Moussaka

Ingredients

• 1 Shallot
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp Flour
• 250 ml hot beef broth
• 350 ml milk (low fat)
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• nutmeg
• 50 ml heavy cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 kg eggplant
• Salt
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 onions
• 1 kg spinach
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 large tomatoes
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon
• 150 g grated Parmesan
• 150 g grated Gruyère cheese
• 3 eggs

Instructions

1. 1.

   For the béchamel sauce, peel and finely dice the shallot.

2. 2.

   Whisk the butter in a pot until foamy, add the shallot and sauté until translucent. Then stir in the flour and cook briefly while stirring.

3. 3.

   Gradually whisk in the hot broth and milk with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add the bay leaf, season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, then simmer gently over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and finish with cream and lemon juice.

4. 4.

   For the casserole, clean the eggplant, cut half of it into ~1 cm thick slices, salt them and let sit for about 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a large pan and quickly brown the eggplant slices on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper.

5. 5.

   Bake the remaining eggplant in the oven at 180°C (~350°F) for about 45 minutes until tender, set aside to cool, then peel and puree.

6. 6.

   Peel and finely chop the onions. Blanch the tomatoes, peel, seed, and finely chop them. Wash, trim, and wilt the spinach in lightly salted boiling water until it wilts, then drain, shock in cold water, let drip, squeeze with hands, and roughly chop.

7. 7.

   Sauté the onions in hot butter until translucent. In a bowl combine the pureed eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and 2 tbsp béchamel; season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon.

8. 8.

   Alternately layer in a large greased baking dish: eggplant slices, eggplant-tomato mixture, spinach, brushing each layer with béchamel and sprinkling cheese. Reserve some cheese and béchamel for the final layer.

9. 9.

   Whisk the eggs with remaining béchamel and pour over the assembled moussaka; top with remaining cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (~350°F) for about 30 minutes until golden yellow. Serve immediately.