Oriental cuisine has long won worldwide fame and love. It combines the gastronomic traditions of different countries, which are opposite in taste preferences and customs. Dishes abound in spicy spices, savory and meat delicacies. One of the revered treats is moussaka with eggplant and potatoes. The recipe migrated to us from Greece.
In the Russian understanding, this is a casserole of meat and vegetables with cheese sauce. Greek delicacy is known far beyond the borders of our country. The dish does not need advertising and laudations, it is loved for the harmonious combination of ingredients, high nutritional value and satiety. Chefs from different countries interpret the food at their discretion. However, regardless of the constituent components, the cooking technology remains unchanged.
Eggplant and minced meat recipe
Most often, in such a variation, a dish is served in the local restaurants and cafes of Russia. The recipe is quite simple and extremely understandable. The composition includes the following ingredients:
- half a kilogram of minced meat (from any meat);
- hard cheese - 200 g;
- two potatoes;
- two medium-sized eggplants;
- fat cream - 350 ml.
You will definitely need tomato paste (50 g), onion, three cloves of garlic, flour (50 g), butter (30 g) and salt.
Technological process
Before preparing the moussaka, we will clear the blue ones from the peel, cut into thin plates, fill with salted water and leave to soak for an hour. Thus you will get rid of bitterness. Chop the onion, passer in sunflower oil, then squeeze the garlic, add the minced meat - stew under the lid. After about 20 minutes, spread the tomato paste in the pan, add a little salt. Turn off the burner.
Prepare the Bechamel sauce: put butter in a preheated container, add flour and fry. Pour cream in a thin stream, constantly mixing the mixture. Add salt when the sauce becomes thick - turn off.
Collect the dish
We take a rectangular baking sheet, cover it with parchment, grease it with oil. Put the mugs of peeled potatoes in the first layer (you can add salt). We cover with minced meat, lay on top of a little blue. Pour in creamy sauce, put in the oven for 40 minutes. Pour grated cheese a minute before turning it off. When serving, garnish with dill or parsley. Greek moussaka with eggplant and potatoes, the recipe of which will please ease, will surprise with refined and original taste.
Balkan recipe
The menu of many establishments will offer you another amazing dish of chopped beef with a touch of white wine. If you do not want to visit restaurants, you can make a treat yourself. Get these products:
- 400-500 g of beef tenderloin;
- 3-4 pcs. blue ones;
- five potato tubers;
- vegetables - onion, three tomatoes, two cloves of garlic;
- a glass of white wine (dry);
- parsley;
- two hundred grams of cheese;
- 30 g butter.
To give a piquant taste you will need spices: a pinch of thyme, rosemary, white pepper.
Ingredients for gravy: half a liter of milk, 50 g flour, a large spoon of butter, salt.
How to cook mushaka? Where to begin?
The purified blue ones are immersed in water for 30-50 minutes. During this time, fry chopped onions. We cut the beef into small pieces, like goulash, and add to the onion. Let the meat brown, pour in the wine, chop the parsley. Cover and do not touch for 10 minutes.
Blanch tomatoes, peel, cut into cubes. Tomatoes are sent to the meat pan with chopped garlic and these spices. Tomim for about 30 minutes. We cut the blue circles, fry on both sides.
Prepare a sauce of milk, flour and butter according to the previous analogy. Now let's start the formation of Greek treats: put potato mugs, half blue on the bottom of the baking sheet, beef stewed with tomatoes and spices. Immerse the second part of the eggplant on the meat, pour the sauce.
Goes to the oven moussaka with eggplant and potatoes. The recipe can be combined with zucchini, chicken. At the end of the baking, cheese is necessarily added. A wonderful dish for everyday and solemn feast.
Moussaka classic lamb
In Greece, this treat is prepared only from a young lamb. The meat variety gives a special flavor to the dish. In this embodiment, there is no potato, because the treat is already high-calorie and satisfying. If you decide to make traditional musaka, then stock up on the necessary products:
- kilogram of lamb meat (sirloin) ;
- four little blue ones;
- onion, three cloves of garlic;
- three tomatoes;
- dry wine in a volume of 100 ml.
You can not do without cloves, coriander, nutmeg - take all the spices by a pinch, as well as a bunch of cilantro.
For the sauce: a glass of grated cheese, an egg, 100 g of flour, 300 ml of milk, 30 g of butter.
Step-by-step instruction
Cooking Moussaka does not take more than an hour and a half. To begin with, we’ll make minced meat or cut it into small pieces. We remove the peel from the blue ones, fill it with water and do not touch it for half an hour. Then dry, cut into rings and fry.
Stir onion with garlic, add meat. We extinguish the mass for 5 minutes. We spread the peeled tomatoes, add all the seasonings and chopped cilantro. Cover, simmer for 10 minutes. Pour with wine, simmer another 5 minutes.
Cover the bottom of the pan with the fried blue ones (1/2 part), cover with lamb (half) from above. Eggplants are the third layer, the fourth is meat. Pour all the milk gravy: pour the flour into the heated oil, passer a little, pour the milk, add the egg.
With constant stirring, bring to a thickening and pour in grated cheese. This mixture is poured products that are in the pan. Moussaka is baked in the oven for at least half an hour. Then put the casserole on the table, cut into neat little squares. Instead of a side dish, you can serve fresh vegetables, herbs and a glass of red wine.
That’s how it’s easy to cook musaka with eggplant and potatoes. The recipe can be interpreted at your own discretion: combine with mushrooms, seafood, fish.