This recipe came about because I had a bunch of leftover potatoes, and I happened to purchase some graffiti eggplant the other day. Graffiti eggplant is just an eggplant that has a striped white and purple skin. Besides that, it literally tastes the same, and is just another eggplant, aka perfect to cook in a stewed dish. Moussaka is like a Greek stew meets casserole meets gratin, consisting of ground meat, usually beef or lamb, with a tomato sauce, potatoes, eggplant, and a roasted bechamel on top. It overlaps a lot with a classic lasagna, but using the potatoes and eggplant in lieu of pasta sheets. In this case, it is a perfect way for me to use up both my leftover potatoes and the eggplant I purchased! I have had moussaka before when I lived in Boston – there was a Greek restaurant in Allston, Garlic n’ Lemons, that was nearby to my college campus, so I went there from time to time. Their moussaka was this hearty meal that got me through the cold New England winters. Hilariously when I think of Greek food, I do think robust flavors, things like yogurt, olive oil, tomatoes, or garlic, but usually fresh and light ingredients. Moussaka kind of defies that conception of Mediterranean food by being this stewed down dish. Personally, I think of moussaka as a giant hug of a casserole.

I love eggplant. Not in the gross way that the Internet has decided to make eggplant represent male genitalia. I actually love cooking with eggplant as an ingredient. It starts off squeaky when raw, but when you grill it, it turns spongy then soft when you cook it down even further. It works so beautifully in dips, purees, and curries, because it lends a relatively neutral flavor but an inoffensive texture that carries other tastes well. In a stew, it just acts like a sponge that soaks up the flavors of whatever you pair it with, which is why a moussaka is such a perfect dish to utilize it in. In most Greek savory dishes, there are almost always three ingredients that go into every recipe: olive oil, lemons, and garlic. Makes it all the more fitting that my Greek go-to restaurant in Boston was literally named with two of those things. This recipe does utilize all three ingredients, all of which going into the tomato sauce base that the moussaka will be built off of. Other seasonings that are going into this include cumin, paprika, anise seed, oregano, a little bit of clove, and while it is not traditional in Greek cuisine, some Calabrian chilies – these Italian chilies add a nice heat that keeps the dish from being overtly rich. The bechamel itself is finished with eggs and broiled on top of the stew, just to help seal in those flavors. This moussaka easily can serve a family of 4 to 6, and is the perfect kind of dish to make in colder weather.

Serves 4-6:
For the beef and tomato stew:
1 graffiti eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch disks
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch disks
6 cloves of garlic, minced finely
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1oz lemon juice
2oz tomato paste
4oz canned tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
16oz ground beef
olive oil
salt

For the eggplant, toss with olive oil and salt. Sear the eggplant in a large pan on medium-high heat on each side until the exterior of the eggplant is crispy. With the potato slices, boil them in heavily salted water for 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes and allow them to fully cool before using in the assembly. In a pan(this can be the same pan you used to sear the eggplant), toast off the garlic, cumin, oregano, and paprika in a small amount of olive oil until the garlic is lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and then transfer that all into a blender. Puree together with the beef stock. In a pan, start by sautéing off the beef with olive oil and salt, until the beef is partially cooled and broken apart into smaller pieces. Pour onto the beef the pureed tomato mixture, stirring everything together until combined. Allow the liquid to cook down by half, stirring the mixture every 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

For assembly, line a large cast iron with a thin layer of olive oil. Place down a layer of the eggplant using roughly half of the eggplant, then 1/4 of the beef stew. Then lay down a layer of the boiled potato slices, using roughly half of the potatoes, and then another 1/4 of the beef stew. Then repeat those steps again, starting with the eggplant, stew, potatoes, and stew.

For the bechamel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2oz olive oil
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of ground nutmeg
2/3 cups milk
1 egg

In a pot, heat up flour, olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg on medium heat, stirring them together until the flour and oil combine and begin to form a light brown paste. Add to the paste the milk, and begin whisking everything together on medium-low heat until combined and a thick, creamy sauce has formed. Take the pot off heat and whisk into that the egg to finish. Pour the bechamel on top of the layered moussaka and broil for 10 minutes, or until the top layer of golden-brown.