Moussaka!

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to another enticing entry to Everyday Meals! Today, we are diving into Greek culture for a little moussaka. Moussaka is an eggplant or potato based dish from the Middle East, the Balkans, and Eastern Mediterranean. There are many variations of this dish, but it's best known from the Greek version. So, enough learning about the background of this dish. Why don't we go ahead and make it for ourselves? Let's go!

Grilled Eggplant Moussaka

You will need:

• 3 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 3 large potatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 cups milk
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• salt to taste
• 1 egg yolk, beaten  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
2. Brush the eggplant, potatoes, and zucchini lightly with extra-virgin olive oil.
3. Grill the vegetables until just tender and golden brown.
4. Layer the potatoes into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Next layer in the eggplant, followed by the zucchini and set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
7. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
8. Whisk in the flour, and cook until the flour smells slightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
9. Whisk in milk, nutmeg, and salt.
10. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Place the egg yolk into a bowl, and quickly whisk in 1/4 cup of the thickened milk, a tablespoon at a time.
12. Quickly stir the egg yolk mixture into the thickened milk until smooth, then set aside.
13. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
14. Stir in the ground beef and onion, and cook until the beef is crumbly and no longer pink.
15. Drain off any excess grease, then stir in the oregano, parsley, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
16. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
17. To assemble, spread the meat mixture over the vegetables, and sprinkle with the feta cheese.
18. Pour the white sauce over top, and smooth with a spatula.
19. Bake moussaka in preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
20. Enjoy!

I hope you all get your fill of this funny sounding dish. Go ahead, make a few jokes, but enjoy it none the less. Have a great evening and I will see you all tomorrow! Happy blogging everyone.