Oriental Moussaka

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 1 eggplant(s)
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 m.-sized potatoes
• 1 parsley root(s)
• 1 red bell pepper(s)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 100 ml vegetable stock
• 200 ml tomato(s), pureed
• 1 handful of raisins
• 2 tbsp ajvar
• 1 tsp harissa
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp spice mix (Ras el Hanout)
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• a few sprigs of dill
• 150 g feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

lots of colorful vegetables and potatoes, oriental flavor

Peel the potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, and parsley root and cut into fine cubes. Clean the bell peppers, 1/2 eggplant, and 1/2 zucchini and also cut into small cubes. Cut the other half of the zucchini and eggplant lengthwise into thin slices. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let them sit for ten minutes, then place them in a bowl of boiling water to soften them slightly. Sauté the diced vegetables in two tablespoons of olive oil without browning. After five minutes, deglaze with vegetable stock, add the raisins, passata, ajvar, harissa, spices, and herbs. Simmer for about ten minutes; the potatoes should be almost tender and the liquid almost completely reduced. Finally, season with salt and pepper. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the bottom of a baking dish and line it with zucchini slices. Add a layer of vegetable mixture, then cover with eggplant slices, add another layer of vegetables, cover with zucchini slices, and so on, until the filling and eggplant/zucchini slices are used up. Sprinkle chopped dill on the last layer, then sprinkle with coarsely crumbled feta cheese and bake for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Tip: Moussaka is often made with minced meat. Minced lamb is particularly suitable for this version – simply fry it with the onions and garlic, perhaps omitting the diced potatoes. If you want to keep it vegetarian but still achieve a minced meat-like consistency, you could add couscous or crumbled tofu/soy mince. With couscous, you’ll need more broth because it absorbs the liquid.