Moussaka with egg and yogurt topping

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg eggplant(s), 3 medium or 2 large
• some salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 900 g minced lamb
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium-sized red onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 can of tomato puree
• ½ tsp sweet paprika powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon, ground
• 3 carnations, ground cover
• 2 allspice berries, ground
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• n. B. Water, hot
• salt and pepper
• 6 stalks flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
• 1 egg(s), beaten
• 4 eggs
• 300 g yogurt, Greek
• 1 pinch(s) of salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) paprika powder
• 40 g Parmesan or Kefalotyri or Kashkaval, grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 35 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 5 minutes

without béchamel sauce, therefore a lighter version

Preheat the oven to 230°C. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and brush the foil with a little oil. Cut the eggplant into 8 mm thick slices (using a bread slicer), arrange them on the sheets, season with salt, and brush with olive oil. Place the sheets in the oven, one in the middle and the second underneath, and bake for 10 minutes. Then swap the sheets and bake for another 10 minutes, until the eggplant has softened and browned. Remove from the oven and fold each sheet of aluminum foil into a sealed package. The eggplant slices can overlap; they should be allowed to steam and cool in the aluminum packages. This will take about 20-30 minutes. For the meat and tomato filling, heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the diced onion over medium heat for about five minutes. Add the diced garlic and sauté briefly. Increase the heat and add the lamb. Break it up with a fork and brown it well for about three minutes. Add the tomato puree, paprika, cinnamon powder, cloves, allspice, sugar, bay leaf, and salt. Pour in enough hot water to just cover the meat. You can also add the tied parsley stalks. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should develop into a thick, fragrant sauce. Simmer uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Remove the bay leaf and, if using, the parsley stalks, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, and stir in the beaten egg and parsley. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Brush a gratin dish with oil. Place half of the eggplant slices in the dish, stacking them together, and spread the meat mixture evenly over the top. Top with the second half of the eggplant slices and bake for 30 minutes. In the meantime, whisk together the eggs and yogurt, season with about ½ teaspoon salt, paprika, and pepper. Pour the mixture completely over the moussaka. Sprinkle with grated hard cheese. Return to the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes, until the surface is golden brown. Remove from the oven, let stand for five minutes, and serve warm. Tips: The meat mixture can be prepared a few days in advance without the egg and parsley and stored in the refrigerator. Then let it come to room temperature before adding the egg and parsley. The gratin dish with the prepared moussaka, without the egg and yogurt topping, can also be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or even frozen. Then bring it to room temperature before adding the topping and baking it. For a more refined, fluffier topping, first mix the egg yolks with the yogurt, then beat the egg whites separately until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the egg yolk and yogurt mixture. The topping can also be seasoned with a little grated nutmeg. Traditionally, moussaka is prepared with a béchamel sauce. While this is very tasty, it can also be quite heavy and sometimes even sticky and rubbery. The yogurt sauce used in this recipe makes everything a little lighter. You can also modify the recipe by halving the amount of minced lamb and using oven-baked and then finely chopped mushrooms instead. There is even a vegetarian version possible, in which the lamb is completely replaced with a mushroom mixture that corresponds to its weight.