No meat moussaka with mushroom and potato recipe by Rianie Strydom paired with Haskell Vineyards Pillars Syrah wine.
Ingredients
1 kg potatoes, scrubbed (do not peel)
4 large courgettes (baby marrows)
8 medium aubergines (brinjals)
500 ml cooking oil for deep-frying
Tomato and Mushroom Sauce
25 ml olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 kg button mushrooms
1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
30 ml chopped fresh parsley
30 ml chopped fresh origanum
15 ml brown sugar
Bechamel Sauce
1 litre milk
½ onion
2 whole cloves
1 stick celery
1 carrot, halved
1 bay leaf
150 g butter
250 ml cake flour
200 g Parmesan cheese, grated
Recipe
Serves 4-6
Slice the potatoes, courgettes and aubergines lengthwise into 5 mm-thick slices. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan and deep-fry the potatoes, then the aubergine, and finally the courgettes. Do this in batches. Remove and place the vegetables on paper towels to absorb excess oil. ('Or you can roast the vegetable slices in the oven; not as messy.')
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a large, deep ovenproof dish.
For the tomato and mushroom sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and continue stirring. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, then the parsley, origanum and brown sugar. Stir over medium heat until all the juices have been absorbed and you have a thick sauce.
For the bechamel sauce, place the milk, onion, cloves, celery, carrot and bay leaf in a deep saucepan. Heat until boiling. Remove from the heat and leave to steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the cloves, vegetables and bay leaf.
In a heavy-based saucepan, gently heat the butter until it's melted. Add the flour and stir continuously for 1 minute. Add half the milk and continue to stir, now using a whisk. When the mixture starts to thicken, add the remaining milk, still stirring continuously. When it starts to thicken again, lower the heat to its minimum, add two-thirds of the grated cheese, stir m and then switch off the heat.
Take the prepared oven dish ('This time I used, for the first time, small spring-form baking ans for individual helpings and it looked great!') and start with a layer of potato (using only half the potato). Add a layer of courgette, then a layer of aubergine. Spread the tomato and mushroom sauce on top. Add the last layer of potato. Cover with béchamel sauce and sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. ('I serve this with a fresh green salad or steamed vegetables.')
Wine Pairing
Haskell Vineyards Pillars Syrah