week 43 - Falling Cloudberries - Tessa Kiros

In lockdown part one, back when we couldn't leave the house without 'a reasonable excuse', our Saturday routine mainly consisted of watching Saturday Kitchen and then hiking up the hill to the butchers to buy ingredients to recreate what we had just seen. I had even prepared my 'Matt Tebbutt made me do it' excuse, ready for if we were stopped by any policemen.

One of the recipes we watched was from a clip of a Rick Stein Venice to Istanbul, where he was in a kitchen in the Greek Peloponnese watching a very jolly lady make a moussaka. As she was merrily cooking it, in between questioning Rick on why his shirt was so sodden (to be fair, in 40 plus degree heat I would have melted), making it the voice over advised that the secret to making the secret to a good moussaka was to fry all the vegetable in olive oil first. Even the site of Rick sweating profusely in the background wasn't enough to put the Ewing off.

In those early summer summer, when we actually enjoyed a run of glorious weather, the idea of standing over a hot stove, frying things and dousing them in bechamel, seemed far less appealing. Despite the temperatures being far more clement in the Chilterns than the Greek Islands.

Still, I hadn't forgotten that that I had promised to make it, and so when the weather turned a bit cooler I turned to Falling Cloudberries - a book that traverses continents to bring together family recipes and has a big Greek and Cypriot chapter, based on food cooked by her paternal grandparents - for a recipe.

This time the meat (I always thought moussaka was made with lamb but apparently beef is more traditional and Kiros uses a mixture of pork and beef) wasn't from the butcher, but instead from the Knepp Estate, bought from our camping trip back in August. Coming from longhorn cattle, raised on the estate, it was the perfect base for a rich tomatoey sauce with wine and onions and infused with bay leaves and cinnamon.

Many recipes only include a layer aubergines, but Kiros uses both aubergine and potato (my mother made a very 80s version with potato and aubergine, that I was never particularly a fan of. Sorry Mum), While the lady on Rick Stein also used courgettes in her version. Personally, I think the layer of spuds are what makes this dish a bit different, but go with what ever floats your boat.

I also grilled the aubergines and baked the potato slices - both brushed with oil - before layering. Not only does it make the dish a bit healthier (this is always going to be a bit of a rib-sticker) it's also far easier than having to fry everything in batches. I was also very impressed with how the potatoes came out and, cooked a little longer, would have made a great side dish on their own.

Finally, the becahamel. Just a thick white sauce made with a simple roux of butter and flour and flavoured with a little freshly grated nutmeg. A blanket of comforting bliss. Just remember that the moussaka needs to stand for a while after the final cook, so that it doesn't collapse when you cut it. It is often served lukewarm, or even cold, which is not as strange as it seems, which also helps highlight all the individual layers of flavour. And always make more than you think you can eat, as the leftovers are even better the next day.

Moussaka - adapted from Tessa Kiros

2 large aubergines
100ml light olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g minced beef (or a  ix of beef and pork)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
125 ml white wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
500g potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1cm slices

100 g butter
120 g plain flour
1 litre warm milk
freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180c and turn the grill to high.
Trim the sends off the aubergine and slice length ways into 5 mm. place on a baking sheet, brush with oil on both sides and grill until golden on both sides.
Toss the potato slices in oil, salt and place on a baking tray, cook for about 25 minutes, turning halfway, until they have softened and are starting to colour.
Place the aubergine and potatoes on a plate to cool.

Heat 1 tablespoons of the oil in a wide non-stick saucepan. soften the onion, then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn
Add the mince and cook over medium-high heat until the meat loses its water and begins to brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the cinnamon, oregano and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. When the mince is golden, add the wine let most of it evaporate, stirring up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the tinned tomato and leave it to simmer for about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring now and then.
Remove the slices to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil while you finish the next lot, adding only a tablespoon of oil if possible between batches.

To finish - preheat the oven to 180c.

Arrange half the aubergine over the base of your oven dish. Then add half the meat. Add all the potatoes in the next layer, followed by a second layer of aubergine and a second layer of meat.
Finally, the bechamel should be made just before you bake the moussaka. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then begin adding the warm milk, whisking constantly to stop lumps. Add salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg and continue cooking on medium heat, for 5 minutes or so, stirring all the time, until you have a thcik, mooth sauce. Taste for seasoning and spoon over the mince.
Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour with a baking sheet underneath to catch any spills, until the moussaka begins to bubble up and the top is golden in parts. Leave it in the oven to cool slightly before serving. Cut into traditional square slices to serve.