(2020) Eggplant Moussaka

Recipe Author: Suzanne Welander

Needing eggplant inspiration from the beatnik 70’s? Try this moussaka recipe from my mother’s ex-boyfriend Paul. The resulting casserole might be short on authenticity, but is long on yum.

Ingredients:

1-2 large eggplants cut in 1/2 in slices Oil 1/2 cup butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 lbs ground beef 1 cups tomato sauce 1/4 teasp ground cloves 4 tbsp flour 2 cups milk salt & pepper nutmeg

Preparation:

Soak eggplant slices in heavily salted water for 2 hours, rinse, pat dry and saute in high-temp oil until tender and light golden brown. Drain in colander. Brown onion in 1/2 cup butter. Add meat to brown. Stir in tomato sauce, ground cloves, salt and pepper to taste. Cook down until most of the liquid is absorbed. Make a thin white sauce from flour, 1/2 cup butter, milk and nutmeg. Layer eggplant and meat sauce in casserole dish, cover with white sauce and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

The recipe tolerates a lot of improvisation. Chopped peppers sound like a nice addition, as do chopped garlic cloves. I do tend to go heavier on the spices.
Serves 8