Moussaka (vegetarian)
Make ahead and freezeIngredients for 12 portions
Method
Prep
- Boil the kettle.
- Put dried porcini mushroom in a small bowl and cover with boiling water from the kettle.
- Trim aubergine and slice into 1 cm rounds. Toss with half the salt in a colander and leave to drain for 20 minutes.
- While the aubergines drain, peel maris piper potatoes and slice into 1 cm rounds.
- Peel and dice onions into 1 cm pieces.
- Peel and crush garlic clove.
- Strip the leaves from sprig of fresh rosemary and sprig of fresh sage and chop them.
Make the ragù
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over a medium-low heat.
- Lift the porcini out of their water, keeping the water, and chop them. Add to the pan with the onions, garlic, herbs and dried oregano.
- Fry for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft.
- Turn the heat up, pour in red wine, checking the label says vegetarian, and let it bubble until most of it has gone.
- Add tinned chickpeas with their liquid, dried green lentils, dried bay leaf and chopped tomatoes. Pour in the porcini water, leaving any grit behind.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour, stirring now and then, until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick. Add a splash of water if it catches.
- Take out the bay leaves and season with the rest of the salt.
Roast the vegetables
- While the ragù simmers, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and boil the kettle again.
- Pour the boiling water from the kettle into a large pan, add a good pinch of salt and bring back to the boil.
- Boil the potatoes for 5 minutes, then drain and leave to steam dry.
- Spread the potatoes over a large roasting tray. Toss with half the olive oil, half the dried oregano and half the black pepper.
- Rinse the aubergine slices, pat dry with kitchen paper and spread over two more trays. Toss with the rest of the oil, oregano and pepper.
- Roast all three trays for 35 minutes until golden and tender, swapping the shelves halfway.
Make the béchamel
- While the vegetables roast, crumble feta cheese and grate pecorino cheese for the sauce, then crumble feta cheese and grate pecorino cheese for the top. Keep them apart.
- Warm semi-skimmed milk in the microwave until hot but not boiling.
- Melt unsalted butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in plain flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the hot milk a ladle at a time until smooth, then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until thick.
- Take off the heat and stir in the cheese for the sauce.
- Separate medium egg. Once the sauce has stopped steaming, whisk in the yolks. The whites aren't needed.
Assemble and bake
- Lay the potatoes over the base of your containers, one meal to each.
- Spoon over half the ragù, then lay over half the aubergines. Repeat with the rest of the ragù and aubergines.
- Pour the béchamel over the top and scatter over the cheese for the top.
To eat now
- Bake for 40 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Leave to stand so it sets.
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