Vegetarian Summer Vegetable Moussaka
July 10th, 2007
For better or worse, I spent my summer of seventeen slinging eggs and pancakes at a Greek diner for tips that often jingled instead of crumpled. The status of waitresses at this diner could be measured by the singes on their forearms from carrying three or four blistering plates of food on one arm and two or three more on the other. Ouch. Not being a very quick learner in the art of self-mutilation, I wimped out and opted for the “really big tray” method of serving. There was always a moment of panic when I had to find a free space to reasonably rest the Really Big Tray while I passed out plates to the hungry customers, but it beat being branded for life by something as innocent as a plate of silver dollar pancakes.
Human rights violations notwithstanding this restaurant took great pride in their food. The menu was very long though very generic in terms of diner fare: hot meatloaf sandwiches with gravy, tuna melts, and all you can eat fish fry on Fridays. But it probably introduced many a Midwestern meat-and-potatoes eater to some classic Greek-American dishes. Things like saganaki (flaming cheese), gyros, Greek Salad, pastichio and baklava. It was here that I first began to love moussaka.
What I am undertaking in the following recipe is nothing less than a complete bastardization of the moussaka that I was weaned on at this Greek diner. But let’s be honest: that moussaka is lamby and greasy and cries out for a revamp as much as aerosol Aqua Net Hairspray.
I understand that a big baked dish like this might not be the first thing you think about in the heat of summer but it’s a great way to use summer veggies like zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, peppers, etc. The soufflé-like topping and unusual spices transform these summer staples into something unusual and delicious. Serve it with pita bread and olive oil or a fattoush salad for a hearty summer meal.
Serves: 6
Time: 1.5 hours
Vegetarian Summer Vegetable Moussaka
1 large eggplant*
3 large zucchini*
olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg plus more to top
3/4 stick of butter
8 Tbsp flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 egg yolks, whipped
1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
small bunch of Italian parsley, chopped
*Instead of eggplant and zucchini you can use 3.5 pounds of whatever luscious summer veggie you have. Try yellow squash, bell peppers, potatoes, portabella mushrooms or a combo of all.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and slice the veggies into ¾ inch thicknesses. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and broil until cooked through, flipping them over once during the process.
In a saucepan, sauté the onions and then add the carrots, celery and garlic. Once they’ve begun to soften add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes and adjust the salt and pepper.
In another saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk with the butter for a few minutes before adding the milk. Whisk continuously while you slowly add the milk. Add in ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the whipped yolks.
To assemble the casserole, grease a 13” by 9” baking dish. Arrange half of the broiled vegetables in one layer, pour over half the tomato sauce, then repeat with two more layers. Pour the béchamel sauce over the vegetables and tomato sauce. Then sprinkle over the other ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, the chopped parsley, and finish with a generous sprinkle of nutmeg.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.
