Moussaka with Dairy-Free Béchamel
I had bought some ground beef but didn't have anything in particular in my mind to cook with it. I didn't want to make the usual burgers, meat balls, or meatloaf so I went online to see what else I could make with the ground beef and found a Moussaka recipe. I had never made moussaka before, but the ones i tried when i was in greece were delicious, so worth a try. the top layer however in the recipe was Béchamel, which for someone who can't have any lactose it is death: cheese, milk, and butter. So I had to find an alternative and that's when I stumbled upon a dairy-free béchamel.
Beef moussaka
Recipe adapted from Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/beef-moussaka-3362440
serving: 6 people
Ingredients:
Vegetables:
Cooking spray
1 pound Asian eggplants, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut int 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meat Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic (I used real garlic, minced)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound lean ground beef (i only used 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/ 205 degrees C. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Toss the eggplants, potatoes, olive oil, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl, then spread the vegetables on the baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes, tossing the vegetables about halfway through. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make the Meat Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, oregano, cinnamon, garlic and ginger; stir quickly to toast spices evenly. Once fragrant, add 1/2 cup water to the pan and stir to combine, scraping up any brown bits. Add the beef to the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to break it up, and cook until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the meat is fully cooked and the juices are reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and set aside.
Make the béchamel: see below for dairy-free béchamel recipe
Assemble the Moussaka: Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the eggplants and potatoes in the bottom of the dish, layer the meat sauce evenly over the vegetables, top with the béchamel and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until the top is browned and slightly puffed, 35 to 40 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
Dairy-free Béchamel
Recipe adapted from Tesco Real Food Recipes
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/dairy-free-bechamel-sauce.html
INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, peeled and roughly sliced
400ml soya milk
100ml water
1.5 tsp vegan vegetable stock powder
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
3 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
Method:
Put the onion slices in a pan. Pour in the soya milk and the water. Add the stock powder, cloves, bay leaves and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion, cloves and bay leaves and discard.
In a separate saucepan, mix together the cornflour and oil until you have a smooth paste. Gradually pour in the FLAVORED soya milk, whisking constantly.
Place the pan on the heat. Bring to the boil, whisking the whole time, until the mixture thickens to a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and use as required.
