Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

------------------------TOMATO SAUCE-----------------------------
2 lg Onions
2 tb Olive oil
2 tb Butter
2 c Mushrooms, minced
-(if you insist upon
-using meat, substitute
-1 lb ground beef or
-lamb for the mushrooms)
3 tb Tomato paste
3 Tomatoes, peeled
-and pureed
3/4 c Red wine, dry
1/2 c Parsley, chopped
1 ts Cinnamon
1 tb Garlic, finely chopped
1 tb Oregano
1 ts Sugar

-----------------------BECHAMEL SAUCE----------------------------
4 c Milk
1/2 c Butter
6 tb Flour
1/8 ts Nutmeg
1/4 ts White pepper

-----------------------THE CASSEROLE----------------------------
Olive oil
3 lb Eggplant
4 Eggs, beaten
2 c Ricotta cheese
1 c Bread crumbs, dry
2 c Kefalotyri or Parmesan
-cheese, grated

First make the tomato sauce: peel and mince onions. Saute onions in
about 2 T oil and about 2 T butter, over moderate heat, until they
are soft and lightly colored (about 8 minutes). Add mushrooms and
saute. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, parsley, seasonings and
sugar.

Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, for 30-45 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Most of the liquid should be evaporated, and the
mixture quite thick. Remove skillet from heat and let it cool
completely.

Start seasoning the eggplants: peel eggplants and slice vertically,
about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit
for 30 minutes.

Now make the Bechamel Sauce: Place the milk in a saucepan and heat
it just until tiny bubbles appear along the edges. Remove and set
aside.

Melt one cube butter in a 3-quart saucepan over very low heat until
foamy, being careful not to brown. Slowly add the 6 T flour,
stirring constantly until smooth (3-4 minutes), and still being
careful not to let it brown. Add the milk slowly, whipping with a
wire whisk. When the mixture is thick and smooth, remove it from the
heat and stir in seasonings. Cool sauce slightly.

Back to the eggplant: Rinse well with cold water; squeeze gently and
pat dry. Dredge the eggplant in about 1 1/2 cups flour and saute in
olive oil.

Put it all together: Stir ricotta cheese until it is smooth and
creamy. Gently fold it into the Bechamel sauce. Stir in beaten eggs
until thoroughly incorporated.

Remove and discard any excess oil that has risen to the top of the
tomato mixture.

Lightly grease a 16x10 baking pan and sprinkle the bottom with a few
bread crumbs. Place a layer of eggplant in the pan, following with a
layer of tomato mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and grated
cheese. Repeat as many times as you have eggplant to last.

Pour the Bechamel-ricotta sauce over the top and bake at 300 degrees
F. for one hour, or until a golden-brown crust has formed on top.
Remove moussaka from oven and let it stand undisturbed 20-30 minutes;
the delay allows the layers to fuse.

NOTES:

* Vegetarian version of the Greek classic -- This recipe is not for
the faint-hearted. It's very good and it takes a lot of work. Don't
waste it on someone who would be just as satisfied with steak and
salad!

: Difficulty: moderate.
: Time: 1 1/2 hours to prepare, 1 hour to bake, 20-30 minutes to set
and cool. Some can be done ahead of time.
: Precision: Approximate measurement OK for eggplant, tomato mixture.
:
: Moira Mallison (tektronix!moiram)
: Organization: Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Or

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

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