Mousaka with roasted eggplant

With Beef, Cheese, EVO Oil, Vegetables,

Mousaka with roasted eggplant

Serves8-10 servings
Cooks In40' preparation | 50' baking
DifficultyYou Can Do It

Ingredients

  • 4.4 lb eggplant
  • 1 cup kefalotiri cheese
  • ½ cup toasted breadcrumbs
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • GROUND MEAT
  • 1.7 lb ground beef
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1.8 lb tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/3 cup cognac
  • 1 pinch of sugar
  • Salt, freshly ground pepper
  • CREAM
  • 5.3 oz butter
  • 5.3 oz flour
  • 3.3 lb fresh milk
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 whole cloves
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • Salt, white pepper

Method

  1. Rinse the eggplant, remove stem and cut into 0.4-inch slices.
  2. Spread out on baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil and season.
  3. Bake in a preheated oven at 390°F for 10 minutes until half-cooked.

GROUND BEEF

  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot and sauté the ground beef without stirring all the time. Brown on all sides, until there are no fluids left.
  2. After 7-8 minutes add the chopped onion and whole garlic and sauté for a further 5-6 minutes.
  3. Pour the cognac and add the rest of the ingredients: bay leaf, cinnamon, sugar, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
  4. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the sauce has absorbed its juices. Remove the cinnamon stick after 5 minutes.

CREAM

  1. Heat the milk in a small pot and add the whole onion spiked with cloves. Do not boil.
  2. Melt the butter in a cooking pot and whisk in the flour – stir for about 2 minutes.
  3. Pour the milk little by little (remove onion) into the butter and flour mixture, constantly stirring with a whisk.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients: ground nutmeg, salt, and pepper (except the eggs).
  5. Keep stirring over a medium heat for about 7-8 minutes, until the cream thickens.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Add the eggs one by one, beating vigorously with a whisk.
  8. Stir two tablespoons of cream into the ground beef.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Grease a baking dish or tray and sprinkle with toasted breadcrumbs.
  2. Put half of the eggplant in one layer and sprinkle with half the cheese.
  3. Spread half the ground beef and top with the remaining eggplant, cheese, and ground beef, in alternating layers.
  4. Finish with the cream.
  5. Preheat the oven to 360°F and cook on the lower rack for about 50 minutes, until golden brown.
  6. Let it cool (to cut into pieces) and serve.
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