Kosher Moussaka Recipe

There are many (many!) versions of Moussaka, almost all of them includes beef and eggplant. The best known of all versions is the Greek Moussaka which contains layers of beef or lamb, fried eggplants and Bechamel sauce.

And what exactly is my  problem with it?

– Bechamel sauce based on butter and milk. I’m keeping Kosher, so obviously I  have a problem with mixing dairy and beef.
– I hate frying. The whole house stinks, the clothes, the hair, everything smells, and this smell doesn’t go away.
– Heavy and fattning . Think about it, fried eggplants, Bechamel sauce and beef? Even if you do not keep kosher and even if you are not the one who cooks, It’s HEAVY dish which is not easy to digest.

So this is my version of Moussaka, hope you will like it as I do.

Ingredients

4 large and light eggplants (explanation in the notes)
800 gr. of crushed tomatoes
140 gr. of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of paprika
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 large yellow onion
2 grated carrots
¼ teaspoon ground chilies
A teaspoon of dried oregano
500 gr. of ground beef
4 tablespoons of olive oil
salt to taste
2 eggs

Preparation

Start by preparing the beef sauce:
1. Cut the onion into cubes. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion until brown
2. Add the ground beef. Make sure the heat is high and with the help of a fork break the beef into bits. Note that if you use a Teflon pot – be careful not to scratch it
3. When all the meat is gray, add the crushed tomatoes, the tomato paste, and all the spices (crushed garlic, salt, ground chili, oregano and paprika)
4. Grate the carrots and add them to the pot
5. When the beef sauce is boiling, simmer and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes

Preparing the eggplants
1. Peel the eggplants and slice them lengthwise. The slices thickness  about 1 cm
2. Heat a non-stick pan with a heavy bottom
3. Place the eggplant slices on the pan and turn them to their other side only when the first side is completely browned.
4. All slices should be brown both sides

Combine the Moussaka
1. Place one layer of roasted eggplant slices in a baking tray
2. Put half of the beef on the eggplants, and put more eggplants on top of them
3. Repeat these stages again: another layer of beef and another layer of eggplant
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl, season it with salt and pour over the top layer
5.Bake at 350Fº/180Cº for 40 minutes

Notes

– A light eggplant is an eggplant without many seeds. When you buy eggplants (in general, not necessarily for this recipe) always pick up a few for comparison and always buy the ones that feel lighter.
– If you have a little too much beef, and you feel that the layers of meat are too thick, you can put meat on the top layer as well. It doesn’t have to be eggplant on top. Because the egg in any case “closes” the Moussaka.

It’s not the best looking dish, but I promise you it’s taste AWESOME!
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