Greek Moussaka

Delicious and very hearty casserole - a classic Greek dish. The authorship of this dish is disputed by various countries - Arabs, Turks, Bulgarians, but undoubtedly this dish was invented in Greece. There are many recipes for moussaka, but the 'highlight' of this dish is the milk sauce that gives spiciness to this meat casserole.

For the base:

Eggplant

3-4 pieces

Potatoes

3 - 4 pieces

For the tomato ragu:

Ground meat

500 g (beef)

Garlic

2 cloves

Onion

1 piece

Tomatoes

500 g

Salt

Black pepper

ground

Parsley

1 bunch

Olive oil

for frying

For the sauce:

Butter

1 1/4 cups

Flour

1 1/4 cups

Cheese

1 1/4 cups (hard)

Milk

4 1/4 cups

Eggs

3 pieces (yolks)

Nutmeg

The preparation of moussaka takes place in three stages. First of all, let's prepare the tomato ragu. Cut the tomatoes crosswise, put them in boiling water for a few seconds, remove the skin and finely chop (you can use a blender).

If the tomatoes have thin skin, you can grind them right away without peeling them.

Take a large skillet, pour in oil (it should heat up), add the ground meat and let it brown. Then add finely chopped onion, garlic, and parsley to the meat, mix everything well.

Add salt, pepper, and add the tomatoes. Thoroughly mix everything and continue cooking over low heat for 15-20 minutes.

While the ragu is cooking, prepare the sauce for the moussaka. Melt the butter in a sauté pan or large skillet, when it is completely melted, add the flour, stir everything with a whisk, it should resemble a thick dough.

Now gradually add the milk, continue stirring all the time, there should be no lumps in the mixture.

Then add the grated cheese, continue stirring until the cheese melts and all the ingredients come together.

And finally add the egg yolks, nutmeg, and mix everything well again. Cook the sauce a bit more and then remove it from the heat.

Slice the potatoes and eggplants into 0.3-0.5 inch thick slices. Sprinkle the eggplants with salt and leave them for 15 minutes to remove any bitterness. Take a suitable baking dish, grease it with a little oil and arrange the eggplants first, then the potatoes.