Vegetarian Moussaka
"A vegetarian version of the classic. The original version called for a sauce made of 1 cup ricotta cheese and 2 eggs, whisked into the hot milk instead of the mozzarella that I used and parmesan cheese between the layers, which you certainly could use if you liked."
- Ready In:
- 1hr 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 17
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup mushroom, chopped
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1⁄2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 (400 g) can chopped tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1⁄2 cup red wine
- 2 large eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 200 g mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumb
directions
- Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat.
- Sauté onion 4-5 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in mushrooms and zucchini and sauté 2 minutes.
- Stir in next 6 ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Turn on broiler.
- Arrange eggplant slices on an oiled broiler rack. Broil 3-4 minutes per side until browned. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce by scalding milk in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat until tiny bubbles appear.
- Remove from heat.
- Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until just bubbling. Do not brown. Slowly whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until smooth. Do not brown.
- Slowly whisk in hot milk, followed by half of the mozzarella cheese, stirring constantly 2-3 minutes until mixture is thickened.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in seasonings and set aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 400°F in a fan oven or slightly higher in a normal oven.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and sprinkle the bottom with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs.
- Place a layer of eggplant in the pan. Spread a layer of tomato mixture over top. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and some mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layering as long as ingredients last.
- Pour the sauce over the top and bake 30-40 minutes, or until top is golden.
- Transfer moussaka to a wire rack and let stand 15-20 minutes before slicing.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
This is a picture of me and my husband in Portugal, climbing up above the clouds with our bikes.
Right now we are travelling around the world on our bicycles, so I only pop onto Zaar occasionally, when internet connections and time allow me to. If I don't reply to a message about one of my recipes, now you know why! Our trip may take several years so if it's urgent, it's probably better for you to post in the forums ;)
Good food is really important to me -- I am happy to pay extra for food that I feel is produced in a sustainable and ethical way and always try to eat using seasonal produce.
When we were in the UK we rarely shopped at supermarkets, trying instead to favour small producers, although we were very lucky in that we lived in London and there was lots of choice.
We also were fortunate enough to have a weekly organic veg box delivered to our door, filled with so many lovely vegetables for very little money. It really opened my horizons in terms of the variety of vegetables I eat. If you're in the UK, check out Riverford for a box supplier as they're amazing!
When I'm not eating I love to take pictures and travel with my husband.
<img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZWT2.gif">
