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What is Moussaka?
Moussaka is a popular and well-known Mediterranean classic, with variations on the recipe from region to region. Similar to lasagne, vegetable moussaka consists of aubergine and potatoes, while meat versions combine aubergine and beef or aubergine and minced lamb. The most distinctive part of moussaka is the creamy white bechamel sauce that sits between the vegetables and meat.
Classic Moussaka Recipes
There are generally no heavy spices in most moussaka recipes. Although allspice is commonly used along with garden herbs such as rosemary or oregano. Dried or fresh chillies are not a standard ingredient, so the addition of harissa in the recipe is quite a flavour boost.
Nicely Spiced Moussaka
This version takes a classic moussaka recipe of minced lamb (or beef) and vamps it up with the North African spices of harissa, cinnamon and mint, then layers it and tops it with a lemony sumac and cumin bechamel sauce. It’s a creamy, spicy, textured explosion of flavour.
Recipe: Harissa Spiced Moussaka
Harissa Spiced Moussaka
Ingredients
Mince
- 500g lamb or beef mince
- 1 large red onion chopped fine
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 large aubergine
- 1 tbsp harissa powder (or paste)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp dried mint
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 800g tinned tomatoes
- 200ml beef stock
- Salt and pepper
Bechamel Sauce
- 50g butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500ml milk
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp sumac
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C /160°C fan-forced. Slice the 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 lamb or beef 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.
- 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 of the meat sauce, then layer half the aubergine slices and top with 1/3 of 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.
