Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Meat Sauce

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large wide pot over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer (but BEFORE it begins to smoke) add the ground lamb (or beef, if using). Break up the clumps with a spoon, add a few pinches of kosher salt and a few twists of the pepper mill. Continue to cook for a few minutes until meat is cooked through. Strain fat and juices into a strainer set over a bowl. *** Return the pan to the stove. Add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the diced onions and cook over medium heat, with a pinch of salt, until the onions are translucent. Add more olive oil, if needed. Next, add the chopped garlic and the tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste for a few minutes or until it becomes rust-colored. Add the smoked paprika and mix it into the cooked onion mixture. Add the red wine and reduce the wine by half. Add the can of diced tomatoes and 1 cup of beef or chicken broth. Stir to combine. Add the cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon and the bay leaves. Add the sautéed ground meat back to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and check the thickness of the sauce. You want the sauce to be a bit loose at this point so it can ‘simmerdown’ to the correct thickness/texture. You can add the rest of the liquid (another 8-oounces of beef or chicken broth) at this point or later during the simmering process. Allow the sauce to simmer for about an hour or 1hour fifteen minutes, on low heat. Stir often. (You are looking for the texture of a tomato sauce that you would use to build a lasagna.) Taste and correct seasoning when desired texture is achieved. Set aside when finished.

***Note: I drain off both the fat and juices in one step - I don’t like the taste of lamb fat and do not

have the patience to separate the fat from the juices! But have at it and you could add the de-fatted

juices to the sauce as it is cooking.)

Make the bechamel sauce. Scald the milk; bring it to a simmer in a saucepan. Do not let it boil or it may separate. When it is properly scalded, you will see bubbles along the edges of the pan and the milk will steam. Set aside. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, Remove pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Return pan to low heat and cook the flour-butter mixture over low heat, whisking constantly for 2-3 minutes. This will cook the flour a bit and help improve the finished taste. Whisk in the scalded milk, about ½ cup at a time. Keep pan on low heat and whisk to dissolve the flourbutter mixture into the milk. Continue until all the milk has been added. Cook over low heat until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened considerably. It will have the texture of a loose pudding. Let cook for about 8-10 minutes in total. Remove pan from heat. Add the pinch of allspice or nutmeg. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in ¼ cup each of Parmigiana and Romano cheeses. Whisk to combine completely. Taste and adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper if needed. Cover the top with a piece of plastic wrap so it does not form a ‘skin’. Set aside at room temperature. (We will add the egg yolks just before we begin assembly.

Slice and cook the eggplant. Wipe and dry the eggplants. Cut of the tops and cut the bottoms straight across. Line 2-3 half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the eggplant across into ¼-inch slices as evenly as you can manage. (If your eggplant(s) are very big, you could cut them in half lengthwise before you cut them into slices. This will provide a bit more control over the slice-cutting results. Lay the slices out on the sheet pans, the slices can overlap a bit. Brush olive oil on both sides of each slice of eggplant and sprinkle kosher salt over all

the slices. Be judicious, not liberal with the salt. Roast the eggplant slices until tender. This could take 15-25 minutes or more. It will depend on the thickness of your slices, your oven, etc. Forktender is what you are looking for. Remove pans from the oven and let the slices cool on the sheet pans.

FINALLY! The Assembly.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix the remaining cheeses together: the shredded mozzarella, and the ¼ cup each

of the Parmigiana and Romano cheeses. Whisk the reserved, beaten egg yolks into the now cooled bechamel sauce until completely blended.

Generously butter or oil a 9x13-inch baking dish. Peel the potatoes and cut into even 1/8-inch slices. (A ‘Mandoliner’ slicing tool would be perfect for this job.) Shingle the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping a bit. You may or may not need all the slices, depending on the thickness of your cut and the size of your baking dish. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with kosher salt. Sparingly. The next layer will be the eggplant. (Plan on making two layers out of the cooked eggplant.) Lay cooked eggplant slices on top of the potatoes, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle the eggplant layer with 1/3rdof the reserved grated cheese mix. Next add ½ the bechamel sauce and spoon evenly and gently over the eggplant, trying not to dislodge the eggplant pieces. Add meat sauce on top of the bechamel. Next, add another layer of eggplant and sprinkle with half of the remaining grated cheese mix. Cover with another layer of meat sauce. And spoon on the rest of the bechamel. Add in ‘spoonfuls’ and try not to mix into the sauce. You are aiming for a distinct layer of bechamel. Finish with the rest of the grated cheese mix. Bake for about 1 hour and check the doneness of the potato layer on the bottom by piercing with the tip of a knife. I think that it will take about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 ½ hours to cook. The sides should be bubbling and the top should be nicely browned.

Note: I recommend that you bake the Moussaka on a sheet pan to catch any-bubbling-over juices. Remove from oven and let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving. Serve with extra sauce on the side.