Recipe ingredients
- 5 flasks of eggplants
- 4 zucchini
- 4 large potatoes
- olive oil for frying
- salt
For the minced meat sauce
- 800 grams of ground beef
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 sk. garlic
- 1 tbsp. tomato puree
- 800 g of chopped tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/3 cup cognac
- 1 pinch of sugar
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
For easy béchamel
- 1½ liter of milk at room temperature
- 6 full tablespoons cornflour
- 2 full tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs
- 2-3 pinches of freshly ground nutmeg
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup grated kefalotyri
Directions:
For the minced meat sauce:
For the traditional moussaka with easy béchamel, first, brown the minced meat in olive oil over high heat and after it changes color, add the onion and garlic. Let the onion soften for a few minutes and add the pulp by rubbing the base of the pot for one minute until the pulp is cooked. Quench with brandy.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, and herbs and let them flavor the minced meat for 5-10 ′, depending on how intense the aroma we want to give.
After 5’ remove the spices. Season with salt and pepper and simmer the minced meat for 20 ′, to drink its liquids. Once the minced meat is done, remove it from the heat and add a spoonful of béchamel and mix.
We prepare the vegetables. We can all bake the vegetables in the oven for a lighter version. Traditionally we fry them to soften and let them drain well. Cut the aubergines, zucchini and potatoes into slices about 0.5 cm thick.
Arrange eggplants and zucchini on plates, salt them and sprinkle with olive oil. Cover them with a grease gun. Bake at 200ºC, in a well-preheated oven, for 10′-15 ′ to soften. Be careful not to dry them.
Fry the potatoes in olive oil to soften them and drain them on absorbent paper. Alternatively, oil the potatoes and bake them in the oven until soft.
For easy béchamel
Put all the ingredients in a saucepan, except the eggs and cheese. Stir with a whisk, bring the cream to a boil, and set on medium heat. Once it thickens slightly, remove from the heat.
Let the cream boil completely and then add the two beaten eggs and with quick movements, stirring with a whisk, incorporate them into the cream.
Finally, add half the cheese. Stir. Check the salt and pepper and nutmeg if needed.
In a large deep pan (of the kitchen) make a layer of potatoes. Put a layer of zucchini on top. Sprinkle with a little kefalotyri.
Layer half the aubergines. Pour the whole minced meat in one layer. Cover the minced meat with the remaining aubergines and cover with the easy béchamel.
Bake at 180-200ºC, on the heating elements, for about 50 minutes.
Towards the end of baking, sprinkle with the remaining kefalotyri. Let the surface brown. Remove the first piece of moussaka and put a thick piece of bread in its place, so that it absorbs the excess liquids and oils.
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