Thank you so much for this recipe Christine! It became my signature dish every time we have a family potluck or when entertaining. It’s so good and sumptuous! Better that my Greek friends’ yummy 😋
Looks delicious and this is a different version than I have had in the past with potatoes and zucchini, and eggplant, but I can’t wait to give it a try. Always great to see you Christine, thank you for sharing your dad’s recipe.💕👍
I made one to your earlier recipe for my daughter and her husband at the weekend. It wend down very fast. I see you brown the meat a bit less in this later video. I like to get it really well browned. I also add a pinch of chilli flakes and some cumin. This time, I also added a little red wine to deglaze. Yours is still far the best recipe I've come across.
Thank you . Yes, this particular batch of meat seemed a bit leaner so I started to deglaze earlier- good observation. I'm glad you love the technique and the recipe .
I am making this. I spent a university program in Greece (Aegina) plus some travelling in 1989. The community welcomed us like we were family, we all went native. Why not? They've been doing civilization a millennia or so and have got it down. Over the years, I searched and tried to get those flavors (I know the difference in ingredients is huge) but your recipes nail it.
I had moussaka in many tavernas in Greece and they are 9 out of 10 time delicious but your dad's recipe is a king with all these subtle changes, like browning meat more or baking vs frying.
Made this tonight, and OMG, this is handsdown the best I've ever had! I do have one question tho', can this be made ahead and frozen? Thanks Christine! Love your recipes
I am so glad you absolutely love it , like we do ! I have never frozen it and technically, yes it can be done , however you will lose some of the great , fresh out of the oven texture of both the bechamel and the vegetables. I hope this helps.
Looks amazing! I am excited to try it! Can the meat and vegetable part be done in advance and then the bechamel sauce made and added just before baking?
It is well worth it ! You should have a 3 " depth in the pan to prevent it from bubbling over during baking. As i only use egg yolks in the bechamel , it doesn't rise much during the bake. Thank you
@ChristineCushing thank you! My long dish is too shallow (2") so I already went shopping for an ideal pan today...still hunting. I made a moussaka years ago and while it wasn't as nice as yours, it was delicious. But yes it did go over the edge of the dish. Cheers from Vancouver BC.
What makes a great moussaka. The Greeks making it. 😂🇬🇷🏛️ And the nice Greek neighbours inviting us commoners to eat with them 😂😂😂. Sorry but you have to be Greek to make this classic unbelievably delicious 🤤 dish. 👍🏛️🇬🇷🏛️🇬🇷🏛️🇬🇷🏛️🍷
This looks like a very rich-tasting recipe. Have you ever tried making a vegetarian or even vegan version? I think with all these spices in the meat sauce, it would be a great candidate for a vegan recipe. I will keep it in mind next time I try to make one. In my family we don't use any of the spices or herbs, so it's much lighter tasting (although frying the veg. is obligatory). Just onions in the meat sauce (perhaps some wine too?) and some nutmeg in the bechamel sauce. No cheese I'll check next time someone makes it in case they add a bay leaf or cinnamon in the meat sauce. I don't think they use canned tomatoes though so it's a different deal. Not much need for canned tomatoes in Greece. Bay leaf in the bechamel? I'm intrigued... One trick my aunt uses (no-one else I know does it) is she keeps the bechamel sauce quite thin and adds a dash of sugar in it. She doesn't put a lot of bechamel on top, only a relatively thin layer. Of course this only works if the recipe is light tasting overall otherwise I doubt you'd notice it. Lately she has been overdoing it a bit with the sugar though...
I have definitely made it vegetarian, as I think it really works well. Every family has their own unique methods for sure. The bay leaf is just from the classic French bechamel where you use a bay leaf, and clove studded onion in the milk. Thanks for watching
@@ChristineCushing A-ha! I didn't know that. I always thought bechamel was either no herbs/spices or just some nutmeg. Thank you for letting me know, I will definitely try it. Great to know this recipe works as a vegetarian option too. , I've made vegan bechamel and no-one could really tell the difference in the finished dish so this recipe can also be made vegan. Vegan moussaka during fasting would be a great temptation, wouldn't you agree?
I made your pastichio and it was amazing. I would like to make this but my family won't eat eggplant or zucchini. Picky eaters. It looks amazing, I should make it anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And in my country most are saying: "moússaka". Everybody sound like the Swedish chef in the Muppet show, since my country is - Sweden. But shouldn't it be moussakás in greek? "Μουσακάς"? With the end s, or does one use the words as it is neuter or in ackusative when just telling a word? I have heard the same about baklava and the end s. I didn't even get that there was end s of many words until starting checking greek in Duolingo. (And yes, I suck at languages, since I picked up about nothing greek from playing with my greek speaking cousins all summers all my childhood... I asked "what is that ella" after several years.) Anyway, moussaka is the best. I will try your tweaks. But I mostly use potatoes only, since the aubergine and squash is super expensive here.
OMG hilarious- the Swedish chef.... Greek grammar is complex and I'm not very versed. You use the s on the end of nouns/ people when you"re talking about them. On a menu it would say ' Moussaka' but when you say , I like the moussaka , that when you would say " o moussakas " was great... That's an oversimplification. I hope you enjoy the moussaka !
I am a moussaka purist. As a purist, I absolutely despise potatoes and zucchinis in moussaka. The real moussaka is made with eggplants. Potatoes leave unpleasant starch, and zucchinis are just dull for that strong flavored dish.
I've never seen a traditional moussaka made without potatoes -- they are part of the recipe -- but it will work without them. It'll probably taste a little more refined but I've never tried it. Potatoes also make it easier to serve as it is more robust with them than without.
Thank you so much for this recipe Christine! It became my signature dish every time we have a family potluck or when entertaining. It’s so good and sumptuous! Better that my Greek friends’ yummy 😋
You are so welcome!That is so great to hear
I have been waiting my whole life for you too release this video, OMG thank you
Yes ! haha. I hope you make it . You will really love it.
Hi! I love the videos from you. They are so well explained. Mediterranean food teacher.
Looks delicious and this is a different version than I have had in the past with potatoes and zucchini, and eggplant, but I can’t wait to give it a try. Always great to see you Christine, thank you for sharing your dad’s recipe.💕👍
I know you will love it. Thank you
I made one to your earlier recipe for my daughter and her husband at the weekend. It wend down very fast. I see you brown the meat a bit less in this later video. I like to get it really well browned. I also add a pinch of chilli flakes and some cumin. This time, I also added a little red wine to deglaze. Yours is still far the best recipe I've come across.
Thank you . Yes, this particular batch of meat seemed a bit leaner so I started to deglaze earlier- good observation. I'm glad you love the technique and the recipe .
OMG, I have to make this! Love it that you didn't fry the veggies. I'm salivating right now. ❤
If I hadn’t lived in NYC for 22 years, I probably wouldn’t have known this dish. It is my all-time favorite! Thanks for showing us how to make it.
You are so welcome. I hope you try it soon
I love this it’s my favourite love you Christine God bless you❤
You are most welcome.
I am making this. I spent a university program in Greece (Aegina) plus some travelling in 1989. The community welcomed us like we were family, we all went native. Why not? They've been doing civilization a millennia or so and have got it down. Over the years, I searched and tried to get those flavors (I know the difference in ingredients is huge) but your recipes nail it.
That is amazing. Yes Greeks really do bring a different meaning to hospitality. I know you will love this. Thank you
I had moussaka in many tavernas in Greece and they are 9 out of 10 time delicious but your dad's recipe is a king with all these subtle changes, like browning meat more or baking vs frying.
Thank you ! Yes, i do believe it is next level.
Made this tonight, and OMG, this is handsdown the best I've ever had! I do have one question tho', can this be made ahead and frozen? Thanks Christine! Love your recipes
I am so glad you absolutely love it , like we do ! I have never frozen it and technically, yes it can be done , however you will lose some of the great , fresh out of the oven texture of both the bechamel and the vegetables. I hope this helps.
@@ChristineCushing Thanks Christine, it does help! ☺
I don’t think I’ve ever had it w/ zucchini. But I hope to try it soon! Love Moussaka!
Beautiful !
Many thanks. It is delicious
This looks great!
Thanks so much .
my all time favorite dish yummmm
I will make this but will use substitute for the meat. Can’t wait x
@DaisyEllie1
Me too! It looks absolutely delicious!!
It is great as vegetarian also. Thank you
Hi Christine nice to see you.. it looks delicious l never made it l think it's my time to make it and l will.. 😊 thank you 💕
Oh that's exciting. Thank you for watching.
Thank you!!🏵
My pleasure !
toooo goooood!💚
It's really fantastic! Thank you
Another great taverna favorite/must have on the menu.
So true and we love it in Greece.
Yummmmm 😋🤤to the 10th power❤
Thank you so much
Looks amazing! I am excited to try it! Can the meat and vegetable part be done in advance and then the bechamel sauce made and added just before baking?
Absolutely!! That is a great way to make it easier on the day without giving up great results. 😊
@@ChristineCushing Thank you!😊
Oh my! I am looking forward to making this. How deep do you recommend the 10x14 baking dish?
It is well worth it ! You should have a 3 " depth in the pan to prevent it from bubbling over during baking. As i only use egg yolks in the bechamel , it doesn't rise much during the bake. Thank you
@ChristineCushing thank you! My long dish is too shallow (2") so I already went shopping for an ideal pan today...still hunting. I made a moussaka years ago and while it wasn't as nice as yours, it was delicious. But yes it did go over the edge of the dish. Cheers from Vancouver BC.
What makes a great moussaka. The Greeks making it. 😂🇬🇷🏛️
And the nice Greek neighbours inviting us commoners to eat with them 😂😂😂.
Sorry but you have to be Greek to make this classic unbelievably delicious 🤤 dish. 👍🏛️🇬🇷🏛️🇬🇷🏛️🇬🇷🏛️🍷
Not a big eggplant and zucchini fan. It's the cooked texture. (mush) If I leave them out, can I still call it Moussaka?
The zucchini are an addition but eggplant are the star of moussaka so without them you can’t really call it moussaka
To anyone watching this video, throw away yiayia's béchamel recipe and use Christine's. It will knock your socks off. Sorry yiayia.
hahah ! I don't want to get in trouble with yiayia. We'll just keep it a secret. Thank you for watching
This looks like a very rich-tasting recipe. Have you ever tried making a vegetarian or even vegan version? I think with all these spices in the meat sauce, it would be a great candidate for a vegan recipe. I will keep it in mind next time I try to make one. In my family we don't use any of the spices or herbs, so it's much lighter tasting (although frying the veg. is obligatory). Just onions in the meat sauce (perhaps some wine too?) and some nutmeg in the bechamel sauce. No cheese I'll check next time someone makes it in case they add a bay leaf or cinnamon in the meat sauce. I don't think they use canned tomatoes though so it's a different deal. Not much need for canned tomatoes in Greece. Bay leaf in the bechamel? I'm intrigued... One trick my aunt uses (no-one else I know does it) is she keeps the bechamel sauce quite thin and adds a dash of sugar in it. She doesn't put a lot of bechamel on top, only a relatively thin layer. Of course this only works if the recipe is light tasting overall otherwise I doubt you'd notice it. Lately she has been overdoing it a bit with the sugar though...
I love the béchamel sauce.
I have definitely made it vegetarian, as I think it really works well. Every family has their own unique methods for sure. The bay leaf is just from the classic French bechamel where you use a bay leaf, and clove studded onion in the milk. Thanks for watching
@@ChristineCushing A-ha! I didn't know that. I always thought bechamel was either no herbs/spices or just some nutmeg. Thank you for letting me know, I will definitely try it. Great to know this recipe works as a vegetarian option too. , I've made vegan bechamel and no-one could really tell the difference in the finished dish so this recipe can also be made vegan. Vegan moussaka during fasting would be a great temptation, wouldn't you agree?
I made your pastichio and it was amazing. I would like to make this but my family won't eat eggplant or zucchini. Picky eaters. It looks amazing, I should make it anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So glad you loved the pastitsio. hmmm I would say leave out the zucchini and just make it with the eggplant. It's sooo good.
Oh my goodness…
It’s a winner for sure
And in my country most are saying: "moússaka". Everybody sound like the Swedish chef in the Muppet show, since my country is - Sweden. But shouldn't it be moussakás in greek? "Μουσακάς"? With the end s, or does one use the words as it is neuter or in ackusative when just telling a word? I have heard the same about baklava and the end s. I didn't even get that there was end s of many words until starting checking greek in Duolingo. (And yes, I suck at languages, since I picked up about nothing greek from playing with my greek speaking cousins all summers all my childhood... I asked "what is that ella" after several years.)
Anyway, moussaka is the best. I will try your tweaks. But I mostly use potatoes only, since the aubergine and squash is super expensive here.
OMG hilarious- the Swedish chef.... Greek grammar is complex and I'm not very versed. You use the s on the end of nouns/ people when you"re talking about them. On a menu it would say ' Moussaka' but when you say , I like the moussaka , that when you would say " o moussakas " was great... That's an oversimplification. I hope you enjoy the moussaka !
The trouble with today’s ground beef is they use water for processing in it is nearly impossible to brown it.
All the more reason to take it to that next stage. Thank you
I am a moussaka purist. As a purist, I absolutely despise potatoes and zucchinis in moussaka. The real moussaka is made with eggplants. Potatoes leave unpleasant starch, and zucchinis are just dull for that strong flavored dish.
I've never seen a traditional moussaka made without potatoes -- they are part of the recipe -- but it will work without them. It'll probably taste a little more refined but I've never tried it. Potatoes also make it easier to serve as it is more robust with them than without.
The zucchini is definitely an addition but I have always had it with potatoes. If you use a great potato the outcome is amazing.