I was just reading through this thread again, and this caught my eye.A Jewish Mousakka!Anything like a real mousakka sounds to me as if it could not be kosher.I thought mixing meat and dairy was taboo, although I have to confess to hearsay rather than real knowledge.
davidt4,
Mar 22, 12:00am
The recipe in The Book of Jewish Food doesn't have the bechamel/yoghurt topping that is the norm in other versions.Claudia Roden describes it as the way Moussaka is made by Jews in Egypt.
andrew22,
Mar 22, 3:19am
My favourite Moussaka recipe is "go to zilli"! ++yum! :D
richard198,
Mar 22, 4:09am
He's Australian! Born in Melbourne in 1978. Learnt to cook in Melbourne and France.
elliehen,
Mar 22, 4:13am
Hayley, if you don't like garlic in your Moussaka, just leave it out!
cookessentials,
Mar 22, 4:17am
Greek heritage.lets not split hairs LOL
olwen,
Mar 22, 4:26am
But with a Greek mum who gave him his first cooking lessons
lyl_guy,
Mar 22, 2:22pm
I must have a good read of the book it's from. "the book of Jewish food" because it's FULL of history, and origins of recipes etc. it looks like there are many types of "Jewish" peoples with different customs etc from different regions.The book is GREAT because it uses simple, common ingredients, put together in the most delicious ways.
Hi davidt4 I clicked on this thread as I was thinking of making a moussaka for the first time in many years, and wanted to check I was going about it the right way (had all the basic ingredients right in my mind, garlic issues aside) I had an idea to make a bechamel and add yoghurt to it as I have about half a 750g tub to use up, but seeing your post I'm wondering how your yoghurt topping is prepared, do you just add the eggs nutmeg and cheese to yoghurt and pour straight over or do you need to cook the mixture first! Also what quantity of yoghurt! thanks
davidt4,
Mar 23, 4:18pm
For a dish approximately 30cm x 20cm I would use about 600 ml full fat Greek-style yoghurt (de Winkel or Cyclops), 3- 4 large eggs, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg,1/2 tsp salt, lots of freshly ground pepper, 50g freshly grated parmesan or pecorino, 200 g feta (Zany Zeus).Put in a large bowl (crumble the feta a bit) and whisk to combine well, but don't worry about lumpy bits of cheese.
Pour over the top of the meat and eggplant, make vertical holes around the edges so that some of the topping runs down, and bake for about an hour at 180C. Quantities are very approximate. Make sure you leave enough space for the topping as it will expand as it cooks.
Watch out. Others may accuse you of being a purist. We are allowed to call any old thing anything we like on these boards and too bad about the confusion.
buzzy110,
Mar 15, 7:26pm
Risk it. You'll be pleasantly surprised. I've never done it and I've never had a bitter eggplant yet. the major problems encountered with eggplant, especially in moussaka is when people do not fry it first and it doesn't cook properly in the dish. Major blerk. Raw and half raw eggplant is the pits.
lyl_guy,
Mar 16, 12:14am
Well, it seems the origin of Moussaka could be Arabic. with not a tomato in sight, along with the garlic. so none of us has the "original" recipe, what a surprise. we're all wrong, so we'll just continue to enjoy our very own versions. http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/80/
richard198,
Mar 18, 5:35pm
If anyone's interested in the "Real Deal" on Greek Cooking, try Chissa Pardisses' book.
"I bought this book on a trip to Greece several years ago and being Greek, I found it to be the most accurate Greek cookbook I have EVER come across. Most Greek cookbooks are modified to American tastes and are quite fancy,but don't let this little paperback book fool you. I use it religiously! All of my friends have either borrowed it or asked where they could get a copy. It's my "bible" when it comes to cooking Greek food. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a REAL taste of Greece! "
olwen,
Mar 20, 11:19am
George Calombaris from Australian masterchef puts garlic in his moussaka, and his mum would tell him off if it shouldn't be there.
richard198. I apologise for the poster who is obsessed with proving herself right and not permitting you to have an opinion that varies from hers. She does it to others as well so you are not alone. Just keep telling us what you think. I appreciate your comments re: moussaka. I think they are very enlightening.
elliehen,
Mar 21, 9:54pm
Everything you ever wanted to know about Moussaka but were afraid to ask ;)
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