Moussaka

This is a new favorite.  I love moussaka.  When I was in college, my group of friends would have a dinner once in a while and choose a country.  We would all pick out dishes from that country and then bring them together to try.  When we chose Greece, I chose moussaka.  I was just learning to cook and moussaka was very ambitious for me.  It worked, but I was exhausted and didn't try it again for years!

This is a Keto recipe and so quick!  I use ground moose and with just Dave and myself home now, I make it in two 8X8 pans so we have dinner, left-overs for lunch and another pan in the freezer for when I'm gone or too lazy busy to cook.  I've made it over and over, and Dave still says he likes it and will eat it again.

I made it during the week Gman and his people were up
Thanksgiving week.  Gman approved.

This dish, with a salad is the perfect winter dinner.  I have a couple pans of this in the freezer for later this month when I'll be recovering from the second reconstruction surgery.  Easy for me and Dave, and a warm delicious dinner.

Skillet Moussaka

Eggplant Layer
1 small eggplant (about 12 ounces)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Meat layer
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped inions
2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste or minced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. dried oregano leaves
1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1.5 lbs. ground lamb, beef, or moose
2 cup finely diced mushrooms
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup tomato sauce

Cheese sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup bone broth (homemade or store bought)
2 large eggs, separated
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Pinch of ground nutmeg


Preheat oven to 350˚F.

To prepare the eggplant layer, cut the stem off the eggplant and remove the skin with a vegetable peeler.  Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick planks.  Season both sides of the slices with salt and pepper.  Place the eggplant on a greased rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until soft.  Remove the eggplant from the oven, but leave the oven on if you are baking the moussaka right away.

Meanwhile, make the meat layer.  Heat 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the ground meat and mushrooms.  Stir to crumble the meat.  Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon stick, then stir in the tomato sauce.  Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Place 1/2 the meat mixture in one 9 X 13 or two 8X8 pans.  Place a layer of eggplant slices over the meat (dividing evenly if using two pans), top with the remaining meat mixture, top with another layer of eggplant.  Set aside.

Make the cheese sauce.  In a saucepan over low heat, combine the 1/4 cup of butter and the broth.  When the butter is melted, whisk in the egg yolks, feta cheese, and nutmeg and stir just until combined.  Beat the egg whites until very stiff, then fold them into the sauce.  Pour the cheese sauce over the eggplant in the pan.

Place the pan in the oven and bake the moussaka for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

3 years ago:   Easy Cassoulet - the Perfect Winter Dinner
5 years ago:   So Long to a Good Friend

January 11, 2018  Sunrise 10:35am  Sunset 3:22pm   Temp H 2/ L -5˚F