Moms Chicken Potato Moussaka Recipes

EGGPLANT AND POTATO MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Place the eggplant slices in a large bowl and cover with water. Add 1/2 cup of salt and agitate gently to combine. Let stand for 20 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• While the eggplant is soaking, heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet and, working in batches, add the potato slices and cook until lightly golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain and repeat with any remaining potato slices. Season lightly with salt.
• Place 1 cup of the flour in a bowl and dredge the eggplant slices in the flour. Shake to remove any excess flour. Add 1/4 cup of the remaining oil to the skillet and, working in batches, fry the eggplant slices until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add more oil to the skillet as needed in 1/4 cup increments. Repeat until all eggplant has been cooked. Transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet and, when melted, add the onions. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the ground meats, garlic, and oregano and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, until meat is browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the red wine and cook until evaporated. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, water and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all liquid is evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and, when hot, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring until smooth and thick. Season with salt, to taste, and whisk in the egg and egg yolk. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese and set aside, covered, while you assemble the casserole.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and place the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Top with half of the eggplant slices and half of the meat sauce. Spoon 3/4 cup of the bechamel sauce evenly over the meat sauce and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese. Top with the remaining eggplant slices, pressing down on the layers gently with your hands to compress. Top with the remaining meat sauce and then spread the remaining bechamel sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on the top and heated throughout, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand for at least 40 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

MOM'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, rosemary, chile flakes, nutmeg, salt, pepper and garlic. Place the chicken pieces in a resealable bag and pour the marinade in, coating all of the meat. Allow the chicken to marinate, refrigerated, 1 to 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Set up a grill for cooking with indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only. Allow the temperature to come up to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place the chicken pieces skin-side up on the indirect-heat side of the grill and close the lid. Cook the chicken until almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Move the chicken pieces over to the direct heat side of the grill and cook until nicely charred and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

MOM'S CHICKEN & POTATO MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes, peel them and smash them in a bowl together with the butter and some salt and add enough milk to get a soft but by no means liquid mass (in fact it’s up to you to decide how thick you want it to be).
• In a frying pan put the 2 tbl oil, the chicken, the tomato paste, cumin, pepper, nutmeg and some salt and start frying dividing the meat with a fork until it starts to fall apart into crumbs.
• Grease a baking tin with the remaining oil (don’t forget the sides too), spread half of the potatoes on the bottom, pour the chicken over them and cover it with the remaining potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to a medium temperature and put the moussaka in and let it heat for 5 min.
• In a bowl beat the yogurt with the eggs the thyme, a bit of salt and some black pepper.
• Pour the yogurt mixture over the moussaka and bake until it gets golden brown (about 10-15 min).
• When ready take out of the oven and leave to cool a bit – potatoes cool very slowly.
• Serve very warm.

MAMA'S MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Salt the slices of eggplant, let them stand in a colander for 15 minutes and then pat dry.
• Fry the eggplant slices in the olive oil, turning once, browning on both sides.
• Drain the slices on paper towels.
• Saute the onion until soft.
• Add the meat and brown.
• Add the tomatoes, herbs, and seasonings and then simmer for 25 minutes.
• For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in flour.
• Add the milk, gradually, while stirring and remove from heat once it is thickened.
• Add the sauce seasonings, Cheddar cheese and then beat in the two eggs.
• Arrange half the eggplant slices in the bottom of a greased 9"x13” baking dish, then top with a layer of half the potatoes.
• Top with all of the meat mixture, then layer the remaining eggplant followed by the rest of the potatoes.
• Pour the white sauce over all and bake at 350°F for 50 minutes or until the top is crusty brown.

CHICKEN "MOUSSAKA"

Steps:

• Layer eggplant slices in colander and sprinkle with plenty of salt. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse with lots of cold water. Lay slices out flat and use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out excess water and pat dry.
• Turn oven to broil. Spray a cookie sheet with EVOO and lay eggplant in one layer on sheet. Spray with more EVOO. Broil for a few minutes (don't burn!), then flip slices over, spray again with EVOO and broil a few more minutes. I usually broil until they feel soft and lose their firm shape when picked up with tongs.
• Heat oven to 350°F
• Heat 1 T. olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven. Add chicken and onions and saute for 5 minutes or so, breaking up chicken with wooden spoon.
• Add tomatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes till sauce is thickened slightly.
• Spread tomato chicken mix in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, top with a layer of eggplant.
• To make the sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan, whisk in flour and cook for two minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in milk, bring to a bubble and reduce to simmer till thickened. Melt in parmesan.
• Spoon sauce over eggplant. Bake at 350 till browned and bubbly.

POTATO MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Fry minced onion, garlic and bay leaf in olive oil until onion becomes translucent, but not browned.
• Add minced lamb (or beef) and cook, stirring until browned. Add oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add peeled and chopped tomatoes to the meat with lamb (or beef) stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cover. Simmer gently for 30 minutes or until reduce most of liquids.
• Meanwhile, peal and slice potatoes into flat pieces, as for chips, but thicker, about 0,5 cm. Fry them in olive oil until lightly browned on both sides. Remove them from pan on a paper towel.
• Take a large ovenproof dish and layer the potato slices and meat, ending with a layer of potatoes.
• Beat 2 eggs with flour, salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Stir in yogurt. Pour this over the moussaka.
• Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for about 1 hour, until the topping is set and golden brown. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
• To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
• Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

SUPER MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a large saucepan, bring the water and the 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Add the bulgur, cover the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and let the bulgur sit for 10 minutes.
• Lay the eggplant slices on one or two lightly greased baking sheets. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes or until the eggplant has softened but is not browned. Remove the eggplant from the oven, and lower the temp to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While the eggplant is baking, make the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook it , stirring often for 1 minute. Add the flour, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. Simmer the mixture, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Sprinkle the basil, nutmeg, salt and pepper into the saucepan of bechamel sauce.
• Spoon the bulgur into a 9x11 inch casserole dish, and pat the bulgur down well. Lay the eggplant slices on the bulgur, overlapping them in rows.
• Squeeze the tomatoes through your hands to break them up, and spread the broken tomatoes and their juice over the eggplant.
• Gradually pour the bechamel sauce into the beaten egg, whisking constantly. Pour the sauce over the tomatoes.
• Bake the moussaka, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Slice it as you would lasagna, and serve.