Traditional Greek museka

Welcome to Paulina Cocina, ladies and gentlemen! It's always a pleasure to see you here. This time, we're gathered to learn all about Musaka or Moussaka, a type of eggplant lasagna you're going to love. What a delight! This is a delicious dish to cook and enjoy any way you like.

Moussaka is one of the most famous recipes in Greek cuisine. Have you ever made it? Try replacing ingredients with vegetables like we did with pasta this time and let me know how it goes.

About Musaka: The most famous eggplant cake

The beloved moussaka is an internationally known and beloved eggplant pie. It's of Arabic origin, although it's actually considered a Greek or Eastern European recipe. Preparing it is very simple! Everything is very Mediterranean and easy to find at any market. It's very similar to lasagna because of the layers, but it doesn't contain pasta; instead, these "layers" are mainly made of eggplant, potatoes, and meat . The original Greek moussaka recipe doesn't use minced meat, but rather lamb, and although it may seem like a laborious dish, the result is worth it.

With just a delicious tomato, a thick béchamel sauce, and cheese for gratin, we have a first-class dish, internationally famous and recognized by all.

Vegan Moussaka Option: Simply replace the meat with more vegetables like mushrooms. You can also use a layer of boiled potatoes or zucchini. You can use soy milk in the béchamel instead of skim milk, and it will be just as delicious.

4 tricks of traditional Musaka

1. When we have the béchamel sauce ready, we must make sure it's not too runny , as this would cause it to seep between the layers. What we want is a béchamel sauce that covers the sauce.
2. When you're assembling the dish and placing the layers, you need to press them down well so they're compact and make cutting easier.
3. At the bottom of the previously greased dish, we will place a first layer of lightly fried (but still tender on the inside) and well-drained sliced potatoes as a base.
4. Moussaka is made with eggplants with their skin on. The skin is delicious, however, if you use them peeled, the cut will be more beautiful when serving. The skin isn't easy to cut when serving, and the dish may not turn out very neatly. In my opinion, the most beautiful things in life are the most messy.

This moussaka recipe is heaven at its finest. Tell me in the comments how it turned out and if you liked it. I'll leave you with the recipe and say goodbye until next time!

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 eggplants
• 450 g ground meat (lamb or beef)
• 1 onion
• 1 egg
• 2 or 3 ripe tomatoes (Can be substituted with ½ can of chopped tomatoes)
• 2 potatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ glass of white wine
• Salt c/n 
• thyme and ground pepper

For the bechamel sauce

• 25 g of butter or olive oil
• 25 g of flour
• 500 ml of whole or semi-skimmed milk
• grated cheese for gratin and slices of mozzarella
• Nutmeg

Musaka recipe step by step

1. Wash the eggplants and cut them into half-centimeter slices. Place them on a paper towel with a pinch of salt. 
2. Meanwhile, in a pan with oil, fry the potatoes, cut into half-centimeter slices. Add a pinch of salt to season. Fry lightly until tender. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add a little oil. Start frying the eggplants in batches. Add oil as they fry.
4. We put the ones that come out in a colander to remove the excess oil. 
5. Once the potatoes and eggplant are cooked, fry the onion and garlic along with the meat in the same pan. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Sauté and add the thyme and tomato. Cover and let it simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat. Add a little wine and let it simmer for another 10 minutes, with the pan uncovered, until all the liquid has evaporated.
7. Remove the meat from the heat and add an egg, mixing well until combined. 

Let's prepare the bechamel sauce! 

1. In a pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Fry well to remove any raw flavor and beat with a hand whisk.
2. Add the milk while continuing to beat until you get the consistency of béchamel sauce. 
3. Add salt and a pinch of nutmeg.

If you need more information on how to make béchamel, remember that we have a recipe for a white sauce that never fails, and you can also watch the video on my YouTube channel.

While we preheat the oven to 160º, we begin to assemble the Musaka.

1. Place oil in the baking dish and begin placing the potato slices on the base.
2. On top of the base, continue with the first layer of eggplant, then a layer of meat sauce. Spread it out and flatten it with the back of a spoon. Repeat this process: a layer of eggplant, and a layer of meat. Continue until you've finished all of them. 
3. Cover with the bechamel sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese, Parmesan or mozzarella, whichever you like best. 
4. Place the dish in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. After that time, raise the oven temperature to 200°C to finish the gratin for about 3-4 minutes.

Enjoy!