Moussaka with Zucchini

Moussaka is a popular dish in the Balkans and in the countries of the Middle East. It is a puff casserole of vegetables and minced meat with cream sauce. Vegetables are usually based on eggplants, but sometimes they are prepared on the basis of other vegetables, such as zucchini. Moussaka with zucchini can be of two types. One option assumes that the zucchini fully replace eggplant, thus becoming the main ingredient. In other cases, they only complement the eggplants, making up a harmonious combination with them. Both options are good and deserve to be included in the daily diet, especially in the vegetable harvest season.

Cooking Features

Not every vegetable casserole may be called musaka. In order for it to match this name, it must be properly prepared. This task is not difficult, but still has its own characteristics that should be known not only to the novice hostess.

In traditional recipes, eggplants are one of the main components of moussaki. They can be part of the dish, even if it is prepared from zucchini. In this case, it is necessary to remove the corned beef from the eggplants - a harmful substance, because of which they have a bitter taste. Fortunately, it is very easy to get rid of it - it is capable of pulling out salt from vegetables. It is enough to sprinkle the eggplants with salt or dip them in the brine for 20 minutes and there is no salt in them. After that, it remains only to rinse well in running water so that they are not too salty, and dry them with napkins.
Both eggplants and zucchini for moussacks are young. Eggplants are usually peeled, zucchini can not be peeled, but only if there is no damage on their skin.
It is important to chop vegetables for moussaka with plates from 5 to 10 mm thick, it does not matter along or across. The main thing is that the vegetables completely cover the bottom of the form, in which the moussaka will be baked, forming a continuous bottom layer.
Squash and eggplants must be fried before placing them in a mold. Otherwise, you will have to wait too long until they are sufficiently baked to become soft. To fry them until they are ready is not worth it, just lightly browning on both sides. After that, roasted vegetables should be put on a napkin, and only after it absorbs the excess oil, they can be put in a baking dish.
Despite the fact that the moussaka may be vegetarian, meat mince is more often used for its preparation. Traditional recipes usually indicate minced lamb, but it can be made from both beef and poultry. In any case, preference should be given to minced meat, cooked with his own hands, as no one will give you guarantees that sufficiently high-quality ingredients were used in the production of the purchased one. The quality of meat, in turn, plays an important role: you cannot cook a tasty dish out of bad stuffing.

Moussaka is an independent dish, no side dish is required. However, the option of serving it to the table in the form of a cold snack is not excluded, in some countries it is considered a salad.

Moussaka with Zucchini and Eggplant

Composition:

eggplants - 0, 6 kg;
zucchini - 0, 3 kg;
ground beef - 0, 5 kg;
tomatoes - 0.5 kg;
onions - 100 g;
flour - 30 g;
cream - 0, 4 l;
chicken egg - 3 pcs .;
hard cheese - 0, 3 kg;
salt, pepper - to taste;
vegetable oil - how much will leave.

Method of preparation:

Wash eggplants, cut into 7-8 mm thick circles.
Prepare a saline solution using 10 g of salt per liter of water.
Immerse the eggplants in the solution. After 20 minutes, remove them and wash them well. Pat dry with a towel.
Wash and slice approximately the same size as eggplants, young squash.
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Make small cross-shaped cuts on the tomatoes. They should be on the side opposite to where the stalks were. Boil the water and dip the tomatoes for a minute. Shumovka shift them to the pan with cold water, so they quickly cooled. After that, the tomatoes need to be peeled.
Place the tomato pulp in the blender bowl and turn it into puree.
Cheese finely grate and divide into two approximately equal parts.
Heat the oil in a pan and put the chopped onion in it. Fry it for a couple of minutes.
Add minced meat to onions. Salt it and pepper. If desired, add a pinch of nutmeg.
Fry the minced meat for 7-8 minutes with the onions, then pour the tomato puree into the pan with it. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid from the pan has evaporated.
In a clean pan, fry zucchini and eggplants alternately.
Lay the eggplants on the bottom of the mold, put half the mince on them, flatten with a spoon.
In the next layer, put zucchini, cover them with the remaining minced meat.
Fry the flour in a dry pan. Gradually pouring the cream into the pan and whipping them with a whisk along with the flour, prepare the cream sauce.
Cool the sauce slightly, add eggs to it, continuing to beat.
Pour one piece of cheese into the sauce, whisk until the sauce looks even.
Pour the vegetables and minced meat in the sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Put in the oven and turn it on. Cook the moussaka for 25 minutes after the temperature in the oven reaches 180 degrees.

The classic recipes of the moussaka suggest the use of a small amount of wine for the preparation of minced meat, but it is not a necessary ingredient. If you still do not want to deviate from the tradition, reduce by about half the number of tomatoes, replacing them with 100-150 ml of dry wine, red or white - without a difference.

Moussaka with zucchini and potatoes

Composition:

young zucchini - 1 kg;
onions - 0, 2 kg;
potatoes - 0, 3 kg;
ground beef - 0, 5 kg;
tomatoes - 0, 3 kg;
butter - 70 g;
chicken egg - 2 pcs .;
oregano - 5 g;
cinnamon - a pinch;
walnuts - 50 g;
dry red wine - 100 ml;
cheese - 150 g;
flour - 50 g;
milk - 0, 5 l;
salt, pepper - to taste;
vegetable oil - how much will leave.

Method of preparation:

Zucchini cut into circles about half a centimeter thick, lightly fry in vegetable oil.
Crush the peeled onion, put it in the pan with the heated oil.
After a couple of minutes, add the mince to the onion and fry them together for 10 minutes.
While frying the mince, pour over boiling water and peel the tomatoes. Fuerate them with a blender.
Add tomato paste to mince. Salt and season with pepper, oregano and cinnamon. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour in the wine and continue stewing until almost all the liquid from the pan has evaporated.
Peel the potatoes, cut them into thin slices.
In a clean skillet, melt the butter, add flour to it, mix well, beating with a whisk. Add the milk, continuing to beat.
Remove from heat. Gradually add eggs, chopped walnuts, finely grated cheese to the sauce.
Place half of courgettes on the bottom of a baking dish, put slices of potatoes on them, salt and pepper.
Put the mince, cover it with the remaining zucchini. Pour the sauce.
Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.