Phil Vickery’s classic moussaka
Phil's in the kitchen today with a family favourite from the Mediterranean. With layers of minced lamb, aubergine, tomato sauce and cheese soufflé top - his Moussaka is delicious, simple, and packed with goodness.
Phil's moussaka
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
600mls milk (1 pint)
60g unsalted butter, very soft
60g plain flour
75g grated Feta cheese
2 medium egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 tbsp olive oil
Dash water, optional
2 aubergines, sliced lengthways, ½ cm slices
500g lamb mince, or cooked left over roast lamb cut in very small pieces
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaped tbsp dried oregano
1-2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes in juice
100mls water
2 x 10g lamb stock cubes
4 ripe beef tomatoes, blanched and skin removed sliced into 1cm thick slices
4 large potatoes, simmered in the skins, peeled then cooled and cut into 1cm thick slices
2 egg whites, from yolks above
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C gas 3.
2. First make the cheese soufflé base, by heating the milk in a saucepan.
3. Mix the soft butter and flour until you have a paste.
4. Once the milk is hot, whisk in the butter and flour mixture and whisk until boiled, it will thicken considerably.
5. Remove from the heat, add the cheese and whisk well, once cooled for 10 minutes, stir in the egg yolks. Season well with salt and pepper.
6. Heat half the olive oil in a pan, add the aubergine then cook on both sides so they take on a little colour (you can add a little water to help to help the softening of the aubergine) remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper and season well.
7. Add the rest of the oil lamb mince, onion, garlic, oregano to the pan and cook until it takes a little colour
8. Add the flour, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, stock cubes and water then mix well and season well.
9. Gently simmer for 15 minutes, take care as it may catch slightly as you have flour in the sauce.
10. To assemble the moussaka you will need a large ovenproof dish, probably 32cm square ish, the finished dish need to be nice and deep, remember you will have layers eventually plus the souffle.
11. Place a layer of aubergine on the bottom.
12. Cover with a nice layer of cooked potatoes.
13. Next cover with a layer of tomatoes.
14. Next a layer of lamb.
15. Then repeat again, so 6 layers in total.
16. When ready to eat, cover the dish with foil and place into a preheated oven 220 C gas for 25-30 minutes to warm through.
17. Whisk the egg whites until foamy, then add to the warm cheese sauce.
18. Remove the warm moussaka from the oven and uncover, spoon on the cheese soufflé mix and return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes.
19. Once nicely browned and risen, serve piping hot.
20. Serve in the middle of the table and let people help themselves.