Mogs Mousakka recipe
Growing up next door to an Anglo-Greek family, I remember going around to their house with my mum on Mousakka Day’. My mum had a lesson in how to make it and then set about growing her own aubergines in the greenhouse. This is perfect comfort food, ideal for ‘snuggle up suppers’.
This recipe is taken from Honeybuns All Day Cook Book by Emma Goss-Custard.
MAKES 1 X 30cm X 25cm overnproof dish
FREE FROM GLUTEN / NUTS
Roasted aubergines
Olive oil, for brushing
2 aubergines (raw weight approximately 500g)
1 tsp cumin seeds
Mince and tomato filling
300g frozen gluten free vegetarian mince
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 tsp capers
400g passata or chopped tomatoes
Vegetarian and gluten free Worcestershire sauce, to taste
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
3 tbsp pitted black olives, chopped
½ tsp fennel seeds
10 fresh mint leaves, chopped
100ml red wine
White sauce
4 eggs
200g Greek yoghurt
100g crème fraiche
75g vegetarian Italian hard cheese, grated
Topping
350g fresh vegetarian mozzarella, sliced
Approximately 50g vegetarian Italian hard cheese, finely grated
1 tsp cumin seeds
Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4.
Brush a roasting tin with olive oil. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Wash, top and tail the aubergines and slice them lengthways. Aim for slices approximately 2½cm thick. Brush the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin seeds. Pop them on the baking sheet and put in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the slices and brush them again with olive oil after 10
minutes. Keep the cumin seeds on the sheet – it doesn’t matter if they fall underneath the aubergines.
Pop all the ingredients for the mince and tomato filling into the roasting tin and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Place the white sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed for 1 minute until combined.
To assemble the moussaka, cover the bottom of your ovenproof dish with the sliced aubergines – tip out and use all the cumin seeds too. Spread the mince and tomato filling over the aubergines and pour the white sauce over the top. To finish, add the sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with Italian hard cheese and cumin seeds.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the topping turns a golden colour and bubbles around the edges and the white sauce has set. Serve whilst still piping hot.
TIP You can use butternut squash instead of aubergine – just slice it to half the thickness as it takes a bit longer to cook. you can add peas to the mince mix too – delicious.
STORAGE Keeps in the fridge for 3 days (it improves after a day or two). Can be frozen.
This recipe is from Honeybuns All Day Cook Book by Emma Goss-Custard, published by Honeybee Books.
