Greek moussaka with a crispy crust: cooking secrets

Moussaka is a traditional Greek dish and a type of vegetable casserole with meat. Earlier it was widely spread in the Mediterranean countries, but now it is cooked almost all over the world. With this in mind, there are many recipes and variations of moussaka cooking. And we must agree that all of them are extremely tasty. However, many housewives often fail to achieve the perfect crispy crust and do not understand what the problem is.

The FoodOboz editorial team will share some tricks and a recipe for the perfect moussaka.

Secrets of moussaka

High-quality vegetables. And, it would seem, nothing surprising, but most housewives often neglect this rule, choosing eggplants or tomatoes that are not of the first freshness. NO to tasteless tomatoes and overripe eggplants.

Minced meat. It is best to choose a minced lamb or give preference to meat pulp. It is quite fatty, which will give the dish an even richer and juicy flavor.

Bechamel and hard cheese. It is believed that musk is a separate ingredient until they are combined with bechamel sauce. Famous chefs often suggest adding one egg to the finished sauce, which will help to bind the ingredients even better. And if you sprinkle the moussaka with grated cheese at the very end, you can get the crispy crust that everyone is trying to achieve.

Let it cool down. This is what will save your moussaka from falling apart and help you cut the dish into the right square pieces.

Traditional moussaka

Ingredients:

• Eggplant -–800 g
• Meat – 800 g
• Tomatoes – 3 pcs
• Onions – 1 pc
• Oil – for frying
• Pepper, salt – to taste

For the bechamel sauce:

• Milk – 800 ml
• Flour – 80 g
• Butter – 80 g
• Pepper, salt – to taste

Method of preparation:

1. Cut the eggplants into slices and fry them in a pan to make them soft and golden brown.
2. Thinly chop the meat or grind it with a meat grinder.
3. Cut the onion into half rings.
4. Put the tomatoes in boiling water for just a few seconds. Make cuts in them. Peel them from the skin.
5. Heat the butter in a frying pan. Fry the onion first, then the minced meat, then the tomatoes.
6. Cook the sauce. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the flour and stir for about 1 minute. Pour in half of the milk and bring the mixture to homogeneity. Add the rest of the milk, salt, and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Put the eggplants in the baking dish first, then the minced meat and tomatoes, and pour the sauce.
8. Bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes.