No-fry moussaka

The most famous Greek dish involves a lot of hands-on frying and, if we don’t get the temperature right, if can end up very heavy and oily.

This is an oven-based version that we assemble in five 20-minute stages.
Aside from the roasting pan, we use a frying pan for the ragu and a saucepan for the bechamel. That’s it.

It’s very reheatable, very work-lunchable and totally tops.

Ingredients

Bechamel

• 100g plain flour
• 100g olive oil
• 750ml milk
• 2 tablespoons grated pecorino
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ragu

• 500g lamb mince
• 1 cup all purpose tomato salsa (if we don’t have such a thing in your fridge at all times, use a can of chopped tomatoes and add herbs and garlic)
• 3 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick

For the roasting pan

• 1 sliced onion 
• 3 sliced potatoes 
• 1 sliced egg plant 
• 1 sliced zucchini 
• .5 cup olive oil 
• Salt, pepper, thyme, crushed garlic

Method

Preheat the oven to 200º C
Lightly oil a roasting pan about 30cm by 20cm
For the slicing, I use a mandolin (mine’s a V-slicer) as the final product benefits from being evenly cooked.

Wash, halve and slice the potatoes (I don’t peel them - I don’t see the point)
Peel and halve the onions, and slice them.

Oven 1

Place the potatoes and onions in an even layer in the roasting pan with crushed garlic, salt, pepper and thyme.

Drizzle with olive oil and place in oven for 20 minutes.

While this stage is happening, get onto our ragu.

Get olive oil in our frying pan to just start smoking, then add the lamb mince.

Brown the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. There should be some caramelisation and crunchy bits - we are browning, not greying.

Add the salsa and make sure we scrape up all the crunchy stuff from the bottom of the pan.

Add bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon

Drop the heat and simmer.

This needs to be reduced down to a ragu - a dryish sauce - not runny. Don’t worry, there is plenty of time.

Top and tail, and slice the egg plant.

Remove the roasting pan (the potatoes should be browning and slightly bistering).

Oven 2

Add the egg plant in an even layer with crushed garlic, salt, pepper and thyme, and drizzle with olive oil.

Return to oven for 20 minutes.

Bechamel time!

Add the olive oil to the saucepan and bring to a medium heat.

Stir in the flour to make the roux (the basis of our white sauce).

We are looking for a smooth consistency and the right colour.

It starts faily pale, then turns golden, and then a deep golden - and that’s where we stop it. Before it
becomes choclaty.

Remove from the heat and add the milk all at once.

Using a whisk, stir until the mixture is smooth, then return to the heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens.

Remove from heat.

Stir in egg yolks and pecorino.

Oven 3

Remove pan from oven and add the sliced zuccini, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and drizzle with olive oil.

Oven 4

Remove pan from oven. Remove cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves from ragu and spread the ragu evenly over the top.
Return to oven for 20 minutes.

Oven 5

Spread then bechmal evenly over the top, and sprinkle with some more grated pecorino. Return to the oven.

Now we have to pay attention.

Set the alarm for 10 minutes.

We don’t want it to burn - but we don’t want it to be blond.

What we are after is some deep, chocolaty brown blistery areas.

After 10 minutes, rotate the pan and continue wer cook until it looks just right.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Eat

Serve with a big, green salad.

Watermelon and ouzo is optional (but not really).