Moussaka Style Stuffed Eggplant Aubergine Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and parsley until onion is soft and translucent. Increase heat, add lamb, and cook until evenly brown. Drain excess fat, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Chop tomatoes, and mix well with seasonings. Set aside.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Whisk together milk and egg, then gradually whisk into flour mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in grated cheese.
• In casserole dish, place 1/3 of potato slices on the bottom, covering as well as possible. Top with half of meat mixture followed by half of tomato mixture. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of potatoes. Spread cheese sauce evenly over the top.
• Cover, and bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover, and bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Steps:

• Halve the eggplants lengthwise and score the interior of each half, leaving about a third of an inch thickness on the perimeter.
• Use a paring knife and a spoon to scoop out the interior of the eggplant, leaving a 'boat.'.
• Using a fork, pierce the skin in several places, liberally salt the halves and place them upside down on paper towels to drain for about 30 minutes.
• Chop the eggplant flesh into 1/2" cubes and set aside 4 cups of the cubes (reserve any excess for another recipe).
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Wipe the eggplant shells out with paper towels, brush the skin lightly with a little olive oil, and place them on a baking sheet.
• Bake them until they are just tender (about ten minutes) then remove from the oven and set aside in a baking dish.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• Add the lamb and cook, breaking up the pieces, until lightly browned--about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion, garlic, 4 cups of eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is soft--about five more minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, cloves, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne and cook until the mixture is fairly dry.
• Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the ricotta.
• Season to taste and spoon into the 4 eggplant halves.
• Place the remaining 1 and 1/3 cups of ricotta in a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg and enough milk until the consistency of the cheese mixture is spreadable.
• Spread it over the filled eggplant halves and sprinkle the tops with parmesan.
• Bake until the tops are very brown--25 to 35 minutes.
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Steps:

• Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Drizzle 4 tbsp of the oil over the slices of aubergine and fry them in several batches for 5-7 mins or until golden brown and beginning to soften. If they look a little dry during cooking, add a dash more olive oil. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the mince and fry for 8-10 mins until a deep golden brown, regularly stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the casserole. Tip in the onion along with a pinch of salt and fry gently for 10-12 mins or until softened and turning translucent. Add the garlic, oregano, cinnamon, chilli and bay cooking for a further min. Return the lamb to the pan and pour in the red wine, bring to a bubble and reduce the wine by half. Stir through the tomatoes, tomato purée and brown sugar, along with 200ml water. Season. Lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 mins, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened.
• Heat oven to 200C/180 fan/gas 4. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the potato slices and cook for 6 mins, drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 10 mins.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour and cook over a medium heat for 1 min. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk, pouring in a bit at a time, until smooth. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer, cooking for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and whisk through the parmesan, a little grated nutmeg and some seasoning, and finally the whole egg as well as the yolk.
• Take a large rectangular ovenproof dish. Spoon a third of the meat into the dish and spread out evenly, followed by half the aubergine and half the potato, then the rest of the meat and another layer of aubergines, followed by potatoes. Finish with the béchamel, smoothing the top over with a palette knife. Put in the centre of the oven and cook for 50 mins or until deep golden brown. If it browns too much during cooking, cover the dish. Set aside for 10 mins to cool before serving.