Making a new dinner or Iftar at home can bring thousands of smiles together. In this situation of self-quarantine and lockdown, getting creative and honing cooking skills becomes even more important.

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One of the dishes that you can try at home is to create this traditional dish Moussaka. It is originally a Greek dish, but it looks like Italian. You can try this at home as it is very easy and affordable. Here is how you make Moussaka: 

Ingredients:

  • 3 eggplants 
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning 
  • 3 potatoes 
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 garlic cloves 
  • 700g of minced beef 
  • 1 teaspoon thyme 
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 260g tomato sauce 
  • 1 cup beef broth or stock
  • 1L of milk 
  • 120g butter
  • 120g flour
  • 85g of grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 egg yolks

Methods:

Vegetables:

  • Slice the eggplants thinly 
  • Season with salt and pepper, set aside 
  • Peel the potatoes and slice thinly 
  • Fry the potatoes in hot oil until golden
  • Fry the eggplant slices in hot oil until golden (remember to pat them dry before) 

Meat: 

  • Chop the onion 
  • Crush the garlic cloves 
  • Saute in the frying pan with vegetable oil for 4 minutes 
  • Add in the crushed garlic 
  • Add the minced meat, cook, until meat is brown 
  • Season with salt, pepper, and thyme
  • Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, and mix
  • Add the broth and bring to boil on low heat 

Bechamel Sauce: 

  • Heat the milk in a pot
  • Cut the butter into a cube 
  • Melt the butter over low heat 
  • Add the flour 
  • Whisk continuously on low heat until the texture is pasty 
  • Gradually add the milk while whisking (the end texture of the sauce should thick and smooth)
  • Season with salt and pepper
  • Add a pinch of nutmeg (optional) 
  • Add grated parmesan cheese to the sauce and whisk until smooth
  • Add 2 egg yolks and mix 

Serving:

  • In a casserole dish, layer the potato on the bottom 
  • Season with salt and pepper
  • Add half of the eggplants on top 
  • Mix the 5 tablespoons of bechamel sauce to the meat 
  • Add the meat on top of the eggplants and spread evenly 
  • Layer again with the remaining eggplants 
  • Pour the remaining bechamel sauce on top and spread evenly 
  • Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top 
  • Bake this dish in a preheated oven at 360F for 50 minutes until golden brown 
  • Let cool and serve