Flash in the Pan

My wife had a yen for moussaka, but we disagreed on the source of the recipe we've used in the past. She thought it was an old Roy Andries De Groot book, Feasts for All Seasons, and I was sure it was from a New York Times international cookbook. When in doubt, agree with the spouse, so I looked at what she found. It was interesting, but I won't go into the exact details and, instead, cover the general approach with some changes I made. (The results were good.)

1. Brown about a pound of ground lamb and put to the side. (As in the original recipe, you can leave this out.)


2. Make some pilaf using about 1 cup of long-grained rice, 1 1/2 cups of beef stock, and 1 cup of red wine. When the rice and liquid come to a boil, add a handful each of raisins and pine nuts, stir, cover, simmer for 15 minutes, and then take off the heat. I actualy used only 2 cups of liquid, total, which might seem like too little, and the pilaf was a bit toothy, but remember that most everything else in the dish will give off liquid, and you'll want to absorb it.


3. Take three medium eggplants and slice about 1/2 inch thick. If, like me, you found yourself with only two eggplants, slice them thinner - it makes them a bit harder to handle, but, hey, you do what you gotta do.


4. Chop a medium onion and brown it in olive oil in a pan over high heat. Reserve it but leave the pan hot. Add more oil and brown the eggplant slices on both sides, reserving them as well. Yes, for this meal, reservations are necessary.


5. Take a six-inch deep casserole dish (I used a stew pot with cover, about 9 inches across, from Emile Henri, which is great for this type of cooking), rub inside with olive oil, and start layering: first eggplant slices to cover, then some rice pilaf, then some lamb, and then some sauteed onions. Keep doing this for a few layers until you've used up everything and ended with eggplant on top. You really have to do this by eye, as it will depend on the exact size and shape of your dish.


6. Tomato sauce goes on top. I used maybe a cup and a half of spaghetti sauce with about 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinamon mixed in. De Groot calls for making a sauce out of 1 cup of beef stock, 1 cup of red wine, 6 ounces of tomato paste, a handful of chopped parsley, and some salt and pepper. (I'm elminating the MSG he suggested - yes, this is an old book.) But it worked well this way and cut the preparation time at least a bit.


7. Bake the casserole for about 20 to 25 minutes without a top, or until the sauce gets absorbed. You'll know when it's done by when you're finished with the custard that goes on top. Thoroughly whisk three eggs, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1 cup of milk. (You won't need the 1 cup of parmasegan cheese if you don't want it.) Cook in a doube-boiler - or in a pot over a medium flame if you're feeling bold and don't mind watching like a hawk so you don't end up with curdled custard. When the mixture thickens so it will coat the back of a wooden spoon and drawing your finger across that spoon back leaves a trail, you're done.


8. Take the casserole out of the over, pour the custard over it, cover, and replace in the over for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the custard is set.

When serving, dig your spoon down so each person gets a sampling of all the layers. This will serve a good 8 to 10 people.

Labels: entree, recipe