Recipe from a Greek guy. I saw almost the exact recipe on Hairy Bikers too, from a Greek Orthodox priest so it must be authentic. It was his mum’s recipe. Serves four very generously.
- olive oil
- 1 large courgette, sliced
- 2 aubergines or 1 giant one, sliced
Pan fry gently until coloured on both sides. Set aside.
- 1 onion diced
- 1 garlic clove crushed and chopped
fry gently in the oil, add a bit more if you need to. When softened:
- 500g lamb mince
Fry until coloured
- 1 tbs tomato puree
- 0.5 tbs fresh thyme
Cook briefly. Add
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch ground cloves
- 10 basil leaves chopped
- 10 sprigs parsley, leaves only chopped
- salt and pepper
Add to the pan with a dash of water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make a Bechamel sauce:
- 100g butter
- 100g plain flour
Melt the butter, add the flour and stir around. Add
- 750ml milk
Heat and stir until thick. Add
- 100g grated parmesan
- pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper
Stir until the cheese is melted. Add
- 3 egg yolks
Stir madly with a whisk to blend thoroughly. Now assembly time (plus 1 more ingredient)
- 3 potatoes very thinly sliced.
Layer the potatoes over the base of an oven-proof dish. Now layer over the sliced cooked aubergine, then the sliced cooked courgette. Tip in the meat and tomato mixture and press down over. Top with the bechamel sauce mix. Finally
- 25-50g grated parmesan
Sprinkle over the top. Now bake for 35-40 minutes at 180C but keep an eye on it and turn the heat down a bit if it is looking scorched. It is a meal in a dish with plenty of vegetables inside. When cooked, leave 15-20 minutes to rest, it will taste even better.
An alternative and very good recipe is Lamb and Artichoke Moussaka from BBC Good Food. This is very similar, but using artichoke hearts and not courgette. Layer with potato first then half the mince then aubergine, then half the mince, then fried artichoke heart. Top with bechamel sauce and bake.
