Moussaka

Our Man in the Field in Ledyard has recently acquired a supply of most delicious lamb, which he has crowned 'king of meats.' I have been remaking and posting my best lamb recipes. Moussaka is one of my all time favorites. I love anything with eggplant in it, but the combination of eggplant and lamb is a reportable evil. No doubt the Puritans would have me in stocks.



I got this recipe from the book The Complete Greek Cookbook. It is a really good source for Greek cooking, if you're into that sort of thing. It has recipes from 3000 years ago, including one called Spartan Stew, which according to Plutarch, tasted terrible. There is also a recipe called Spiced Wine Hippocrates, which I will have to try shortly.

Moussaka

Preparing Ye Olde Eggplant
Slice 1 large eggplant into thing slices and salt. Place in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Rinse. Pat dry with paper towels and place side by side onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Melt 1 stick of butter in 1/2 cup of olive oil and brush some of the oil/butter mixture on top of the eggplant slices. Bake in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes.

Making Ye Olde Filling
Brown 1 pound ground lamb (or hamburger) in 1 tablespoon of the oil/butter mixture. Add in two diced onions and cook until the onions turn translucent. Add 1 clove pressed garlic, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup wine and 1 cup water. Cover and simmer for a while so that the flavors combine. Remove lid and cook a little longer until the sauce thickens up a bit. Taste it and salt it to your tastes.

Making the White Sauce
Take 1 tablespoon of the butter/oil mixture and heat in a saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cups milk. Dissolve 2 T cornstarch in 1/2 cup milk. Add the cornstarch/milk mixture to the pan and heat, stirring constantly until it thickens. Taste it, and salt it to your tastes. Just before you are about to use it, add 4 eggs and whisk until combined well.

Assembly
Oil a square or rectangular cake pan. Make 1 layer of eggplant slices. Spread the meat sauce over the top. Add the remaining eggplant slices on top. Pour over the white sauce. Top with 1 cup parmesan and 1/4 t cinnamon. Bake in the oven at 325 for 45 minutes. Cut into squares like a cake and serve immediately.