Moussaka - general principles and methods of preparation
Musaka is a traditional dish prepared by the inhabitants of the Balkans and the Middle East. It is a casserole of thin slices of eggplant, which are sandwiched with minced meat (usually lamb), tomatoes and vegetables. The recipes of the musaka can be varied, the composition of the products in them and the sequence of cooking depends on the country in which the dish is prepared. For example, minced meat. It may not be lamb, but veal, or even absent - then the moussaka will be a vegetable. Some nations put potatoes with sweet peppers and other vegetables in moussaka, while others, in addition to tomatoes, use sour cream and eggs.
One thing remains unchanged for all recipes - this is the presence of eggplant in the casserole. Another feature of the moussack is that all the products in the dish are laid simultaneously and stewed for about an hour. The main and obligatory vegetables, in addition to eggplants, are onions and tomatoes. As a rule, apart from them, there is at least one other vegetable in the dish in the form of cabbage (white or cauliflower), potatoes, zucchini, and green peas. Moussaka is usually seasoned with various spices - garlic, bay leaf, black or red pepper, dill and parsley; as well as fats - sunflower oil and sour cream.
The principle of cooking the moussack is also common to most recipes - meat is used in the form of minced meat, vegetables are cut into slices, and cabbage is used in straws. Then spread in a wide and shallow pan, smeared with butter, lay out layers of eggplants, onions, tomatoes, zucchini or potatoes (or other vegetables used), and on top - meat. Sprinkle greens, moussaka is baked in the oven, and then served hot.
Moussaka - product preparation
The main product for moussacks is eggplants. They are usually washed, cut into circles, having a thickness of about 5 mm, and sprinkled with salt, so that the typical bitterness of the eggplants comes out with the juice.
Another important component of the moussaka, if it is not vegetarian, is meat, most often lamb. Meat for the musaka is used in Vizhe minced meat, for which the prepared meat pulp is washed, freed otplenok and twisted in a meat grinder.
The remaining components of the moussaka, vegetables (onions with carrots, bell peppers, etc.) are cleaned and cut according to the recipe, usually with rings or circles.
Moussaka - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Greek Moussaka
As you know, moussaka is prepared by folding products into a mold and extinguishing them together. Imagine how fragrant and tasty the dish will turn out, for cooking of which in a high baking tray will be stewed young lamb with eggplants, tomatoes, onions, garlic and seasonings! This is a real meal for a family dinner or lunch, which is sure to appreciate all your home.
Ingredients:
1 kg of lamb;
3 eggplants;
5 medium tomatoes;
1 large onion;
3 tbsp. l olive oil;
3 cloves of garlic;
4 fresh mint leaves;
2 bay leaves;
0.5 tsp. coriander with ground cloves;
nutmeg (ground) on the tip of a knife;
0.5 cups dry white wine;
100 gr. flour;
to taste salt and pepper;
for the top:
0.5 cups grated Parmesan cheese;
100 gr. flour;
300 gr. milk;
50 gr. butter:
a few sprigs of parsley.
Cooking Method:
1. After washing the lamb and cut it into small pieces, skip the meat through a meat grinder.
2. Onions and garlic clean and shred, tomatoes, washed out, cut into cubes. Warming up the olive oil in the pan, fry the onion in it, after 5-7 minutes add the minced meat, mix well and fry for about 10 minutes. Then add the tomatoes with garlic, mint, bay leaf, cloves, coriander, nutmeg, salt, pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes. Then, pour in the wine and stir everything, bring to a boil. Then, removing from the heat and draining the excess liquid, cover with a lid. 3. After peeling the eggplants, cut them into circles, the thickness of which should be about 1 cm. Then put them in a bowl in layers and pour them with salt, leave for 15 minutes. After pouring out the juice that will stand out from the eggplants, wash them with water and dry them with paper a towel.
4. After heating up the olive oil in a pan, fry the eggplant circles in it, pre-dipping each one into the sifted flour. Roasting time on each side is about 1 minute. After roasting, place the circles on a paper towel so that it absorbs the excess fat.
5. Spread fried eggplants in a deep refractory form, spread half of the prepared minced meat on them, on top of the minced meat - the second layer of eggplants. Cover it with another layer of minced meat and level the surface.
6. My parsley and finely chop it. Warming up the butter in a saucepan, pour the flour in there and cook for about 5 minutes with constant stirring.
7. Slightly preheat the milk, drive the eggs in there and mix thoroughly. Add this mixture to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes with constant stirring. Then add the grated parmesan with herbs, stir and remove from heat. The resulting sauce grease the surface of the Musaka.
8. Bake the moussaka for about half an hour in a well-heated oven and serve it directly on the table in the form in which it was prepared, divided into portions.
Recipe 2: Moussaka vegetarian
Among the supporters of vegetarianism, you can also find a lot of gourmets. And they will certainly appreciate this recipe for moussaka, in which potatoes are cooked with onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic. The dish turns out very tasty and fragrant.
Ingredients:
5 potatoes;
2 medium onions;
1 large carrot;
1 large bell pepper;
2 medium eggplants;
4 tomatoes;
2 cloves of garlic; olive oil;
to taste salt and pepper;
dry Mediterranean herbs;
optional bay leaf with allspice.
Cooking Method:
1. Cut the eggplants into slices and sprinkle them with salt and let them stand, so that the juice from them stacks, which you then need to wash off with cold water.
2. Peel potatoes, cut them in the same circles as eggplants, and spread them in an even layer into a thick-bottomed pan greased with olive oil. Salt it, pepper and sprinkle with olive oil.
3. Cut the onion into thin rings, lay it evenly on the potatoes, salt and pepper.
4. Clean the carrots and cut them into circles, spread them on the onion and also salt and pepper them, sprinkle with olive oil.
5. We clean the Bulgarian pepper and cut it into rings, salt and pepper, sprinkle with olive oil.
6. Finely chop the greens, chop the garlic.
6. Next, lay out the eggplants, salt and pepper them, sprinkle with oil. And finally, the last layer lay out the tomatoes, cut into thin circles. Fill the pan with 100 ml of water and set it on slow fire. When until the end of cooking will be about 5 minutes, add the greens with garlic.
Recipe 3: Greek Moussaka with ground beef and potatoes
Another recipe for moussaka, but it contains potatoes, which in combination with meat and vegetables gives a very tasty and satisfying dish.
Ingredients:
0.5 kg minced beef;
3 potatoes;
2 eggplant;
1 onion;
2 cloves of garlic;
200 gr. cheese;
2 tbsp. l tomato paste;
400 gr. cream;
2 tbsp. l flour;
to taste the salt.
Cooking Method:
1. Peel the onions, chop them finely and lightly fry in vegetable oil with chopped garlic. Then add the mince there and continue to fry for about 5 minutes, at the end of frying add the tomato paste.
2. Cutting the eggplants into circles, salt and let them stand, so that the bitterness will disappear from the juice that has come out. 3. Clean the potatoes and boil in salted water, then cool, cut into slices.
4. After frying the flour in a pan, add cream to it, salt and bring to a boil.
5. Put layers of minced meat, eggplants, potatoes on a baking sheet, then pour them with creamy sauce and sprinkle cheese on top, bake moussaka in the oven to form a brown crust. Serve warm.
Moussaka - useful tips from experienced chefs
It is believed that olive oil is best suited for cooking the Musaka; however, you can also use sunflower or corn oil.
Moussaka is a dish that should definitely get juicy, and at the same time well baked. Therefore, for those who like to cook in the microwave, this advice: in this case, we do not fry the eggplants, cut them into slices, but cut them in half, burn them in the oven for about 10 minutes and cut them into thin plates, which we use in cooking. So in eggplant more juice will remain.
Moussaka is usually served hot, but it can also be used as a cold snack. Then it is good to supplement it with a thick tomato sauce, which can be cooked by whipping tomatoes, peeled, seeds, greens, garlic and vegetable oil.
