Moussaka with fennel salad
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 1 to 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 6
- Dietary
- Nut-free
A classic moussaka is perfect for feeding a crowd. Serve with a crisp fennel salad and creamy feta dressing.
Ingredients
For the moussaka
- 400g/14oz potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 3 aubergines, sliced
- 2–4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 500g/1lb 2oz lamb mince
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 bay leaves
- 150ml/5fl oz red wine
- 200g/7oz passata
- 600ml/20fl oz full-fat milk
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 60g/2¼oz plain flour
- 50g/1¾oz pecorino, grated
- fresh nutmeg, for grating
- 2 free-range eggs
For the fennel salad
- 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 6 spring onions, chopped
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 50g/1¾oz Kalamata olives, chopped
- 15g fresh parsley leaves
- 35g fresh watercress leaves
- 3 celery sticks with leaves, sliced
For the dressing
Method
To make the moussaka, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Toss the potato and aubergine slices in half of the seasoned oil. Transfer to a baking tray and roast for 40 minutes. Leave the oven on.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions and garlic for 10 minutes.
Add the oregano, cinnamon and mince and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, bay leaves, wine and passata. Simmer for 30 minutes until reduced.
Heat the milk in a saucepan.
Melt the butter in a separate large saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few seconds and then slowly stir in the milk. Simmer gently for a few minutes before adding half of the cheese and a generous grating of nutmeg. Leave to cool a little then beat in the eggs.
Layer a third of the potatoes and aubergines in the base of a 17cmx25cm baking dish. Add half of the mince mixture and then repeat with another layer of potatoes, aubergines and mince.
Finish with a final layer of potatoes and aubergines. Spoon over the cheese sauce and sprinkle over the rest of the pecorino.
Bake for 40 minutes–1 hour, or until golden.
To make the fennel salad, mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
To make the dressing, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix into the fennel salad.
Serve the moussaka with the fennel salad.
