Preparation time: 45’
Cooking time: 55’- 60’
For 6-8 servings
Ingredients
5-6 eggplants flask-type
Salt
Olive oil
For the ground beef sauce
850g ground beef
1 dry onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (melted)
500g Passata KYKNOS (slightly concentrated tomato juice)
1-2 tbsp. Tomato Paste KYKNOS
½ bunch parsley (finely chopped)
1 glass dry white wine
2-3 allspice grains
1 bay leaf (optional)
1-2 pinches cinnamon
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Olive oil
For the béchamel
7-8 tbsps. flour or corn flour
4 tbsps. butter
1 ½ lt fresh milk
2 eggs
2-3 pinches nutmeg
Salt, white pepper
Hard spicy cheese e.g. kefalograviera, parmesan etc.
Preparation
Clean the eggplants and cut them into slices about 1 cm thick.
Salt them and leave them in a strainer for at least 45 minutes. Then wash, dry and fry them in plenty of olive oil. Leave them on absorbent paper to drain.
For the ground beef: heat some olive oil in a deep pot and sauté the onion. Add the ground beef and sauté as well, stirring frequently, until it changes color. Add garlic, mix 2-3 times and deglaze with wine. Wait a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate and add the Tomato Paste KYKNOS, dissolved in a little water, then pour the Passata KYKNOS and parsley. Season and let everything simmer together, until the beef is left with its oil.
For the béchamel: melt the butter in a saucepan and "roast" the flour for a few minutes. Add the milk, stirring constantly and season. Stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add the beaten eggs. Stir constantly with quick movements so that the eggs are not cooked. Pour a generous amount of the cheese and mix.
Layering: oil a deep pan or pyrex and spread on a layer of eggplants. Put the ground beef on top and cover with the rest of the eggplants. Cover with the béchamel and sprinkle with plenty of grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven for about 1 hour, until its surface is puffed up and golden brown.
Leave the moussaka out of the oven for at least ½ hour before cutting it into pieces.
Tips
Alternatively, for a lighter taste, you may bake the eggplants on a sheet lined with non-stick baking paper.
In the base, you can replace the eggplants with potatoes or zucchini. The result will be just as delicious.