the same kind i buy for pasta). I then put a first layer of aubergines in an oven dish, then a layer of cooked ground beef and alternate the layers. I finish with aubergines and pour some leftover tomatoe sauce to keep the top moist. Some grated emmenthal on the top. In the oven on medium temperature as i just need to keep the dish warm and i don't really need to cook it per se.
If you like more taste, you can add spices into your ground beef along with salt and pepper.
Bon appetit.

Answer 2

MOUSSAKA

3 large eggplants
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lemon, sliced in thin circles
1 handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 pounds ground lamb
1 cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
To prepare the eggplants: Cut off the stems, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season all the pieces of eggplant with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium flame. Fry the eggplant in a single layer, turning once, until brown on both sides– you will need to do this in batches, adding more oil, as necessary. Drain the eggplant as they cook on a paper towel-lined platter.
Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the onion, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley. Cook and stir until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, stirring to break up the meat; season with salt and pepper, and toss in the cinnamon stick. Stir in the tomato paste and hand-crushed tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant slices; they should completely cover the bottom with no gaps. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce over the eggplant, evening it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the feta and Parmesan. Repeat the layers again, ending with a final layer of eggplant. Cover the top with a nice even layer of bread crumbs. Bake the moussaka for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Answer 3

I will leave you the one that I use, and the best I have found so far. I come accross this one on allrecipes.com (I love that site).
Here goes:

You will need:
* 3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
* salt
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 pound lean ground beef
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste
* 2 onions, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
* 2 tablespoons dried parsley
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup red wine
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*
* 1/2 cup butter
* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 4 cups hot milk
* salt to taste
* ground white pepper, to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Allrecipes is a great site, if you get a chance, check it out. They have their recipes listed with user reviews and ratings. You get to see who tried the recipe and what/if they made any changes, which I find to be extremely helpful. Take care, and I hope you find a recipe you like. :)

Answer 4

Try epicurious.com.

Great recipes with lots of helpful reviews and tips on each.

Answer 5

Try the following
Moussaka with Roasted Aubergines and Ricotta
1 lb (450 g) minced Scotch lamb
2 medium-sized aubergines
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped small
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 rounded tablespoons tomato purée
3 fl oz (75 ml) red wine
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the topping:
9 oz (250 g) ricotta
10 fl oz (275 ml) whole milk
1 oz (25 g) plain flour
1 oz (25 g) butter
¼ whole nutmeg, grated
1 bay leaf
1 large egg
1 level tablespoon grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need an ovenproof baking dish measuring 10 x 8 inches (25.5 x 20 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep, and a 14 x 11 inch (35 x 28 cm) baking sheet.

First of all you need to prepare the aubergines to get rid of their high water content and concentrate their flavour. To do this, remove the stalks and, leaving the skins on, cut them into approximately 1½ inch (4 cm) chunks. Then place them in a colander and sprinkle them with about 1 level dessertspoon of salt. Now put a plate on top of them and weigh it down with something heavy, then put another plate underneath to catch the juices. Leave them like this for 1 hour. Then, shortly before the end of this time, pre-heat the oven to its highest setting. When the hour is up, squeeze out any of the excess juice from the aubergines with your hands and dry them as thoroughly as you can in a clean cloth. Next, spread them out on the baking sheet, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over them and toss them around to get a good coating. Now pop the baking sheet in the oven and roast the aubergines for 30 minutes or until they are tinged brown at the edges.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in your largest frying pan and fry the onions and garlic gently for about 5 minutes. After that, turn the heat up high, add the minced lamb and brown it for a few minutes, turning it and keeping it on the move. Now cook the whole lot, stirring all the time, for 2-3 minutes. Then reduce the heat and, in a small bowl, mix the mint, parsley, cinnamon, tomato purée and red wine. When they're thoroughly combined, pour them over the meat, season well and cook the whole lot very gently for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time so it doesn't catch on the base of the pan.

Now remove the aubergines from the oven and reduce the temperature to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C). It's a good idea to leave the oven door open to cool it down a bit.

Next, make the topping by placing the milk, flour, butter, nutmeg and bay leaf in a saucepan. Using a balloon whisk, whisk over a medium heat until everything comes up to simmering point and the sauce becomes smooth and glossy. Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook gently for 5 minutes. Then taste and season, discarding the bay leaf, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool a little before whisking in the ricotta and egg. Give it a good whisk to blend everything thoroughly.

Finally, combine the roasted aubergines with the meat mixture and transfer it all to the baking dish. Then pour the topping over, sprinkle the surface with the Parmesan and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 50 minutes, by which time the top will be golden brown. Let it stand for 10 minutes to settle, then serve with brown rice and a Greek-style salad of cucumber, tomatoes, olives and crumbled Feta cheese dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

or Moussaka
150-175ml/5-6fl oz olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
900g/2lb lean minced lamb
50ml/2 fl oz white wine (a generous splash)
1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
1 x 5cm/2in piece cinnamon stick
a handful of fresh oregano leaves, preferably wild Greek oregano, chopped
3 large aubergines
salt and pepper
For the topping
75g/3 oz butter
75g/3oz plain flour
600ml/1 pint milk
50g/2oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 medium eggs, beaten

Method
1. For the lamb sauce, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a pan. Add the onions and garlic and fry until just beginning to brown. Add the minced lamb and fry over a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the wine, tomatoes, cinnamon and oregano and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes while you make everything else.
2. Slice the stalks off the aubergines and cut them lengthways into 5mm/1/4 inch slices. Heat a frying pan until it is jumping hot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and a layer of aubergine slices and fry quickly until tender and lightly coloured on each side. Lift out with tongs (every kitchen should have some!), layer over the base of a 2.5-2.75 litre/4 1/2-5 pint shallow ovenproof dish and season lightly with a little salt and pepper. Repeat with the rest of oil and aubergines and seasoning each layer as you go.
3. For the topping, melt the butter in a non-stick pan, add the flour and cook over a medium heat for 1 minute to cook out the flour. Gradually beat in the milk, bring to the boil, stirring, and leave to simmer very gently for 10 minutes, giving it a stir every now and then. Stir in the cheese and some salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly and then beat in the eggs.
4. Preheat the oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6. Remove the cinnamon stick from the lamb sauce, season to taste with some salt and pepper and spoon it over the top of the aubergines. Pour over the topping and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Answer 6

yes thanks!