Moussaka!!

In our everlasting quest for great recipes, especially for some of our favorite dishes, we often come to a point where it’s hard to decide which one would be better. That, however, was not the case when we were looking for Moussaka. Irene Saiger, on her superb Bamitbach blog, posted a winning recipe:

Photo by: Bamitbach

Ingredients

• 4 globe eggplants
• olive oil
• 4 onions, diced
• 2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
• 1 tsp each of ginger, turmeric, cumin and paprika
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 6 eggs, beaten

Directions

Drizzle about 3 Tbs of olive oil on a cookie sheet and pre-heat sheet in a 350 degree oven. Peel and slice eggplant, 1/2″ thick, sprinkle with salt, and bake in a single layer on cookie sheet till soft. Turn eggplant slices over and bake other side. (you can fry the eggplant if you prefer but this is a much lighter version) Heat 3 Tbs olive oil in a large heavy pot and add 4 finely diced onions. Saute till golden. Add ground chicken, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper. With a wooden spoon, continue breaking up ground chicken till seasonings are incorporated and meat is lightly browned. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and cilantro to chicken mixture and cook for about 20 minutes over a low flame, stirring frequently.

Grease a 9 x 13 dish and cover the bottom of the dish with half the meat sauce and add a layer of eggplant. Repeat this so that you end with the eggplant on top. Beat 6 eggs and pour over dish. Bake about one hour, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven.

Enjoy!

SYR just told me she’ll make this dish tonight for dinner, hmmmnn… I just hope she’ll be kind enough to let me taste the leftovers tomorrow. I always made moussaka with lamb, this one should not only be cheaper but the difference in taste will be a welcome variation. Enjoy!

CS