Greek Moussaka Recipe

Ingredients:

4 eggplants

1 carrot

3 stalks of celery

3 white onions

2 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, minced

⅓ cup canola oil

About 1 cup vegetable oil

5.25 oz butter

1.5lb ground beef

3 tbsp tomato paste

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

½ cup parsley (and extra to garnish)

3-4 tbsp breadcrumbs

4 cups milk

6 tbsp flour

1 cup grated mozzarella

1 tsp Cumin

Salt

Black pepper

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

In a pot over medium heat, add 4 cups milk, 1 largely sliced carrot, 1 largely sliced onion, 1 largely sliced celery stalk, and 2 bay leaves.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out the vegetables and set the liquid aside for later.
In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add ⅓ cup canola oil, 1.75oz butter, 2 finely chopped onions, 2 finely chopped celery stalks, 4 cloves minced garlic, and 1.5lb of ground beef. Stir and cook until well done.
Season the meat and vegetable mixture with 3 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 can of diced tomatoes, ½ cup parsley, and 3-4 tbsp breadcrumbs. Set aside for later.
Then, thinly slice 4 eggplants lengthwise. Sprinkle them with salt to release the moisture, and pat dry with paper towels.
Begin to deep fry the eggplant slices until they are soft and browned.
In a separate pot over medium heat, create a roux with 3.5oz butter, 6 tbsp flour, 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer until thick. Once thick, add in the sauce from step 1. Whisk to combine.
In a deep baking dish begin to lay down the fried eggplant slices from the center of the pan to over the edges, and overlapping with one another.
Begin to layer the filling. First, add a layer of cooked meat from step 4, then a layer of sauce from step 7, then sprinkle 1 cup of grated mozzarella, and a final layer of cooked meat.
Fold over the eggplant slices that were hanging over the edge of the dish. Cover the rest of the filling with more eggplant slices.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 20 minutes.
To serve, flip the baking dish over on a plate, garnish with parsley, and enjoy.