Musaka podle Nadi Indruchové

Last Updated on August 12, 2024

Musaka is a traditional roasted dish of the Balkans and the Middle East. The most famous variant is the Greek moussaka, which consists of layers of minced meat that is sautéed with onions and garlic, eggplant, tomatoes and béchamel sauce. Sometimes it is also baked with sliced potatoes. Variations of the dish vary from region to region.

Ingredients:

500 g of ground beef 400 g 6-8 pcs of potatoes (depending on size) 4 pcs garlic cloves 1 pcs large onion 1 pcs large eggplant 150 ml dry red wine 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp lard to grease the baking dish 1 tbsp cane sugar 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp Roman cumin 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon pepper salt For béchamel: 2-3 tbsp smooth flour 2 tablespoons butter 200 ml cooking cream 12% 200 ml milk 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp grated nutmeg 100 g finely grated Parmesan cheese ground white pepper salt

Procedure:

1. First prepare the eggplant; cut the washed and dried eggplant into half cm rounds, salt both sides and let it “sweat” for 30 minutes, then wipe off the salt with a paper towel and transfer the eggplant rounds to a baking sheet lined with baking paper, dry roast in a 180 °C oven for about 15 minutes until light brown
2. In the meantime, prepare the meat mixture; heat the oil in a large pan, add the chopped onion and let it brown, add the chopped garlic and let it flourish, then add the minced meat, add all the spices, salt, pepper and roast, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes
3. Add the sliced tomatoes, wine, sugar and let it bubble over a low flame, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes
4. While the meat mixture is simmering, scrape the potatoes, rinse them thoroughly in cold water and dry them thoroughly with a paper towel, cut them into thin 3 mm slices on a slicer or roach
5. Grease the baking dish with lard, using your hands, both the bottom and the sides, put half of the potatoes on the bottom so that we cover the whole bottom and there was not even a gap, then add half of the meat mixture, then put the eggplant slices on top, add the remaining meat mixture and put the rest of the potatoes on top (oh, I forgot … don’t forget to salt the potatoes :-))
6. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven at 170 °C for 50 minutes
7. And prepare the béchamel … mix the butter and flour into a light roux, add nutmeg and pepper, let it bubble, pour in the milk and cream, season with lemon juice and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, finally add the grated Parmesan cheese (add the milk gradually, the resulting consistency should resemble semolina (thinner) porridge. Be careful with the salt too, parmesan is salty enough)
8. Spread the béchamel on the moussaka with a spatula, increase the oven temperature to 200 °C and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until light brown bubbles start to form on the surface of the béchamel
9.

Note:

Recipe from Cooking with Tom, photo and text by Naďa Indruchová