Chef Lennox Hastie shares his mother’s recipe for the ultimate moussaka
This will warm the soul this winter. It’s one of the dishes that always reminds me of my mother and with just one bite I’m instantly transported to the comfort of home.
Moussaka is one of the dishes that always reminds me of my mother. Even after a long hard day at work, she always took the time to prepare us something delicious for dinner. I distinctly remember how the warm fragrance of spice and red wine would fill the house whenever she made moussaka. It would appear on the table as alchemy, its golden crust hinting at the wonders that lay within. The bubbly surface would yield to rich layers of mince and eggplant; it was a magical transformation that somehow rendered the bitter vegetable appetising to a young boy. On the rare occasion that there was any left over (which was unusual, as it is so moreish) I would take it to school and eat it cold, only to be ridiculed by my classmates to whom such foreign fare was then largely unknown. But I did not mind; I was tired of the sad excuse for food that was on offer in the school canteen. Just one bite of the moussaka and I was instantly transported to the comfort of home.
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The secret is in the sauce – a symphony of rich mince, red wine and cinnamon, cooked slowly until it is rendered sweet, savoury and unctuous, before being layered with the creamy eggplant and finished with a velvety bechamel sauce that slightly souffles and crowns the moussaka. Grilling the eggplant rather than frying it results in a much better flavour by ensuring that it is not full of oil; instead, the slightly smoky eggplant is able to absorb the rich ragu.
RECIPE: My mum’s moussaka
Ingredients
For the meat sauce
- 100ml olive oil
- 350g lamb mince
- 350g beef mince
- 700g eggplant (approximately 2 eggplants), sliced to 8mm rounds
- 200g red onion, finely chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 300ml red wine, reduced to 200ml
- 2 to 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 400ml chicken stock
- 4 sprigs oregano, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- Sea salt
- White pepper
For the bechamel
- 40g butter
- 40g plain flour
- 400ml milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig rosemary
- ½ clove garlic, minced
- Pinch grated nutmeg
- Sea salt
- White pepper
- 1 egg
Method
To cook the meat
- Heat 50ml olive oil in small saucepan over a medium heat, add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and sweat for 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sweat for a further 6-8 minutes until softened with no colour.
- Heat a pan, add 50ml of olive oil, and, when smoking, saute the lamb mince, adding a pinch of salt to season and help draw out the moisture. Caramelise on a high heat for 8-10 minutes, moving continually to avoid burning until the mince is rendered an even rich mahogany colour and lightly crisp in texture. Remove to a sieve to remove any excess fat.
- Using the fat from the lamb, (adding additional olive oil if required) repeat with the beef mince. Returning the mince to the pan, add the cinnamon, and stir to coat the meat. Deglaze with the reduced red wine, before adding the remaining ingredients and stirring to combine. Season lightly if required, careful to remember that this will intensify later.
- Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium low and cook for 50-60 minutes, by which time it should have reduced to a rich, thick sauce.
- Tip: Caramelisation of the mince is super important, both for the flavour and to ensure that it exudes any excess fat.
For the bechamel
- Warm the milk and infuse with the bay and the rosemary – allow to infuse for 8-10 minutes before straining. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the minced garlic and continue stirring. Allow to cook gently for 20-25 minutes until it thickens, so that it thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove from the stove and add the nutmeg, salt and white pepper to season. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then whisk the egg in. Cover with lid and keep warm until ready to assemble the moussaka.
To assemble and bake
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Place one third of the raw eggplant in the bottom of a baking dish then top with half of the filling. Top with one third of the raw eggplant, then add the remaining half of the filling on top. Repeat with the remaining third of the raw eggplant, then pour over the bechamel sauce to cover the eggplant evenly. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to stand for 6-8 minutes before serving. Serves 4
Chef Lennox Hastie’s recipes appear fortnightly in The Weekend Australian Magazine. His column alternates with Elizabeth Hewson’s home-cook recipes