Moussaka with kritharaki and cucumber salad

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 500 g minced meat, mixed
• 1 large eggplant(s)
• 4 large tomatoes
• 300 g rice noodles (kritharaki)
• 100 ml wine (Retsina)
• 1 large onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 20 ml oil for frying
• 3 sprigs of parsley
• 5 stalks of chives
• 1 pinch(s) of oregano
• 1 pinch(s) thyme
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch(s) of pepper
• 1 pinch(s) cinnamon powder
• 150 g feta cheese
• 200 g cheese, for gratinating
• 40 g butter
• 40 g flour
• 400 ml milk

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Cut the eggplant into strips, sprinkle generously with salt on both sides, place in a bowl, cover with a cutting board, and weigh it down—I simply use three large water bottles. Wait at least two hours. This is important to eliminate the bitter taste of the eggplant. After this process, the eggplant will have a wonderful, delicate flavor. Discard any juices and gently fry the eggplant in olive oil. Remove from the oil and set aside. Cook the kritharaki in plenty of salted water until al dente. Drain in a sieve and rinse with plenty of water. It is very important to stir the kritharaki several times over the next half hour to prevent the rice noodles from becoming sticky. Blanch all the tomatoes. To do this, make a cross-shaped cut along the stem of the tomatoes, briefly place them in boiling water, and peel off the skin. Dice one tomato and slice the other three. Finely dice the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the ground beef and fry until crumbly. Grate the feta cheese in your hand, add it, and fold it in. Add the diced tomato. Season to taste with the spices and herbs. A pinch of cinnamon is an absolute highlight. Deglaze with the retsina and simmer until only a little liquid remains. Set aside. Béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a fairly small pan. Add the flour and stir until the mixture is combined. Now add the milk very slowly and stir in with a plastic whisk. Be careful to remove any lumps that may form with the whisk. All of this should be done at a moderate temperature, as it will all be wasted if the butter and flour mixture burns. You’ll now have a creamy “mushroom,” which you can season with salt and pepper to taste. When the consistency is right, remove from the heat immediately. Grease a casserole dish with lukewarm butter. Note: the larger the casserole dish, the more surface area the cheese will cover. The smaller the casserole dish, the higher the moussaka will be. Now add the ingredients in layers to the casserole dish. It’s important to start with the minced meat, followed by a layer of kritharakis. Cover this layer with sliced ​​tomatoes and fried eggplant. Now add the béchamel sauce. This whole process should be repeated at least twice. Place the tomatoes and eggplant on top and top with the cheese to top. Place everything in the oven preheated to 180°C. Once the cheese has reached the desired degree of browning, it is ready to eat. Notes: – Blanching and skinning the tomatoes is not necessary. – Retsina is a resinous Greek white wine with a very distinctive aroma. It’s recommended to taste the wine before cooking to get a good idea of ​​its flavor. If you don’t like it, simply use a dry white wine. – Cheese for the topping: Mozzarella is probably the mildest option. You can also use a stronger cheese, such as Gouda. I recommend a simple cucumber salad as a side dish.