Moussaka

A few weeks ago, we asked our Facebook fans what recipes they'd like to try, or meals they'd like to learn how to make. My mom responded that she'd like a recipe for ground lamb. I thought, "Perfect! We'll try making moussaka!"

Moussaka (moo-sah-KA) is probably one of the best-known traditional Greek dishes, after spanakopita, a spinach and cheese pie I absolutely love. The dish has origins in Turkish and Egyptian cooking, and in all those cultures it's a hearty casserole of ground meat and vegetables, sometimes topped with a luscious custard-y cheese and egg sauce the French call bechamel. In Greek cooking, the layers of vegetables, meat, and bechamel sauce are cooked separately, then assembled and baked in a casserole dish.

My parents came to visit us last weekend. After a long day touring Milwaukee's Third Ward, we planned to come home and cook moussaka together while the guys went to a model train store to feed my dad's current obsession hobby.

Milwaukee's river walk - and our new boat? I wish!

When we got home, we found we were too tired to cook, and all the cheeses we bought in the market were more than tempting with some fresh fruit and crackers for dinner. We bought gouda and havarti with dill, and several exceptional white cheddars with apricots, mangoes, and blueberries. Good choices.

I sent half the ground lamb home with my mom along with a promise to post the recipe. It was absolutely delicious! We lightened the recipe a bit by using lower-fat white sauce ingredients and by steaming the eggplant and potatoes rather than frying them.

The bechamel sauce really makes the recipe, so be sure you take the time to stir it slowly and let it simmer into an ivory custard.

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, cut into 1" cubes

4  medium potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

For the meat

1 1/2 lb. ground lamb, beef, pork, or any combination of those meats
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce

4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp flour
3 eggs, beaten, or 3/4 cup egg substitute
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup hard yellow cheese, grated and divided in half
4 cups milk

Directions

Place the sliced eggplant into a bowl of water with 1 tbsp salt, and allow it to soak for 30-60 minutes to remove the bitterness from the peel. Drain, then steam the eggplant with the potatoes in a steamer on top of the stove or in the microwave. The vegetables should be nearly tender when done, but not so tender that it will fall apart in the oven.

In a large frying pan, brown the meat with the onion and garlic. Add the wine, tomato, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper, nutmeg, and water. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the tomato is softened and the liquid is thick.

Oil a 9x12 casserole dish. Lay down a layer of the potatoes, then a layer of the eggplant. Cover with a layer of the meat mixture. Repeat with the rest of the vegetables and meat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the oil and butter together in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir until the mixture becomes a smooth roux. Whisk together the milk and egg, the slowly pour it into the flour mixture, stirring constantly. If there are any lumps, mix it with a whisk or hand mixture until perfectly smooth. Simmer on low heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Then add the sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon and half the cheese and stir until creamy again. Stir and simmer until it is the consistency of thin pudding or yogurt.

Pour the bechamel sauce evenly over the top of the casserole dish, then sprinkle with the other half of the cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the sauce is set and the top is golden brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to firm up the casserole before cutting into squares and serving (otherwise, the layers sort of slide apart on the dish).

Serves 4-6.

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Seder Braised Lamb

Joe combined several authentic Jewish recipes for a Seder lamb when we cooked for our church group, who celebrates a Christian Seder dinner each year. We also braised a six-pound beef brisket and baked a yeast lemon bread on the same day, which taxed Joe's ingenuity and the capacity of our oven. Obviously a yeast bread isn't allowed for a Jewish Seder, but our small group generally tries to respect the Jewish traditions while still enjoying other foods.

Lamb for a traditional Seder is never roasted, but always cooked with liquid. Joe rubbed the meat with garlic, parsley, thyme, mint, and salt and let it marinate for a couple of hours before cooking it. At the end of the cooking time, this meat was fork-tender and fragrant with herbs.

Ingredients

For the marinade

8 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed, and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp dried mint, or 2 tbsp fresh mint
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp coarse salt
2 tbsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 lb leg of lamb (or lamb shoulder)

Marinade instructions

Place the garlic, rosemary, mint, salt, and oil in a blender or food processor. Finely blend the ingredients. Spread the mixture on all sides of the lamb and let it marinade for at least an hour. You can marinate it in the refrigerator a day ahead and save time on your cooking day, but if you do, let it rise to room temperature before beginning to cook it.

For the lamb

2 tbsp oil
1 cup onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup parsley, chopped and divided
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped (or 1 tsp dried tarragon)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a large casserole or roasting pan, heat the half the oil then brown the lamb on all sides, usually about 5 minutes per side, then remove and set aside. Add the rest of the oil and saute the onions and garlic until tender. Return the lamb to the pan. Stir together the lemon juice, broth, and wine, and pour over the lamb. Sprinkle with the tarragon and half of the parsley.

Cover the lamb and place it in the oven. Braise it over low heat for 4 hours, remove the lid and braise for 1 more hour. Remove from the oven, place the meat on a cutting board, and cover it with foil.

Strain the liquid in the pan and then siphon off as much fat as possible. Heat the cooking broth in a saucepan while slicing the meat across the grain. Sprinkle the rest of the parsley and tarragon over the meat before serving, and serve the cooking broth on the side for drizzling.

Serves 8-12, depending on the size of the meat.

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