Baked Eggplant Moussaka

Baked Eggplant Moussaka is one of the most famous recipes of Greece. Layers of eggplant, ground lamb and a white sauce on top with a sprinkling of cheese make it irresistible. No wonder it has remained a favorite from the most ancient of civilizations!

Though a natural wonder of the world, eggplant does take a little bit of work. You will need to wash, slice, salt, sweat, rinse and bake your eggplant, all of which takes about an hour of prep time by itself. But this is a great investment in a dish that will become a personal and family favorite. It’s also a great mini cocotte recipe since it travels so well from oven to table.

Food for the Ages’ foundation is good health and a happy life achieved through work, exercise, knowledge, spirituality and food prepared at home. There is no substitute for knowing what is going into your body and having made it yourself. If you are an eggplant neophyte, we recommend that you take a little time to get familiar with it: According to one of my favorite food nutrition websites, The World’s Healthiest Foods, one cup of eggplant provides many B Vitamins, folate, potassium and Vitamin K, antioxidants specifically nasunin, that has been shown to protect brain cell membranes. Eggplant is good for your brain!

Serves 6

1 large eggplant, salt
1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup clarified butter

Filling

1 lb ground lamb (or beef)
1 sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup water

White Sauce

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Topping

1 cup grated Parmesan or Kefaloteri cheese

Ground cinnamon

Prepare the Eggplant

Wash eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle both sides of each piece with salt and let stand in a bowl for 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water and gently squeeze out remaining water. Dry with a towel and place close together on a cookie sheet with sides. Melt oil and butter and coat both sides of each piece with the oil mixture. Bake for 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 350◦F. Remove from oven and let cool.

Create the Filling

Heat a tablespoon of the oil mixture and saute the onions until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook one minute. Add the tomato paste and let cook for 3 minutes. Add wine, water and parsley. Add the ground lamb/beef and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. In a separate saute pan add the pine nuts and cook on medium low heat until lightly browned and fragrant. Stir the pine nuts into the lamb mixture and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Build the White Sauce

Dilute cornstarch in a couple tablespoons of the milk and set aside. Bring milk and salt to a boil over medium heat. Add cornstarch mixture to milk, stirring while it thickens on the heat. Remove from the heat and gradually add some of the milk mixture to the beaten eggs, which is called tempering. Once you have brought the temperature of the eggs up, pour the rest of the milk into the eggs, mixing well and set aside.

Assemble the Baked Eggplant Moussaka

Butter the bottom and sides of six mini cocottes or a small casserole dish. Lay one layer of eggplant on the bottom of each mini cocotte or create one layer on the bottom of your casserole. Spread the lamb/beef mixture equally across the eggplant layer. Place another layer of cooked eggplant over the top of the meat mixture. Pour the white sauce over the mini cocottes/casserole, garnish with cheese then sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

Bake at 325 to 350◦F for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Baked Eggplant Moussaka – Opa!