This was definitely one of our most successful first tries. Neither of us had make moussaka before, and we weren't entirely sure how it would turn out. Fortunately, it was awesome. As noted in the ingredients, we used crushed tomatoes, and we also pureed some of the vegetables, which made the finished product come out at about the consistency of a very thick stew. If you wanted it to turn out more like a lasagna type of thing, you could leave the veggies in pieces.
This is definitely slow food, so unless you're a multi-tasking kitchen alchemist, it's probably best to give yourself at least 1.5 hours of prep time. We were also making cheesecake simultaneously, which required some of the same equipment. It was a fun afternoon in the kitchen! Here's what we did:
MOUSSAKA!
1 cup cooked lentils (we used red, buy any kind is fine)
5 medium potatoes, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
2 large portabella mushrooms (we pureed ours with the eggplant, but you could used them sliced also)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 400g can tomatoes (we chose crushed - if you use whole or diced, the finished product would be more structurally sound)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. greek oregano
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 package vegan-rella
salt and pepper
White sauce!
1 1/4 c. rice or soy milk
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. basil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. oregano
egg replacer
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400F.
Step 1: Put the lentils on to cook - 1/2 cup dry makes 1 cup cooked. 1 cup water with 1/2 cup dry lentils, bring to a boil, stir in a pinch of salt and some oil, then turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 2: While the lentils are on, prepare the eggplant. Peel and slice into small chunks. Baste with a bit of olive oil, then place in the oven on a non-stick pan and roast for about 30 minutes until soft.
Step 3: Next, the potatoes! It's not necessary to peel, just give the skins a good scrubbing, then slice into thin rings - these will be used as top layer of the moussaka. Cover the rings with water and boil for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
Step 4: Heat olive oil in a large pot or skillet. Slice the onions, garlic and mushrooms (leave the mushrooms out if you're going to puree them) and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the lentils, tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, stir well and remove from heat.
Step 5 (optional): Remove the eggplant from the oven, and using a food processor, puree the eggplant with the mushrooms and a little bit of olive oil.
Step 6: Start assembling the moussaka! We used a 9x13 baking dish, but if you leave all of the veggies intact, you could probably used a 9x9 dish. First add the lentil/tomato mixture and spread evenly. Then add the mushrooms and eggplant and top off with the potato slices. If you pureed the mushrooms/eggplant, it's easier to add the potatoes first, then spread the puree over top of them.
Step 7: Grate the vegan-rella and spread evenly over the top.
Step 8: Make the sauce! Slowly bring the rice/soy milk to a boil and stir in the spices, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix the olive oil and corn starch together to make a paste with no lumps, then whisk in to the sauce. Finally, add the egg replacer - 1 egg's worth, according to package directions. Then take off of the heat and stir until everything begins to thicken up. Pour the sauce over top of the rest of the moussaka and then chuck it in the oven.
Step 9: Bake at 400F for 45 minutes. Cover for the first 30, then remove the cover for the last 15 minutes of baking. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then serve with fresh pita and hummus!
Step 10: OM NOM NOM NOM!!!
Once you've finished that off, time for dessert! We made ourselves a yummy "cheese"cake - no baking required. We wussed out on the crust and used oreo crumbs and margarine, but if you're ambitious, here's a crust recipe that we've tried and loved from before:
Ingredients!
Crust
1 3/4 cups raw, unsalted nuts (almonds work well for this)
1/2 c. cocoa nibs
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cherry or vanilla extract
1 tbsp. cocoa
3/4 c. raisins
Filling
3 cups raw unsalted cashews
1/3 cup agave syrup
6 pitted dates
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. coconut oil
3/4 c. cocoa powder
Step 1: The crust! If you're not lazy like us, grind the nuts, cocoa nibs (or just regular chocolate chips) and salt in a food processor until coarse. Add vanilla extract and cocoa and pulse until thoroughly combined. Add the raisins and pulse some more until blended and the mixture sticks together when you pinch it. Press into the bottom of an 8-9 inch spring form pan, or just a regular tin pie plate, and put in the freezer while the filling gets made.
Step 2: Soak the cashews in warm water for 1-2 hours and drain.
Step 3: Put the cashews, agave, dates, lemon juice and water in the food processor and blend until it's creamy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure you don't leave any chunks.
Step 4: Add the cherry/vanilla extract, coconut oil and cocoa powder, and continue processing until it's nice and smooth. Pour the filling into the pan with the crust and put it back in the freezer for an hour to set.
Step 5: Remove from freezer and thaw until it's easy to slice - about half an hour.
Step 6: Om nom nom nom...
