Best Shortcut Moussaka Nytimes Recipes

SHORTCUT MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and chopped onion and cook until beef is brown, breaking up beef with fork, about 15 minutes. Mix in tomato sauce, red wine, parsley, crumbled oregano and ground cinnamon. Simmer until mixture thickens and is almost dry, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Boil until thick, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Beat eggs in small bowl to blend. Whisk small amount of milk mixture into eggs. Return mixture to saucepan. Bring to boil, whisking constantly. Remove custard from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Season custard to taste with salt and pepper.
• Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange half of eggplant in bottom of dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spread meat mixture over. Top with remaining eggplant. Pour hot custard cheese sauce over eggplant. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover loosely with foil and bake 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking until golden and bubbling on edges, about 10 minutes longer. Cool 10 minutes.

MR. FOOD SHORTCUT MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large skillet, sauté ground beef over medium high heat for 7-8 minutes or until crumbly and only slightly pink.
• Drain off any excess liquid.
• Add eggplant to same skillet and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until eggplant starts to soften.
• Add garlic, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper.
• Mix well.
• Add spaghetti sauce and cook for 4-5 minutes or until hot.
• Grease a 7 x 11 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place meat/eggplant mixture into baking dish, smooth the top.
• In a small bowl combine the eggs, milk, salt and mix until smooth.
• Pour over the meat mixture.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until custard is set.

EGGPLANT MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Trim off the ends of the eggplant. Cut the eggplant into 12 slices of equal width. Set aside.
• Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, and add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onions are wilted. Add the meat and cook, chopping down with the edge of a heavy metal kitchen spoon to break up any lumps. Add salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until the meat loses its raw look.
• Add the wine, broth and 1 cup of the crushed tomatoes and stir. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Add the milk while stirring rapidly with the whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes.
• Bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the egg yolk, and remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the corn oil in a large nonstick skillet, and add enough eggplant slices to cover the bottom. Cook about 45 seconds on one side; turn the slices and continue cooking for about 45 seconds. Remove the slices and drain.
• Continue cooking the remaining eggplant in the same manner, adding a little more oil as necessary for each batch.
• Arrange about a third of the eggplant slices in one layer on the bottom of a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Spoon a third of the meat sauce over the eggplant slices. Continue making the layers in the same manner, ending with a layer of meat sauce. Spoon the white sauce over all.
• Sprinkle the cheese over all, and place the dish in the oven. Bake 15 minutes. If desired, run the dish briefly under the broiler until the cheese is lightly browned.

MOUSSAKA WITH ROASTED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees with racks positioned in the middle and lower third. Slice eggplants lengthwise, about 1/3 inch thick. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and brush foil with olive oil. Place slices on the foil, season to taste with salt, and brush with olive oil. Place in oven and roast until soft and browned in spots, about 20 minutes, switching the pans top to bottom after 10 minutes. When done slices will look dry on the surface but when you pierce them with a knife you should be able to see that the flesh is soft. Remove from oven and carefully fold foil up over eggplant to make a foil packet, taking care not to burn yourself. It doesn't matter if the eggplant slices pile onto each other. Crimp edges of foil so that eggplant is sealed in the packet and leave to steam inside foil for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile make the meat and tomato filling. In a large, deep skillet or casserole heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and raise heat to medium-high. Stir in ground beef or lamb and brown for about 3 minutes. Stir in roasted mushroom mix, tomatoes, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, sugar, bay leaf, salt and enough water to barely cover meat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be thick and very fragrant. Cook uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, until liquid in pan is just about gone. Remove bay leaf, taste and add salt and pepper, and remove from heat. Allow mixture to cooled slightly, then stir in 1 beaten egg and parsley.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 3-quart baking dish or gratin dish. Make an even layer of half the eggplant slices over the bottom, and spread all of meat sauce on top in one layer. Top with remaining eggplant. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat together eggs and yogurt, season with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and stir in pepper and paprika. Pour over top of moussaka, scraping out every last drop with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the top. Return to oven and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and golden. Serve warm.

MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick eggplants several times with a fork. Rub a little olive oil into their skins. On a large baking sheet, roast eggplants until soft, about 30 minutes, turning frequently. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices.
• In a saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over high heat and brown eggplant slices lightly on each side. Do this in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
• In a saucepan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves, and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and their puree, squeezing them into coarse chunks. Add parsley, oregano, cinnamon and vinegar. Stir well. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Reserve.
• In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add remaining onions and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Add lamb, in stages if necessary, and brown well, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon. Add wine and bring to a boil. Cook until wine has nearly evaporated. 5. Season lamb with salt, black pepper and 2 pinches of nutmeg. Stir in 1 cup of reserved tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
• In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat, and gradually whisk in flour. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Do not let this brown. Add hot milk and whisk rapidly to combine. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until smooth and thickened. Season with salt, white pepper and remaining 2 pinches nutmeg. Let cool slightly.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and whisk in a spoonful of bechamel. Whisk in remaining bechamel in a thin stream, and adjust seasoning.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble moussaka: Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs across the bottom of a large baking dish (18-by-8-by-3 inches) and cover crumbs evenly with half the eggplant slices. Drain as much oil from lamb mixture as possible, and spread the meat over the eggplant layer. Top meat with half the cheese, then with half the remaining bread crumbs. Place remaining eggplant slices on top of the bread crumbs, then add the bechamel, remaining cheese and remaining bread crumbs in even layers. Dot with remaining butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes, until well browned. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Cut into 3-inch squares to serve. Serve with the extra tomato sauce.