Vegetarian Moussaka for the Royal Foodie Joust

Another year has come to a close and with it another year of hopes and new beginnings. To start my year off right I am entering the Royal Foodie Joust once again. This event is the brainchild of Jenn over at Leftover Queen . We share a passion for Mediterranean foods. I wish I lived in Florida so that I could join her cooking classes!!! Each month 3 challenging ingredient combinations are chosen by the previous months winner. Last months winner Dharm at Dad~Baker & Chef announced

eggplant, lentils and cinnamon

as this months challenge for the Joust. I often wonder what the winner has in mind for a recipe when they choose the 3 ingredients?

Immediately I thought of Moussaka. There was just no other recipe that called out to me as this one did to use the ingredients. I have a recipe that I use from the Hotel Grand Bretagne in Athens. I love the layer of potato added to the moussaka as well as the baking of the vegetables rather than frying. To switch up the original recipe I decided to create a vegetarian version of moussaka using a lentil sauce to replace the Bolognese Sauce. I viewed several versions of this Vegetarian Moussaka on the net. You can also use mushrooms in the sauce if you would care to. I also added cheese to the bechamel sauce to give it a flavour boost!

Preparing legumes is quite simple but it does take some extra time. You can use canned varieties for convenience.

Here are a few tips:

1) Two cups of dry lentils yields about 3 - 3 1/2 cups cooked lentils.
2) A tablespoon of butter or margarine to the cooking water will help to reduce foaming.
3) Salt and acids (eg. lemon juice) will impair the softening process of lentils and beans; add these closer to the end of the cooking time.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!

In the meantime this photo is a photo shopped version of my Greek door photo in Oia on the island of Santorini, Greece ...finally posted the photo of the moussaka!

**Val's Vegetarian Moussaka**

6 large Yukon Gold potatoes (2-1/2 lbs)
1 large eggplant or 2 small
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1-1/2 cups shredded kefalograviera or Gruyere cheese


Bechamel Cheese Sauce :

2 T butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk (hot)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch grated nutmeg

2 large eggs
3/4 cup( 70 g ) feta

Lentil sauce:

1 onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup (50 g) red lentils
1/2 cup (50 g) Puy lentils/green lentils
1 cup (250g) brown lentils
Hot water or vegetable stock ( I used chicken stock; so my version is no longer vegetarian)
1 28 oz (796 mL) can chopped tomatoes (about 2 cups)

a pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano or marjoram
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or use a broken cinnamon stick)
1 cup red wine
pinch of sugar
1/2 cup grated feta
2 T grated Parmesan (or kefalograviera or Gruyere)
1-2 T fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 450F. Peel potatoes and eggplant; cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange in single layer on parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheets. Brush both sides with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in 450F oven , turning once until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Make Lentil Sauce: Sweat the onion and garlic in a little butter until softened (about 10 minutes).
Add the dried lentils and the stock; the stock should cover the lentils (you may need to adjust the amount). Add the cinnamon, a pinch of sugar,the wine, herbs and tomatoes. Simmer the lentils until tender - the stock should be well absorbed but the lentils should not be dry, so add more stock during cooking if required. Remove cinnamon stick if using and discard. Add black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.
Add the cheeses and the bread crumbs. You might not need all of the breadcrumbs if the lentil mixture is fairly dry. Mix well.

Make the bechamel cheese sauce: Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; whisk in flour and stir until mixture is well blended. Gradually stir in hot milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to boil and thickens. Simmer, stirring frequently, over very low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a little nutmeg, if desired. Allow it to cool slightly (you don’t want the eggs to scramble on contact). Beat the eggs and add them, whisking well, followed by the feta cheese.

To assemble: Spread 1 cup of the lentil sauce in 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Layer half of the potatoes, 2 cups of the lentil sauce, all of the eggplant, 2 cups of the lentil sauce, remaining potatoes and remaining lentil sauce. Spread bechamel sauce over top. (Make ahead, let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered until cold; cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add 40 minutes to baking time). Sprinkle with kefalograveria. Bake in 350F oven until browned and bubbly about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes; cut into squares.

Serves 10 -12