cooking for a crowd,
Corn free,
dairy free,
Diabetic friendly,
eggplant,
from scratch,
ground beef,
slow food,
whole food
Moussaka, My Way
6:40 AM
Ok, so you know when you're meaning to do something... and really really have tried to sit down and do it multiple times and it still doesn't happen? That's what has happened with blogging about this recipe. Moussaka is magical. Moussaka single handedly disposes (deliciously) of 5 large eggplants and 3 lbs of ground beef ALL AT ONCE. Moussaka, in our house, took 2 adults an entire Sunday afternoon to make. It's big, it's time consuming, and it's a labor of love. You should definitely make sure you have some wine on hand to pass the time. It's also very tasty and worth it for the MASSIVE quantity of leftovers it creates. Oh, and it freezes really well. I'd almost have to say it tastes better for having been frozen and reheated.
Moussaka, My Way
5 large eggplants
salt
10 tbsp olive oil
3lbs ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup panko breakcrumbs
8 tbsp all purpose flour
4 cups warm unsweetened cashew milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 eggs, lightly beaten
olive oil for brushing eggplant
1 bottle of your favorite wine
Peel eggplants lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch rounds. Sprinkle with salt and let stand in a colander under a heavy pile of plates for 30 minutes. Rinse and dry eggplant and set aside.
Pour yourself a glass of wine. NOT the cooking wine.
Pour 4 tbsp olive oil and salt to taste in a saucepan and saute' the ground beef and onion until brown. Add tomato paste, parsley, red cooking wine, salt, pepper and water. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and then pull it off the heat and let it cool.
Drink wine.
Stir cinnamon, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes, and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs into the ground beef mixture. Set aside.
Drink wine.
Prepare the sauce!!
Pour 6 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until well blended. Remove from heat and gradually stir in cashew milk. Return to heat and stir until the sauce thickens and becomes very smooth. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Combine eggs with a small amount of hot sauce to temper, then stir egg mixture into sauce VERY SLOWLY and simmer over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Preheat broiler.
Drink wine. Have a snack too.
Lightly brush eggplant slices with oil on both sides. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and broil until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
Play with your kids/answer a text message/look at facebook.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle bottom of a large casserole dish with remaining breadcrumbs. Place a layer of eggplant slices on the breadcrumbs, then spread meat mixture over the eggplant slices. Cover meat with remaining eggplant slices. Spoon sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with remaining nutritional yeast. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
