Recipe - Vegetarian Moroccan Couscous

TOMATO SAUCE
2 lg Onions
2 tablespoon Olive oil
2 tablespoon Butter
2 cup Mushrooms, minced
(if you insist upon
using meat, substitute
1 pound ground beef or
lamb for the mushrooms)
3 tablespoon Tomato paste
3 Tomatoes, peeled
and pureed
Three fourths cup Red wine, dry
One half cup Parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Sugar

BECHAMEL SAUCE
4 cup Milk
One half cup Butter
6 tablespoon Flour
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
One fourth teaspoon White pepper

THE CASSEROLE
Olive oil
3 pound Eggplant
4 Eggs, beaten
2 cup Ricotta cheese
1 cup Bread crumbs, dry
2 cup Kefalotyri or Parmesan
cheese, grated

First make the tomato sauce: peel and mince onions. Saute onions in about
2 T oil and about 2 T butter, over moderate heat, until they are soft and
lightly colored (about 8 minutes). Add mushrooms and saute. Stir in
tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, parsley, seasonings and sugar.

Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, for 3045 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Most of the liquid should be evaporated, and the mixture
quite thick. Remove skillet from heat and let it cool completely.

Start seasoning the eggplants: peel eggplants and slice vertically, about
1/8 to One fourth inch thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit for 30
minutes.

Now make the Bechamel Sauce: Place the milk in a saucepan and heat it just
until tiny bubbles appear along the edges. Remove and set aside.

Melt one cube butter in a 3quart saucepan over very low heat until foamy,
being careful not to brown. Slowly add the 6 T flour, stirring constantly
until smooth (34 minutes), and still being careful not to let it brown.
Add the milk slowly, whipping with a wire whisk. When the mixture is thick
and smooth, remove it from the heat and stir in seasonings. Cool sauce
slightly.

Back to the eggplant: Rinse well with cold water; squeeze gently and pat
dry. Dredge the eggplant in about 1 One half cups flour and saute in olive oil.

Put it all together: Stir ricotta cheese until it is smooth and creamy.
Gently fold it into the Bechamel sauce. Stir in beaten eggs until
thoroughly incorporated.

Remove and discard any excess oil that has risen to the top of the tomato
mixture.

Lightly grease a 16x10 baking pan and sprinkle the bottom with a few bread
crumbs. Place a layer of eggplant in the pan, following with a layer of
tomato mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and grated cheese. Repeat as
many times as you have eggplant to last.

Pour the Bechamelricotta sauce over the top and bake at 300 degrees F. for
one hour, or until a goldenbrown crust has formed on top. Remove moussaka
from oven and let it stand undisturbed 2030 minutes; the delay allows the
layers to fuse.

NOTES:

* Vegetarian version of the Greek classic This recipe is not for the
fainthearted. It's very good and it takes a lot of work. Don't waste it
on someone who would be just as satisfied with steak and salad!

: Difficulty: moderate.
: Time: 1 One half hours to prepare, 1 hour to bake, 2030 minutes to set and
cool. Some can be done ahead of time.
: Precision: Approximate measurement OK for eggplant, tomato mixture.
:
: Moira Mallison (tektronix!moiram)
: Organization: Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Or

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini