Recipe - Moussaka Cypriot

2 pound Aubergines or courgettes or
Mix (trimmed & lengthways in
Thick slices)
2 lg Potatoes, cooked, peeled and
Sliced (optional)
One half cup Olive or sunflower oil
2 md Onions cut or sliced up
1 pound Minced beef or lamb
2 lg Tomatoes, grated, or
400 g Tin of tomatoes
One half teaspoon Ground cinnamon or
1 Stick cinnamon
One half teaspoon Rigani or dried oregano
One half Glass red wine
Salt and freshly ground
Black pepper
For the white sauce
3 ounce Butter
4 tablespoon Flour
1 pt Warm milk
Ground nutmeg
2 Eggs
2 ounce Grated cheese hallotimi,
Kefalotiri or cheddar

Moussaka may have its roots in Greece but noone makes individual
moussakas in terracotta pots quite like the Cypriots.

Immerse the aubergine slices in lightly salted water for 30 minutes, then
rinse and, squeezing them gently, pat dry with kitchen towel. The
courgettes need no attention.

Fry the aubergine or courgette slices in the oil, turning the slices, so
that they brown but don't cook through. Leave, them to drain on kitchen
paper.

In another pan fry the, onions in the, rest of the, oil till soft then add
the meat and stir to break it up. Add the tomatoes, herbs, spices,
seasoning and the wine and continue to cook for about 25 minutes when the
liquid should have been absorbed.

For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and
then add the warm milk gradually, whisking hard to remove any lumps. Take
the saucepan away from the heat and stir in the seasoning, spices and
cheese. Make sure that the sauce has cooled before adding the eggs.

To assemble the moussakas Either use a 10 x 10 (25cm x 25cm) baking dish
or 6 individual pots and line the base with slices of cooked aubergine or
courgette (Add a layer of cooked potato if you are using it). Now spread
the meat in a layer over the aubergine and cover with the remainder of the
aubergine and potato.

Cover the top of the Moussakas, with white sauce and bake in a moderate
oven Gas Mark 4, 350'F for about 50 minutes until the top is a good crusty
brown.

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