Ingredients

The following ingredients have 7 Servings
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 small onions, finely diced
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 3 level tsp cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves, pounded to powder in pestle & mortar
  • ½ tsp nutmeg, grated
  • 5 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 2 x 400 g tins)
  • ½ cup green lentils, rinsed
  • 100 ml red wine
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 level tsp salt
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise into ½ cm slices
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 7 tbsp olive oil
  • 7 tbsp white flour
  • 7 tbsp cauliflower purée*
  • 2 and ¼ cups almond milk, warmed up
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • grated nutmeg, to taste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt, plus to taste
  • pepper, to taste

Instruction

  • Bring rinsed lentils to boil and cook for 10 mins. Drain and set aside. Peel the potatoes and parboil them for 12 mins. Drain and set aside.
  • Heat the oven up to 225° C. Put aubergine slices on a parchment-lined baking tray (no need to grease them) and into the hot oven for 25 minutes - until they are soft and lightly browned. Some people advocate salting aubergine for an hour (and rinsing the salt off) before cooking as salt is meant to draw our bitterness, but I've forgotten to do that a few times and never tasted any bitterness. Do it ahead of baking if you want.
  • In a pan, heat up 3 tbsp of olive oil. Fry onion until translucent. Add in garlic and fry for another minute. Add in cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves coating the onion-garlic mixture in the spices. Gently fry for another minute on low heat so that the spices don't burn.
  • Add in tomatoes, bay leaves and wine. Keep on simmering under cover until tomatoes break down. Add in lentils. Keep on simmering uncovered until all the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened. Season with salt, sugar and pepper and adjust to your liking. Let the sauce cool down.
  • To assemble moussaka, slice parboiled potatoes into ½ cm slices and place at the bottom of an oiled tray. Brush olive oil on the top of the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.Place 1st layer of aubergine on top of potatoes, season well. Spoon in cooled down tomato sauce. Place another layer of aubergine, season with salt and pepper. Finally, spread béchamel on top.
  • Cook moussaka in a 175° C oven for about 45 minutes - until the top gets slightly golden. It tastes best the day after it has been made so make it in advance if you can.
  • Heat up olive oil in a heavy-bottom pan/pot. Gradually, add flour to the oil whisking continuously. Cook the oil-flour mixture on a low heat for about 5 minutes stirring continuously. Don't rush this step as otherwise béchamel will have an unpleasant floury taste.
  • Take off the heat. Slowly, add in warmed up milk and cauliflower purée, mixing the whole time - you should get a nice thick sauce. Return to the stove.
  • Season the mixture with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg and lemon juice. Add nutritional yeast, if using. Cook for another minute or two. Let the sauce cool down before pouring it over assembled moussaka.