Musaka - general principles and methods of preparation
Musaka is a traditional dish prepared by residents of the Balkans and the Middle East. It is a casserole of thin slices of eggplant, which are layered with minced meat (usually lamb), tomatoes and vegetables. Moussaka recipes can be varied, the composition of the products in them and the cooking sequence depends on the country in which the dish is prepared. For example, minced meat. It may not be lamb, but veal, or even be absent altogether - then the moussaka will be vegetable. Some peoples put potatoes with sweet pepper and other vegetables in the moussaka, while others, in addition to tomatoes, use sour cream and eggs.
One thing remains unchanged for all recipes - the presence of eggplant in a casserole. Another feature of Moussaka is that all products in the dish are laid at the same time and stewed for about an hour. The main and obligatory vegetables, in addition to eggplant, are onions and tomatoes. As a rule, in addition to them, there is at least one more vegetable in the dish in the form of cabbage (white or cauliflower), potatoes, zucchini, green peas. Musak 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 moussaka is also common to most recipes - meat is used in the form of minced meat, vegetables are cut into circles, and cabbage is cut into strips. Then lay eggplant, onion, tomato, zucchini or potato (or other used vegetables) in layers in a wide and shallow pan, greased with butter, and meat on top. Sprinkled with greens, the moussaka is baked in the oven, after which it is served hot.
Mousaka - food preparation
The main product for moussaki is eggplant. They are usually washed, cut into circles having a thickness of about 5 mm, and sprinkled with salt so that the bitterness characteristic of them comes out from the eggplant.
Another important component of moussaka, unless it is vegetarian, is meat, most often lamb. Moussaka meat is used in veggie mincemeat, for which they wash the prepared meat flesh, release the hue and twist it in a meat grinder.
The remaining components of the moussaka, vegetables (onions with carrots, bell peppers, etc.) are peeled and cut according to the recipe, usually in rings or circles.
Musaka - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Greek Moussaka
As you know, Moussaka is prepared by folding products into a mold and stewing them together. Imagine how aromatic and tasty a dish will turn out for which young mutton with eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic and seasonings will be stewed in a high baking sheet! This is a real dish for a family dinner or lunch, which will surely be appreciated by all your homemade ones.
Ingredients:
1 kg of lamb pulp;
3 eggplants;
5 medium tomatoes;
1 large onion;
3 tbsp. l olive oil;
3 cloves of garlic;
4 leaves of fresh mint;
2 bay leaves;
0.5 tsp. coriander with ground cloves;
nutmeg (ground) on the tip of a knife;
0.5 cups of dry white wine;
100 gr. flour;
to taste salt with pepper;
for the top:
0.5 cups grated parmesan;
100 gr. flour;
300 gr milk;
50 gr butter:
a few twigs of parsley.
Cooking method:
1. After washing the lamb and cutting it into small pieces, we pass the meat through a meat grinder.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, wash the tomatoes, cut into cubes. After heating the olive oil in a pan, fry the onion on it, add minced meat in 5-7 minutes, 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, pouring the wine and mixing everything, bring to a boil. Then, removing the excess liquid from the fire and draining, cover with a lid.
3. After peeling the eggplant, cut them into circles, the thickness of which should be about 1 cm. Then we lay them in a bowl in layers and pour over salt, leave for 15 minutes. After pouring the juice that will stand out from the eggplant, wash it with water and dry it with paper with a towel.
4. Warming the olive oil in a pan, fry the eggplant circles in it, pre-dipping each in sifted flour. Frying time on each side is about 1 minute. After frying, put the circles on a paper towel so that it absorbs excess fat.
5. We spread the fried eggplants into a deep refractory form, lay on them half the prepared meat, on top of the meat - the second layer of eggplant. On top, cover it with another layer of minced meat and level the surface.
6. Wash the parsley and finely chop it. After warming the butter in a saucepan, pour flour into it and cook for about 5 minutes with constant stirring.
7. Slightly warm the milk, drive eggs into it and mix thoroughly. Add this mixture to the saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes with constant stirring. Then add grated parmesan with herbs, stir and remove from heat. Lubricate the surface of the moussaki with the resulting sauce.
8. We bake the moussaka for about half an hour in a well-heated oven and serve it on the table directly in the form in which it was cooked, divided into portions.
Recipe 2: Musaka Vegetarian
Among adherents of vegetarianism, you can also find many gourmets. And they will certainly appreciate this moussaka recipe, in which potatoes with onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic are cooked in layers. The dish is very tasty and fragrant.
Ingredients:
5 potatoes;
2 medium onions;
1 large carrot;
1 large bell pepper;
2 medium eggplant;
4 tomatoes;
2 cloves of garlic;
olive oil;
to taste salt with pepper;
dry Mediterranean herbs;
optional bay leaf with allspice.
Cooking method:
1. Cut the eggplants into circles and, sprinkling abundantly with salt, let them stand so that they have a stack of juice, which then needs to be washed off with cold water.
2. Peel the potatoes, cut them in the same circles as eggplant, and put them in an even layer in a pan with a thick bottom greased with olive oil. Salt it, pepper and sprinkle with olive oil.
3. Cut the onion into thin rings, spread it in an even layer on the potatoes, salt and pepper.
4. Peel and cut the carrots into circles, put it on the onion and also salt and pepper, sprinkle with olive oil.
5. Peppers and peppers are sliced, salt and pepper, sprinkled with olive oil.
6. Finely chop the greens, chop the garlic.
6. Next, laying out the eggplant, salt and pepper, sprinkle with oil. And finally, with the last layer we spread the tomatoes, cut into thin circles. Add 100 ml of water to the pan and put it on a slow fire. When about 5 minutes are left until the end of cooking, add the herbs and garlic.
Recipe 3: Greek Moussaka with Ground Beef and Potatoes
Another recipe for Moussaki, but it contains potatoes, which in combination with meat and vegetables gives a very tasty and satisfying dish.
Ingredients:
0.5 kg of minced beef;
3 potatoes;
2 eggplants;
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. After peeling the onion, chop it finely and lightly fry in vegetable oil with chopped garlic. Then add the minced meat there and continue to fry for about 5 minutes, add the tomato paste at the end of the frying.
2. Cut the eggplants into slices, salt and let them stand so that bitterness will leave the juice that stands out.
3. Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water, then cool them and cut them into circles.
4. Fry the flour in a pan, add cream to it, salt and bring to a boil.
5. Put layers of minced meat, eggplant, potatoes on a baking sheet, then, pouring them with cream sauce and sprinkling cheese on top, bake moussaka in the oven to form a golden crust. Serve warm.
Musaka - tips from experienced chefs
It is believed that olive oil is best suited for making moussaki, however, you can also use sunflower or corn.
Musaka is a dish that must necessarily be juicy, and at the same time, well-baked. Therefore, for those who like to cook in the microwave, this is the advice: in this case we don’t fry the eggplants, cut them into circles, but cut them in half, bake in the oven for about 10 minutes and cut them into thin plates, which we use to prepare the dishes. So in eggplant more juice will remain.
Mushaku is usually served hot, but you can use it as a cold snack. Then it is good to supplement it with a thick tomato sauce, which can be prepared by whipping tomatoes, peeled and peeled seeds, herbs, garlic and vegetable oil.
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