Vegetarian Moussaka – Recipe from Athens
• 3 eggplants, 3 potatoes, 3 zucchini, 1lb carrots peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 2 cups olive oil
• 2 cups Gouda or your favorite cheese
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 8-ounce tomato sauce
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup butter
• 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Optional ingredients for meat:
• (optional meat) – 1 pound lean ground beef or Lamb
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
————————
Prep 45 minutes
Cook – 1 hour
1. Slice carrots lengthwise and boil for 10-20 minutes. Then put in a strainer to remove water.
2. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain oil.
3. Do the same with the potatoes and zucchini.
4. (Optional for meat) In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
5. To make the béchamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
6. Arrange a layer of potato, zucchini, and eggplant in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with carrots then béchamel sauce (meat mixture first if using that), and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the top. Lay out the layers or each adding cheese, tomato sauce, and nutmeg/salt/pepper as shown
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes until top is brown and cooked through (1 hour with meat at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
8. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.
Béchamel Sauce:
1. Melt 50g of butter in a medium-size pot and add 5 x tablespoons of plain flour.
2. Mix continuously using a whisk until there are no lumps and the flour has dissolved.
3. Add salt and pepper and keep mixing, leaving it to cook and become creamy in texture.
4. While mixing, add 4 cups of milk and stir really well until the béchamel sauce thickens even more.
5. (Optional) Mix in 2 x egg yolks and 150g of grated parmesan cheese.
6. Continue to cook until all of the ingredients have dissolved and mixed through.
Measurements are Approximate
You love the chef, I know. :'D
I liked the video. 😀
That's A LOT of oil !!!!
Bravo bechamel, really bad and full of lumps, your recipe is shit ! There is no pro in this kitchen !
Absolutely AMAZING!!
Thanks to this recipe I got a " the best cook in town" comment on my last weekend dinner!! Huge thanks!!!
Amazing!!
his english is good. what is the language in greece?
That moussaka looks DELICIOUS!!!!!!! He's right about the recipe part, you make so many mistakes leveling the butter and milk for a perfect layer. That's a great chef.
Oh my this look so good thank you so much.
Beautiful people, beautiful country BEAUTIFUL food! Need to update my passport pronto! Thanks guys 😀 xx
Is this the real Tselementes recipe?
Looks delicious, wish l’d found this restaurant on my visit to Athens. I usually add soya mince but will incorporate carrots too when l make later. Thank you.
"Little more work" into this dish, but looks amazing nice to see you enjoy it afterwards with your good friend.
So glad you are enjoying Greece and our cooking so much! You really look so alive on this! 🙏🏻
And the lasagna looks delicious. A big hug to the 👨🍳 chef
Great video, Athens looks so nice.
Thanku