Mary Berry Moussaka Recipes

CLASSIC MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Peel the potatoes. Slice some of the aubergine skin off in strips. Slice them both into ½cm rounds. Lay them all out on a couple of baking or roasting trays and brush with olive oil. Season and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden. Remove and set aside. Trim and finely slice the courgettes and keep to one side. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 10 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the ground cinnamon, oregano and all the mince. Break everything up with a wooden spoon and turn the heat up a little. Fry until any liquid evaporates and it starts to turn lightly brown. Stir in the purée, then add the wine and bring to the boil. Leave to rapidly simmer for 5 minutes, until the wine has reduced by more than half, then stir in the passata, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Season generously, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes, until thickened and reduced. Heat the milk in a small pan. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and stir in the flour and baking powder. Once they have made a paste, slowly start to whisk in the warmed milk, until you have a smooth white sauce. Leave it to thicken over a low heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Grate in half the cheese and a generous amount of nutmeg. Season to taste. When the meat and white sauce are ready, layer up the moussaka. You'll need a large roasting tray, about 25cm×30cm in size. Layer a third of the baked veg and courgettes in the base of the tray and spoon over half of the mince. Repeat with half the remaining veg, the rest of the mince and then the last of the vegetables. Whisk the eggs into the white sauce and pour over the moussaka. Grate over the remaining cheese and place the dish in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling and everything is cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, if not longer.

A VERY QUICK MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• First of all, mix the red wine, tomato purée, cinnamon and mint together in a bowl, then add the contents of the tin of lamb. Mix all of this together thoroughly with a seasoning of salt and pepper. Next, empty the contents of the pack of ratatouille into a sieve then, using the back of a tablespoon, squeeze out as much excess juice as possible. Next the topping: all you do here is whisk the ricotta cheese and the cheese sauce together, then beat the eggs and add them to the sauce with some seasoning of salt and pepper and a few good gratings of nutmeg, then whisk the whole lot together thoroughly. Now, in a baking dish (approx. 7½ inch/19cm square x 2inch/5 cm deep), spread out half the meat mixture over the base, then over that spoon the drained ratatouille. Add the rest of the meat mixture, spreading it evenly, then spread the ricotta sauce mixture over that. Finally, sprinkle the Parmesan over the surface and bake on a high shelf in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. How to Cheat Hero Ingredients 1 x 425g tin Marks & Spencer minced lamb 1 x 300g pack Marks & Spencer ratatouille

EASY MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes whole for 20 mins or just until tender. Drain and allow to cool.
• Return the pan to the heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil and the onion. Cook until softened, then add the lamb. Fry the mince for 5 mins or until cooked through and starting to char. Add the garlic and spice, and stir in the passata. Bring to a simmer, then season to taste, take off the heat and set aside until needed.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Warm a griddle pan over a high heat and brush a little oil over the aubergines. Grill for 2-3 mins each side or until char lines appear. You may have to do this in 3-4 batches.
• Once cool enough to handle, cut the boiled potatoes into thick slices. Put 1 tbsp oil in the base of a deep ovenproof dish and start with a layer of potatoes, then aubergines, a sprinkling of seasoning, then a layer of the lamb mixture. Repeat until all the mixture is used up, ending with a layer of aubergines. Spread the crème fraîche over the top and scatter with the cheese. Put in the oven for 10 mins or until the cheese is golden.

TRADITIONAL MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees C/fan 180 degrees C. Heat 1tbsp oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring until soft. Add the garlic and cumin and fry for 1 minute. Add the puree and fry for 1 more minute. Turn up the heat, add the lamb, season and fry for 5 minutes until browned all over. Pour away any excess oil.
• Add the wine and cinnamon, then, after 2-3 minutes, add the tomatoes, 100ml water, the sugar and oragano. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Season.
• Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan until very hot. Brush the aubergines with the rest of the oil, season and griddle on both sides until golden brown. Set aside on kitchen paper.
• Make a white sauce. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the flour and stir to make a roux (paste). Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Place over a gentle heat and simmer, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in the egg yolk and half the cheese. Season to taste.
• Layer the aubergine and mince in a 2-litre ovenproof dish. Repeat then spread the white sauce on top. Scatter with the remaining cheese and sprinke with the nutmeg.
• Bake for 25-30 mins until golden. Serve with a green salad.