# Traditional Moussaka

A traditional moussaka recipe without béchamel or potatoes, focusing on pure eggplant and meat layers, inspired by Auguste Escoffier's 1903 recipe.

- Total time: 105 min
- Cuisine: Greek
- Category: Dinner
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 6 eggplant
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground pepper
- 1 pinch dried thyme leaves
- toothpicks
- veal stock
- cherry tomatoes
- minced lamb
- minced beef
- 1 black angus burger patty
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 1 egg
- butter

## Instructions

1. Slice the eggplants open like a book, without cutting all the way through, creating a butterfly shape.
2. Score the flesh of the eggplants very homogeneously.
3. Drown the scored eggplant in extra virgin olive oil.
4. Sprinkle a pinch of salt, a little ground pepper, and dried thyme leaves over the eggplant.
5. Close the eggplant 'book' and secure it with toothpicks.
6. Place the eggplants into the oven with toothpicks to stabilize them.
7. Pour veal stock into a pot and add cherry tomatoes.
8. Cover and cook the tomatoes until they soften, then pop them up with a spoon.
9. Let the tomato sauce reduce for about 30 minutes until it caramelizes and becomes sweet.
10. Combine minced lamb, minced beef, and a black angus burger patty in a bowl.
11. Add salt and pepper to the meat mixture and mix it homogeneously.
12. Toast the meat in a pan until it's nicely browned.
13. Remove the roasted eggplants from the oven after 45 minutes.
14. Open the roasted eggplants and spoon out the flesh, scraping all the skin into a bowl.
15. Set the toasted meat aside.
16. Chop about three garlic cloves and an onion.
17. Brown the chopped garlic and onion in the pan.
18. Mash the eggplant flesh with a spoon until it forms a puree.
19. Add the toasted meat, browned onions, garlic, and caramelized tomato sauce to the eggplant puree.
20. Mix the meat and eggplant mixture homogeneously.
21. Break a double egg into a bowl, mix it homogeneously, and add it to the meat and eggplant mixture.
22. Mix the entire mixture homogeneously.
23. Butter an oven mold intimately.
24. Orchestrate the eggplant skin all over the dish, ensuring no holes in the middle.
25. Add the first layer of the meat and eggplant mixture, making it very flat and homogeneous.
26. Add a layer of sliced eggplant (browned in beef tallow if desired).
27. Add another homogeneous layer of the meat mixture.
28. Add another layer of sliced eggplant.
29. Add the last layer of the meat mixture, then gather the eggplant skin towards the middle to cover it, forming a protective 'condom' of eggplant.
30. Push the eggplant skin against the meat homogeneously to remove any air bubbles.
31. Place the mold onto a grid and then into the oven for a bain marie cooking, ensuring the bottom cooks homogeneously.
32. Once cooked, stick the side of the dish to loosen, flip it over, and your moussaka is ready.

## Equipment

- knife
- cutting board
- oven
- pot
- wooden spoon
- bowl
- pan
- spatula
- oven dish
- grid

## Tips

- To stabilize the eggplant in the oven, use toothpicks to keep it in a 'book' shape.
- Bain Marie cooking helps cook the dish homogeneously, especially for the egg.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNWcFKNohiS/?igsh=eDl6ZmNydHpnc3Nj
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/f07c7016-d0a1-4abd-805f-ba2a351e2771
- Extracted: 2025-08-20

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt