Moussaka
Wholesome and delicious, from Felicity Cloake at the Guardian. If you have leftovers it’s even better the next day. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- Olive oil salt and pepper
- 2 aubergines in long thin slices
- 1 yellow onion minced
- 250 g mushrooms chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 200 g dry brown lentils rinsed
- 75 ml red wine
- 400 g tin tomatoes
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 300 g waxy potatoes thinly sliced
- 1-2 tsp oregano
For the bechamel
- 75 g olive oil
- 75 g flour
- 600 ml unsweetened plant milk
- Nutmeg
Instructions
- Sprinkle aubergines with salt & set in colander.
- Saute onion to soft. Add mushrooms, turning up heat when they start to lose their liquid, and cook to dry and golden. Turn down and add garlic, cinnamon and herbs, and saute 2-3 mins. Add tomato puree, fry 1-2 mins, then stir in lentils. Add wine and increase heat, reduce by half. Add tomatoes and stock, and simmer ~1 hr until lentils are cooked and sauce is thick. Stir in miso, season and remove cinnamon and bay.
- Meanwhile, cover frying pan with olive oil on medium-high heat. Fry aubergines in batches to soft and golden. Repeat with potatoes. Top up oil as needed!
- Make béchamel by heating oil, then stirring in flour to make a paste. Fry 2-3 mins, then gradually whisk in milk. Cook gently, stirring, until thick. Season with nutmeg and salt.
- Grease medium baking dish, cover with potatoes and season with salt and oregano. Spoon over the lentils, top with aubergines and more oregano. Cover with bechamel and level it out.
- Bake 45min at 200C until golden. Cool to warm before serving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
