Cuisine Diva

Moussaka; Eggplant Casserole

Individual serving of moussaka.

Moussaka is a Greek entree, which features layers of tomato seasoned ground meat, eggplant and a cream sauce. There are many variations of this classic, Mediterranean dish. I wrote an article for Suite101 on moussaka a few months ago: Eggplant Moussaka Recipe; Classic Greek Style Lasagna.

Potato Laced Moussaka
Yesterday I came up with a potato laced version of moussaka, which I am sharing on the Cuisine Diva site. The inspiration for this recipe came from a moussaka I tasted at Round Green Pie at the Boynton Beach mall. Their version used ground beef, but since I have mostly eliminated beef from my diet, I made my moussaka with ground turkey. The top layer of potato laced moussaka reminds me of au gratin potatoes. Thinly sliced layers of potatoes, mixed with lots of creamy, cheesy sauce - heaven!

Inexpensive plastic mandoline slicer.

Mandoline Slicer
You will need a mandoline slicer in order to cut the eggplant and potatoes thin enough so they don't require pre-cooking. If you have to slice the eggplant and potatoes by hand, you may have to partially cook them, before adding them to the moussaka. You definitely don't want semi-raw potatoes - invest in a mandoline slicer if you don't already have one.

If you have an inexpensive plastic mandoline, like I do, make sure you DON'T place it on a hot stove. In the picture above, the bottom of the mandoline was starting to melt and stuck to my stove. I guess I forgot I had just used that burner to make the cream sauce, and it hadn't cooled down yet. NICE! Maybe it's time to invest in one of those fancy-pants, restaurant grade, stainless steel mandolines.

Ground turkey and tomato mixture spread on the bottom of baking dish.

I use my mandoline slicer all the time - to slice carrots, zucchini, cheese, cucumber and tons of other stuff. I have a cheap, plastic mandoline slicer which came with all sorts of slicing and grating attachments. High quality stainless steel mandolines can cost $100 or more.

Beginnings of cream sauce on the left. Finished cream sauce on the right, after whisking in the eggs.

Ingredients for Moussaka Recipe

• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup tomato sauce - divided in half
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 large eggplant
• Approximately 1 pound waxy, yellow potatoes - peeled and sliced extremely thin
• 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese - mixture of mozzarella, asiago and Parmesan

Left - first layer of eggplant, beginning to add tomato sauce. Right - second layer of eggplant added, topped with cream sauce.

Directions for Moussaka Recipe

1. Place the ground turkey in a large frying pan, placed over medium heat.
2. If you are using ground white meat turkey breast, as opposed to dark meat turkey, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the bottom of the pan, to ensure the turkey doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Break up and stir the turkey until it is no longer pink in the center.
4. Stir in 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, oregano and salt.
5. Cook for another minute or two, until the sauce is heated through.
6. Place the ground meat mixture on the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch rectangular, glass baking dish.
7. Peel the eggplant, cut it in half, and slice thin using a mandoline slicer. You need to have enough eggplant slices, to make two layers.
8. Add 1 layer of eggplant slices on top of the ground turkey mixture. 
9. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on top of the eggplant slices.
10. To make the cream sauce, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan, placed over medium heat.
11. Whisk in the flour and nutmeg and cook for 1 minute.
12. Whisk in the milk, and turn the heat to medium high.
13. Continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken.
14. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese.
15. Remove the sauce from the stove.
16. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs.
17. Whisk the eggs into the saucepan of cream sauce.
18. Add the 2nd layer of eggplant slices to the baking dish.
19. Top the 2nd layer of eggplant with 1/3 of the cream sauce.
20. Add the first layer of potatoes, and top with 1/3 of the cream sauce.
21. Top with the second layer of potatoes and top with the remaining cream sauce.
22. Sprinkle the top of the moussaka with the grated Italian cheese mixture.
23. Place the baking dish on a large baking sheet and place in 400 degree preheated oven.
24. Bake the moussaka for 45 to 60 minutes, until dark golden brown on top.
25. Let cool slightly before serving, the moussaka will be like molten lava!
26. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

 

Thinly sliced potatoes added to the baking dish.

The moussaka, topped with shredded cheese, waiting to go in the oven.

Complete Meal
Serve the moussaka with other Greek inspired recipes.

• Tzatziki Yogurt Sauce Recipe
• Taboule Salad Recipe
• Greek Vegetable Salad Recipe
• Lemon Herb Pasta Toss

• 

  The completed moussaka, after baking.
  

Take care, Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Never Trust a Skinny Chef

The Cuisine Diva playing tourist at Kennedy Space Center in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Looks like I'm wondering were the food vendors are hiding.

Real Women Can Cook
I like to watch the Food Network, and observe my favorite chefs cooking up a variety of delicious meals. Most of the chefs featured on the show look like real, ordinary people. I believe it when they show them tasting their food at the end of every show.

I like to watch 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray, Paula's Home Cooking with Paula Deen, and the Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten. They are all real women, who look like they enjoy eating their culinary creations. Well okay, sometimes Miss Paula does get a bit carried away with all the butter she adds to her recipes, but she sure is a hoot and a holler to watch. And she loves to eat the food she makes.

Skinny Chefs
There are a few skinny chefs, such as Giada de Laurentiis, that I question as to whether she really eats the food she makes, besides the one bite taste she does for the camera, after each dish she makes. Do skinny chefs really eat the food they make? Or are they all closet bulimics that visit the bathroom as soon as the camera stops rolling? I am being a bit sarcastic with this post, probably just jealous that someone that enjoys cooking can also be skinny.

I also secretly wonder how Sandra Lee, of Semi-Homemade can stay so thin. Is it because she is tall, and she can elegantly carry extra weight unlike us more vertically challenged cooks? Or maybe it's all that drinking she likes to do, she just grazes on her culinary creations, and doesn't eat real portion sizes? Again, at 5 feet 5 inches, and never mistaken for skinny, I'm just jealous of skinny chicks that can eat.

I do a lot of recipe testing, and a lot of recipe EATING: reason #999 why the Cuisine Diva will never be mistaken for a skinny chick. Yes, I could give out all the food I make to the neighbors, but I like eating. What's the point of recipe testing and writing food articles if you don't actually get to eat the food you are writing about?

The Cuisine Diva trying to burn off some calories, so she can eat more food when she gets home.

Cuisine Diva Mantra
Workout - recipe test - eat, workout - recipe test - eat, repeat as necessary.

As I write this post, I am testing a recipe for date bars. That's not a dessert, is it? It has lots of old fashioned rolled oats and dried fruit in it. I like to think of it as cereal in bar form. Works for me. It's a good thing I do a lot of working out, otherwise I'd probably weigh about 200 pounds right about now.

I'm the Herbs & Spices Feature Writer for the Suite101 website. I'm writing the date bar recipe for Suite101, and will post up a link to the article when it goes live. Here's the link: Date Bar Recipe; Make a Dessert Featuring Oats, Brown Sugar and Dried Fruit.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva