Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and legumes. Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and meat. Sometimes it’s made vegan, while other times it’s made with cheese and/or yogurt. It also ... [read more]]]>

Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and legumes. Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and meat. Sometimes it’s made vegan, while other times it’s made with cheese and/or yogurt. It also can be made gluten-free. If you’re on a low carb diet, you can make it without the bread crumbs and you can make the sauce without the flour.

Moussaka is such a versatile dish, and the way Kemal prepared last night is very similar to how he prepared it the first time he made it for me. (Although the first time he made it I don’t believe he used butter or flour in the sauce.)

Of all the way’s Kemal has made moussaka, I think this is my favorite moussaka recipe, although I must admit it would be perfect with some fresh mint in the casserole. I just love mint in moussaka!

Anyway, this is comfort food for us.

It tastes wonderful, and I hope you’ll give it a try some day.

Vegetable Moussaka with Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce Adapted from: about.com Greek food

Ingredients for the Moussaka:

• 8 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 16 garlic cloves, sliced in half
• 3 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• olive oil for greasing the pan
• Panko bread crumbs for sprinkling on the greased pan

Ingredients for the Bechamel Sauce:

• 7 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. allspice

Instructions:

Step One:  Prep Work and Layering the Moussaka

• Grease a 9 inch x 14 inch pan with olive oil.
• Sprinkle some Panko bread crumbs evenly over the oiled pan. Set aside.
• Peel and slice the potatoes.
• Place the potato slices on the bottom of the pan.
• Peel the garlic, and then slice in half.
• Scatter the garlic on top of the potato slices.
• Peel and slice eggplant.
• Place the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes and garlic.
• Wash and slice the zucchini and both of the peppers.
• Then place the zucchini and pepper slices on top of the eggplant.
• Peel and slice the onion, and then place the onion slices on top of the zucchini and peppers.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step Two:  Making the Bechamel Sauce

• Melt the butter in a medium-sized pot.
• While the butter is melting, beat the eggs.
• Add the flour to the eggs and whisk until the flour is mixed into the eggs.
• Add the melted butter, milk, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to the egg/flour mixture.
• Whisk the mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Step Three:  Adding Bechamel Sauce to the Moussaka and Baking

• Pour the Bechamel sauce over the moussaka, making the sauce goes all the way to the bottom layer.
• Bake uncovered for about an hour. The potatoes will be soft and the top will be browned.
• Let it cool, then cut into slices.
• Enjoy warm or cold.

Moussaka is popular in the Balkans, Mediterranean, and the Middle East, and it’s basically a layered casserole that’s usually made with eggplant, tomatoes, and meat.

There are endless varieties of moussaka. It ... [read more]]]>

Moussaka is popular in the Balkans, Mediterranean, and the Middle East, and it’s basically a layered casserole that’s usually made with eggplant, tomatoes, and meat.

There are endless varieties of moussaka. It can be made vegan without eggs, cheese, yogurt, and meat.

It can also be made vegetarian with eggs, yogurt, and cheese.

You can make moussaka with or without legumes and with or without rice/potatoes.

You can choose whatever vegetables you like in your moussaka, but most generally, it always includes eggplant and tomatoes. We did, however, make it a few times with just zucchini, potatoes, garlic, onions, and then covered it all with a bunch of beaten eggs. It’s wonderful that way too.

Because it’s such a versatile dish, it’s one you can enjoy often without getting tired of it.

Click here to see another moussaka recipe we made last year. You can see how different yet similar they both are.

Beef and Vegetable Moussaka

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 lb. lean chuck stew beef, cubed
• 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced
• 10 small potatoes, peeled and sliced into medium sized pieces
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 zucchini, sliced into thin slices
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped finely
• 1 can  (15 oz.) chickpeas (reserve water from the can)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 16 whole garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp.nutmeg
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. sea salt

Step One:  Preparing and Layering the Vegetables and Chickpeas

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grease a large baking dish with a little bit of olive oil.
• Wash and peel the potatoes, and then cut the potatoes into slices that aren’t too thin nor too thick.
• Place the potatoes on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
• Peel the skin off the eggplant, and then cut the eggplant into thin slices.
• Place the eggplant slices on top of the potato slices.
• Wash and slice the green onions, and then scatter them on top of the zucchini.
• Peel and dice the yellow onion, and then scatter them on top of the green onion.
• Drain the water off the can of chickpeas, but save the water and set it aside.
• Scatter the chickpeas on top of the onions.
• Then scatter a cup of dry rice on top of the chickpeas.
• Wash the parsley, finely chop it, and then sprinkle it evenly over the rice.
• Peel the garlic, and then scatter the whole cloves over the rice.
• Wash and cut the zucchini into thin, round slices.
• Then place the zucchini slices on top of the parsley, rice, and garlic cloves.
• Wash the bell pepper, remove the seeds, and then dice it.
• Sprinkle the diced bell peppers over the zucchini.
• In a medium sized bowl, mix together the can diced tomatoes, the water that was in the can of chickpeas, an additional 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup olive oil, and all the spices except the paprika.
• Pour the tomato sauce mixture on top of the vegetables in the pan.

Step Two:  Preparing the Beef

• Cut the beef into bite-sized cubes.
• Sear the beef by frying it uncovered  in 1/4 cup olive oil over high heat just the meat is kind of brownish on the outside but still raw on the inside.
• Place the seared, cubed beef on top of the layered vegetable and chickpea casserole you just made.
• Bury most of the beef into the layers, leaving just a small part of the beef exposed on top.

Step Three:  Baking the Moussaka

• Cover the moussaka with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour.
• After one hour, the rice and potatoes should be soft and fully cooked.
• Remove from the oven and serve warm.

My husband, Kemal, ... [read more]]]>

My husband, Kemal, a native of the former Yugoslavia, introduced me to this wonderful vegetable entree many years ago. The recipe varies from region to region, but regardless of how it’s made, I never met a moussaka I didn’t love!

The Yugoslavian version of moussaka that my husband and I make is a little different from the Greek version that we prepared last week. The Yugoslavian version that my husband makes is prepared with potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggs, while the Greek version is made with eggplant, chickpeas, lentils, feta cheese, and yogurt.

Even the regional recipes vary. Some Greek versions of moussaka are made with lamb and eggplant and are prepared without legumes, and the Yugoslavian versions are also prepared in different ways as well. Whenever I think about all the different recipes for moussaka, I think about chili and how chili is made many different ways and has different ingredients, depending on who makes it.

Here’s a picture Kemal took last week right after it came out of the oven. It makes a huge pan, and makes about six to eight servings.

Vegetable Moussaka (Adapted from: “The Complete Book of Greek Cooking” by Rena Salaman & Jan Cutler, page 174, Anness Publishing Ltd. 2005, 2008)