Recipe: Harissa Moussaka
What is Moussaka?
Moussaka is a well-loved and well-known Mediterranean classic with variations of the recipe spanning region to region.
Similar to lasagne, vegetable moussaka consists of aubergine and potato, whereas meat versions combine aubergine and beef or aubergine and lamb mince. The most definitive part of the moussaka is a creamy white bechamel sauce, which sits between the vegetables and meat.
How is classic Moussaka made?
There are generally no heavy spices found in most moussaka recipes. Although allspice is commonly used along with garden herbs such as rosemary or oregano but dried or fresh chilies are not a standard component.
What is in this Harissa Moussaka recipe?
In this version a classic moussaka recipe of lamb mince is pimped with North African spices of harissa, cinnamon and mint, then layered and topped with lemony sumac and cumin-infused bechamel sauce. It’s a creamy, spicy, textured flavour explosion.
Harissa Moussaka
Ingredients
Mince
- 500 g beef or lamb mince
- 1 large red onion chopped fine
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 large aubergine
- 1 heaped tbsp harissa powder or paste
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp dried mint
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 800 g tinned tomatoes
- 200 ml beef stock
- Salt and pepper
Bechamel Sauce
- 50 g butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500 ml milk
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1.5 tsp sumac
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C /160°C fan-forced. Slice aubergine lengthways into 1cm thick pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Let aubergine rest for 15 minutes to release its moisture. After this time, brush both sides with oil and roast in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until soft.
- Season beef or lamb mince with salt and fry in a little oil until nice and browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Using the same pan on medium heat, fry onions until soft. Add garlic and cook gently for 1-minute, followed by harrisa, cinnamon, allspice and mint. Add another splash of oil if needed to avoid spices drying out or burning.
- After a minute or two when spices have become fragrant, squeeze in tomato paste. Stir continuously until the paste becomes dark and sticky. It’s important to keep the heat of the pan gentle so the flavour can develop slowly. This is a very important part of the recipe. Take your time and allow the onions, spices and tomato to form a flavoursome roux.
- Add tomatoes, beef stock and minced meat, bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes.
- For the bechamel, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour, cumin, sumac and a pinch of salt, then stir to form a paste. Slowly whisk in milk, making sure there are no lumps. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens.
- Using a 26cm x 17cm oven-proof dish, layer ingredients, starting with half mince sauce, then layer half the aubergine slices and top with half the bechamel sauce. Repeat layers again, finishing with bechamel sauce.
- Bake in oven at 190°C / 170°C fan forced for 30 – 40 minutes. Let moussaka stand for 10 minutes in a warm place before serving.
Where to source ingredients:
Sumac and Harissa can be purchased at your local international supermarket or spice shop, otherwise online
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