Moussaka !

I decided yesterday that I would make a moussaka. I didn't have any aubergines so I used ............. courgettes instead, well one very large courgette to be precise

Although I had made moussaka before, I had always used pre-mixed spices and herbs, but as I didn't have a pack of these I just threw a few things together and it was delicious, this is what I did;

Ingredients;

500g lean lamb mince
1 very large courgette, cut into 1cm slices
1 large red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2tsp mixed herbs - I used dried herbs
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 lamb stock cube
and a glug of red wine, about half a glass

Firstly I top and tailed the courgette and sliced it into 1cm thick pieces. Lay the courgette circles on a baking tray (I used 2 trays as there was a lot of courgette) and drizzle with a little olive oil (I used spray oil), season with salt and pepper then place in the oven gas 5/ 190C / 375F for about 20 minutes until soft.

Next I browned the lamb mince in a frying pan, by cooking it over a low heat for about 5 mins. I then drained the mince through a colander to remove the excess fat.

Return the mince to the pan and add the chopped onion and garlic and fry for further 5 minutes or so until the onion is just soft.

I then added all the other ingredients and cooked this uncovered for about 25 minutes until most of the liquid in the pan had gone.

For the White Cheese Sauce;

This is a low fat white sauce.

1 pint milk - I used skimmed
2 tbsp cornflour
1tsp mustard powder
salt and pepper
100g cheese grated - reserving some to sprinkle on the top


First, put most of the milk into a pan and heat gently, reserving about 4 tbsp. Mix the cornflour and mustard powder with the reserved milk until you have a paste. Once the milk is nearly boiling, add the cornflour mix and stir continually until it is incorporated into the milk, then bring the milk to the boil still stirring to avoid any lumps. This needs to be cooked for about 2 mins. After 2 minutes, remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and add about half the grated cheese.

So now is the time to assemble the moussaka, start by lightly greasing the dish, then lay the softened courgette in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Then add the meat mixture and then another layer of courgettes and finally cover with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the remainder of the grated cheese.

Place in the oven for about 40 mins at gas 5 / 190C / 375F it should be bubbling and golden brown on the top. We had it with salad, yummy.