Villa Kitchen Hightlights: Moussaka

For all of you foodies out there, enjoying Greece’s famous dishes is just one reason to visit Greece and that includes savoring a classic moussaka recipe.

At Villa Hurmuses, we embrace the unique Greek food culture and we can help you learn to eat like a Greek! Our classic moussaka recipe includes basic ingredients. However, like every recipe at Villa Hurmuses, Ana Marie uses her secret techniques and above all applies her passion for cooking to create a delicious dishes for our guests.

Moussaka: Loved Around the World

Moussaka is a beloved hearty slow-baked dish that Greeks love.. but not only. There are variations to how it is prepared, and the secret lies in the layering. The highlight of the Greek moussaka is in the top layer, which is a creamy white sauce known as the béchamel. This delicious sauce originally appeared in the Italian cuisine and today is considered to be in primary use by the French. In Turkey, the mussakka is prepared with sautéed eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, onions and topped with minced meat. In the Balkans, the sautéed eggplant is replaced with potatoes and the top layer is usually a mixture of milk or yoghurt with raw eggs.

Here is our step-by-step guide on how to prepare this authentic and delicious Greek style Moussaka straight from our villa kitchen.

 

Moussaka Recipe 

INGREDIENTS 

1 kg minced meat (mixed pork and beef)

10 potatoes sliced

6 eggplants sliced

4 onions diced 

Garlic

Tomatoes to be used for the preparation of a fresh sauce

 

For the bechamel sauce 

100g grated cheese — best choice: graviera (Greek) cheese

1 litre milk

100g butter 

3 egg yolks

100g flour 

Salt 

Pepper

 

DIRECTONS 

 

1.    Grate the tomatoes into a boiling pan, and also add in 2 diced tomatoes. Simmer until the juice has almost evaporated. Cooking time varies depending on the number of tomatoes used.

2.    Fry the sliced potatoes until slightly golden

3.    Bake the eggplants in the oven until soft and brownish, cooking time varies from oven to oven but approximately 20 minutes

4.    For the minced meat

◦     Add olive oil to a pan

◦     Sauté the garlic and the onion until slightly golden

◦     Add in the minced meat

◦     When the meat is half cooked add the fresh tomato sauce

◦    Season with salt and pepper

 

5.    For the béchamel sauce

◦     Heat the butter in a pot. As soon as it melts add the flour and whisk it. Add in the milk slowly while whisking continuously.

◦     When the sauce has thickened and ready, remove from the fire and season with salt, pepper and cheese.

◦     To finish off the sauce add in the yolks.

 

After you have prepared all the ingredients, let them cool down before you start with the layering. At the bottom of the pan add a little bit of cheese, then potatoes, eggplant, minced meat and cover it with the Béchamel sauce. Top the Béchamel sauce with some grated cheese.  Bake in the oven on 180 Celsius for approximately 60 minutes until it turns golden brown. Let the moussaka cool down slightly before serving.

Do you enjoy Greek cooking? Make sure to check out our previous recipe on how to make a Greek zucchini pie and our homemade cookies.

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