Beef Moussaka Recipes

BEEF MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• For the eggplant and meat sauce: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking pan and bake, turning once, until tender and golden brown on both sides, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring and breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the cinnamon, allspice and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the wine and boil until reduced by about half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and oregano and bring to a simmer, then simmer until slightly thickened and the flavors have blended, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For the bechamel: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly and stopping occasionally to run a rubber spatula around the edges of the pan to prevent burning. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then simmer 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the goat cheese and Parmesan, whisking until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the egg yolks.
• Arrange half of the eggplant in a single layer on the bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Top with half of the meat sauce. Layer the remaining eggplant slices on top followed by the remaining meat sauce. Top with an even layer of bechamel. Place the baking dish on a foil-lined baking pan and bake until bubbling and the topping is golden brown in places, 20 to 30 minutes. Let stand at least 20 minutes, then garnish with the parsley and serve.

BEEF MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Toss the eggplants, potatoes, olive oil, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl, then spread the vegetables on the baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes, tossing the vegetables about halfway through. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the Meat Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, oregano, cinnamon, garlic and ginger; stir quickly to toast spices evenly. Once fragrant, add 1/2 cup water to the pan and stir to combine, scraping up any brown bits. Add the beef to the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to break it up, and cook until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the meat is fully cooked and the juices are reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and set aside.
• Make the Bechamel: Put the milk and flour in a small saucepan and whisk until the flour is dissolved. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk continuously until the mixture comes to a boil; continue to whisk until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from the heat and whisk in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan; set aside.
• Assemble the Moussaka: Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the eggplants and potatoes in the bottom of the dish, layer the meat sauce evenly over the vegetables, top with the bechamel and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until the top is browned and slightly puffed, 35 to 40 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
• Make-Ahead Tip: The unbaked casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight before baking. The baked casserole can be frozen for up to 2 weeks; cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees F until hot, 35 to 45 minutes.

MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Drizzle 4 tbsp of the oil over the slices of aubergine and fry them in several batches for 5-7 mins or until golden brown and beginning to soften. If they look a little dry during cooking, add a dash more olive oil. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the mince and fry for 8-10 mins until a deep golden brown, regularly stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the casserole. Tip in the onion along with a pinch of salt and fry gently for 10-12 mins or until softened and turning translucent. Add the garlic, oregano, cinnamon, chilli and bay cooking for a further min. Return the lamb to the pan and pour in the red wine, bring to a bubble and reduce the wine by half. Stir through the tomatoes, tomato purée and brown sugar, along with 200ml water. Season. Lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 mins, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened.
• Heat oven to 200C/180 fan/gas 4. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the potato slices and cook for 6 mins, drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 10 mins.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour and cook over a medium heat for 1 min. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk, pouring in a bit at a time, until smooth. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer, cooking for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and whisk through the parmesan, a little grated nutmeg and some seasoning, and finally the whole egg as well as the yolk.
• Take a large rectangular ovenproof dish. Spoon a third of the meat into the dish and spread out evenly, followed by half the aubergine and half the potato, then the rest of the meat and another layer of aubergines, followed by potatoes. Finish with the béchamel, smoothing the top over with a palette knife. Put in the centre of the oven and cook for 50 mins or until deep golden brown. If it browns too much during cooking, cover the dish. Set aside for 10 mins to cool before serving.

MUST-MAKE MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Brown the beef in a deep ovenproof frying pan over a high heat for 5 mins. Meanwhile, prick the aubergine with a fork, then microwave on High for 3-5 mins until soft. Mix the yogurt, egg and parmesan together, then add a little seasoning.
• Stir the tomatoes, purée and potatoes in with the beef with some seasoning and heat through. Smooth the surface of the beef mixture with the back of a spoon, then slice the cooked aubergine and arrange on top. Pour the yogurt mixture over the aubergines, smooth out evenly, then grill until the topping has set and turned golden.

BEEF AND POTATO MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, 7-9 minutes, breaking into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in water, tomato paste, parsley, salt, mint if desired, cinnamon and pepper. Set aside., For sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Add cheese and salt., Place half of the potato slices in a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Top with half the cheese sauce and all of the meat mixture. Arrange remaining potatoes over meat mixture; top with remaining cheese sauce., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

AUTHENTIC GREEK MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and place in a colander set in the sink or over a plate. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the salt can draw out any bitterness.
• Meanwhile, make bechamel sauce. Heat milk in a saucepan almost to a boil. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until a smooth paste forms. Lower heat and gradually pour in hot milk, whisking constantly until bechamel sauce thickens. Season with salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Rinse eggplant slices under cold running water. Squeeze out liquid and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk egg yolks into the cooled bechamel.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook eggplant slices in batches until each side is lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a large plate lined with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Cook grated onion until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Season with allspice, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until all excess liquid has evaporated and mixture appears dry, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the egg white.
• Arrange a layer of eggplant in the prepared baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the beef mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with remaining eggplant and sprinkle another 1/3 of Parmesan cheese on top. Pour bechamel sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the moussaka is set and golden, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, wide sauté pan. Tip in the onion and garlic, then fry for 6-8 mins until turning golden. Add the carrots and fry for 2 mins more. Stir the meat into the pan, breaking it up as you stir. Cook and stir over a high heat until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in the wine and briefly cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the cinnamon and allspice. Tip in the tomatoes, tomato purée and 1 tbsp water (mixed with any juices left in the can), then stir to break up the tomatoes. Season with some pepper, add all the oregano and half the parsley, cover, then simmer on a low heat for 50 mins, stirring occasionally. Season to taste. Mix in the remaining parsley. Can be done a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.
• While the meat cooks (unless you are doing this a day ahead) prepare the aubergines. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/ gas 6. Brush a little of the remaining oil onto 2 large baking sheets. Mix the rest of the oil with the lemon juice. Slice the aubergines into 1cm thick lengthways slices, then lay them on the oiled baking sheets. Brush with the oil and lemon mix, then season with pepper. Bake for 20-25 mins until soft, then set aside. Lower oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
• Spread 2 big spoonfuls of the meat mixture on the bottom of an ovenproof dish (about 28 x 20 x 6cm deep). Lay the aubergine slices on top, slightly overlapping. Spoon the rest of the meat mixture on top. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Slacken the cornflour with a little of the yogurt, stir in the rest of the yogurt, then mix this into the eggs with half the cheese. Season with pepper. Pour and spread this over the meat to cover it. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, a little cinnamon and a grating of pepper. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until bubbling and golden.
• Leave moussaka to settle for 8-10 mins, then scatter over some chopped parsley and cut into squares. Serve with a salad of tomato, red onion and rocket.