Moussaka

Martin and I went to Crete one summer before the dairy allergy. I think he had moussaka for nearly every meal. As it was one of his favourites I felt like I should have a go at a dairy-free version.

For me, I love the smell of the rosemary, bay leaves and herbs as it invokes memories of Greek island holidays. Incedently, the photo of us on the My Dairy-Free Story page was taken on a recent holiday to Kefalonia. We have a rosemary bush in the garden, all the others are dried herbs. (If there are any Greek people reading this then please let me know if I've got the recipe completely wrong!).

Ingredients

500g minced lamb
2 carrots
1 onion
Clove garlic
1 tin tomatoes
2 Aubergines

Sprig Rosemary
Bay leaf
tsp Oregano
tsp Thyme
Ingredients for the Bechamel Sauce
Cheese Substitute (not essential!)

Method

Step 1

Start off with the meat sauce. Fry the onions garlic and mince with oregano and thyme until mince is brown.

Step 2

Add the carrots (chopped) and tomatoes. Then add the rosemary and bay leaf and leave to simmer.

Step 3

In the meantime you can start preparing the aubergines. Chop them fairly thickly. Fry them in batches in a non stick frying pan otherwise you need loads of oil.

Step 4

I follow a recipe for Bechamel Sauce from Delia Smith's book, but substitute the milk and margerine for dairy-free alternatives. You can add the cheese substitute to this sauce.

Step 5

Time for the assemby! Start with a layer of aubergines. You might want to turn on the oven if you haven't already.

Step 6

Then on top of the aubergines, a layer of mince. I remove the rosemary and bay leaves.

Step 7

Then more aubergines. The number of layers you'll get depends on the size and shape of your dish. I tend to play it by ear…

Step 8

Top with the bechamel sauce and cook in preheated oven at 200 c for 30-40 mins.

To Serve...

Dish up and enjoy!