'Quick' Moussaka

adapted by Kathy Lindenbaum from various recipes

makes one 10 x 13 baking pan to serve 8 – 12

               

For the filling:

1 pound ground beef or ground veal

1 pound ground lamb

2 large diced yellow onions

5 cloves of garlic – minced

1 teaspoon Rashanout

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon paprika

1 bay leaf

1 – 2 cans small artichoke hearts – drained and chopped

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 – 3 tablespoons tomato paste

24 ounces eggplant store-prepared dip or purée

¾ cup rose wine

1 package (~7 ounces) Mt. Vikos feta cheese or sliced Kaseri cheese

Chopped fresh mint and oregano for garnish

For the “Faux Béchamel” sauce:

4.5 ounces goat cream cheese (available at Trader Joe’s in 4.5 ounce servings)

6 ounces plain goat full fat yogurt

1 whole egg – well beaten

⅛ Cup Greek olive oil

¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Thoroughly mix the sauce ingredients together until the mixture looks like thick sauce.  Let sit and blend until ready to layer in the moussaka.

Sauté onions and garlic until soft.  Add all seasonings and stir 5 minutes.  Add all of the canned tomatoes and tomato paste, then the wine, stirring thoroughly after each addition.  Continue to heat and stir until mixture gently bubbles – about 5 minutes more.  Set aside.

Sauté the meat until just cooked through.  Stir the cooked meat into the tomato mixture.  Then add the eggplant purée and chopped artichoke hearts and stir all together until thoroughly mixed.  Salt and pepper to taste.

In a 10 x 13 pan, oil the sides and bottom with a little Greek olive oil.  Then layer in ½ of the meat mixture you’ve just made.  Top that with ½ of the feta or kasseri cheese. 

Then add the rest of the meat mixture on top.  Spread all of the faux béchamel over the meat mixture and crumble the rest of the cheese on top. 

You can freeze uncooked at this point.  You can also cook and then freeze and reheat.  This dish is still great the 2^nd or 3^rd day.

Bake at 425° F until bubbly and brown on top, about 20 – 30 minutes.  Let sit for 15 minutes longer and then sprinkle with mint and/or oregano just before serving.