Moussaka

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Moussaka, a rich casserole of roasted eggplant, tomato sauce enriched with meat (usually ground lamb), and creamy béchamel, is a cornerstone of Greek cuisine. It is similar to lasagna in that it is a layered casserole, with sheets of eggplant instead of noodles sandwiching the filling and sauce. The problem, we find, is that often the eggplant is loaded with oil and the filling and sauce are cloyingly rich yet disappointingly bland—nothing like the delicate, nuanced casserole that it should be. We wanted to make a version that was as close to authentic as we could get, and worth all of the effort.

ROAST THE EGGPLANT  Frying the eggplant for our moussaka made for a greasy finished dish. Roasting improved matters greatly—the eggplant required a minimum amount of oil to brown, and it had a superior texture and flavor. The high heat of the oven effectively caramelized the eggplant, magnifying its sweetness and tempering its bitterness.

SHAPE MATTERS  Cutting the eggplants into chunks—rather than slicing them into broad planks—was a bit unconventional, but proved to be a real timesaver. It allowed us to fit more eggplant on the baking sheets, which meant we could roast it all in one batch.

BROWN AND DRAIN THE LAMB  Ground lamb is almost always fatty. We quickly realized that the meat needed to be browned and the excess fat drained off before we could add the filling’s other ingredients.

FLAVOR THE FILLING  A generous amount of onions and garlic provided sweetness and piquancy, lending the filling a solid base of flavor. Pureed canned tomatoes reduced to a thick, jammy consistency, and a little tomato paste and sugar complemented the tomatoes’ fruity sweetness. Red wine contributed welcome acidity, oregano brought freshness, and a modest amount of cinnamon provided a warm, spicy note.

THICKEN THE BÉCHAMEL  The béchamel needed to be quite thick in order to form a generous blanket over the top of the casserole and seal in the filling. Increasing the flour and adding a healthy dose of Parmesan (similar in flavor to myzithra, a Greek cheese used in classic recipes) did the trick.

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