Seasonal Pantry: Delicious moussaka with fresh veggies

Moussaka is one of Greece’s signature dishes, a fragrant and rich meat and vegetable pie that typically includes eggplant, ground meat, bechamel sauce and cheese, though there are vegetarian versions and variations that replace the eggplant with zucchini or potatoes. There may be a layer of sautéed greens, shell beans, chestnuts, carrots, turnips or artichokes and some versions are topped with breadcrumbs that become pleasingly crunchy.

Moussaka stands alongside meat and vegetable casseroles from other parts of the world, especially cottage pie and shepherd’s pie from the UK and France’s ratatouille.

When moussaka is made properly, with ingredients that are in season, when the seasoning is thoughtful and precise, and the bechamel sauce deliciously ethereal, it is a thing of beauty and pleasure, something to offer on a special occasion. It travels well, too, making it a good choice for potlucks. It’s also a good project for group cooking, for friends that enjoy getting together, spending time in the kitchen and watching a movie while things cook.

It is important to use the right techniques when making moussaka and not to skimp on ingredients that some nutritionists would have us believe are unhealthy. If you don’t care for egg yolks, milk, cheese and olive oil, it is best to enjoy something else rather than trying to make moussaka without these ingredients.

I like to serve a simple Greek salad alongside the moussaka, as it adds a refreshing counterpoint to the rich flavors and textures. A hearty red wine is the best accompaniment drink-wise.

This is not a weeknight dish when you simply need to get dinner on the table. You should make it when you have plenty of time and do not need to hurry. If you like, you can prepare the meat and the bechamel sauce the day before finishing the moussaka and then reheat it before assembling and baking it. This version is not absolutely traditional; it is my own, based primarily on local ingredients in season now.

Sonoma Moussaka

Serves 10 to 12

For the meat

2 tablespoons butter

1 large yellow onion, cut into small dice

3 garlic cloves, minced

- Kosher salt

2 pounds ground lamb, goat or beef

2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano

¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground clove

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

¼ cup dry red wine

1 cup tomato concassé

- Black pepper in a mill

For the bechamel sauce

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour

- Kosher salt

4 cups half-and-half or whole milk

- Grated nutmeg

- Black pepper in a mill

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 large egg yolks, beaten until pale yellow

2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

¾ cup (3 ounces) grated sheep’s milk cheese, such as Weirauch Farm’s Saint Rose, Bleating Heart Fat Bottom Girl or - Bellwether Farm San Andreas

For the vegetables

- Olive oil

3 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch lengthwise slices

To finish

1 lemon

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup (2 ounces) grated cheep milk cheese, such as Weirauch Farm’s Saint Rose, Bleating Heart Fat Bottom Girl or Bellwether Farm San Andreas

Put the butter into a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat, add the onion and sauté until very soft and fragrant, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes more. Season lightly with salt.

Increase the heat to medium, add the meat and break it up with a fork as it cooks. When the meat has last its raw look, add the oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove and stir well. Continue to cook until the meat is lightly browned. Increase the heat to high, add the vinegar and wine and stir until it is nearly completely reduced.

Season with salt.

Add the concassé, season with several turns of black pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste, correct for salt, remove from the heat and let cool.

To make the bechamel sauce, put the butter into a medium saucepan set over medium heat and when it is melted, add the flour. Stir with a whisk until smooth and continue to stir until it takes on a pale golden color, about 2 minutes.

Season with salt.

Slowly pour in some of the half-and-half or milk, whisking well as you do. Continue until all the liquid has been added. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add several turns of grated nutmeg and of black pepper, remove from the heat and let cool. Cover and set aside while you prepare the vegetables.

To finish the sauce, whisk the lemon juice into the egg yolks and then whisk the mixture into the sauce, mixing until the egg yolks are well incorporated and the sauce is richly colored and has increased in bulk a bit. Quickly fold in the parsley and cheese, taste and correct for salt and pepper. Set aside.

Pour a generous quarter inch of olive oil into a large sauté pan set over medium high heat and set several layers absorbent paper next to the pan. When the oil is hot, add eggplant in a single layer, cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turn and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to absorbent paper and continue until all the eggplant has been cooked; add more olive oil as needed. Use paper towels to soak up any excess oil on the surface of the slices of eggplant.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To assemble the moussaka, choose an oven proof container -- I use a deep clay pot -- that is about 12 inches in diameter or 13-inches-by-9-inches. Cover the bottom of the container with a layer of eggplant, overlapping the slices just a bit. Squeeze some lemon juice and sprinkle some garlic over the eggplant and top with a third of the meat mixture, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle half the cheese on top and repeat with a second layer.

Finish with a third layer of meat and spoon the bechamel sauce over it, use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly.

Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake until hot, bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and let rest at least 20 minutes before serving.

To serve, cut in wedges, transfer to individual plates and enjoy.

Variations

Omit the eggplant and use zucchini, sliced lengthwise, in its place. You’ll need less olive oil when you fry the zucchini, as it does not absorb oil the way eggplant does. It still needs to be drained, however.

Replace the eggplant with potatoes. To do so, you’ll need 2 to 3 large potatoes peeled, cut into thin rounds, and blanched in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes.

For a vegetarian version, omit the lamb and all other ingredients that go with it. Cut 3 to 4 large bunches of Lacinato kale into ½-inch crosswise strips, sauté in olive oil until very tender, add 5 or 6 crushed garlic cloves, the zest of 2 lemons, a few pinches of red pepper flakes and season with salt. Layer as described in the main recipe, using the greens in place of the meat.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 24 books to date, including the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.