Greek cooking made easy - I hope!

One of the best things about going to different places in the world, is the chance to sample the local food, accompanied usually by the local beverage! Many a good time has been had sitting in small restaurants trying to look like a local, and that you know exactly what it is you’ve ordered from the barely English menu. Greek food is in a class of its own, incredible aromas come out of the back room kitchen, and portions are definitely not Nouveau Cuisine! Here is the chance to take a little part of Greece home with you, recapture the taste and smells with cooking some of the classic Greek dishes.

Moussaka
This must be the most asked for dish in Greece by the English, it’s the one we all know. It is a very old Greek dish that has changed very little with the modern age cooking techniques, only the new style aubergines have made it quicker to make now they don’t have to be salted and soaked anymore.
You will need:

1 Kg aubergines – cut to 5mm slices
150ml sunflower oil (or if you live here Olive Oil is best)
2 Onions – chopped quite small
500g minced beef or lamb
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Little pinch of ground cinnamon or 1 stick
Oregano, as you like from a good pinch full upwards
Salt and pepper
For the sauce:
65g butter or marg.
75g plain flour
600ml warm milk
25g hard cheese – grated
Salt

Fry the aubergines in the oil, not too much, just so they’ve changed colour, then put them on kitchen paper to one side. Fry the onions until just soft and then add the meat, cook together for about 4 mins. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano and salt and pepper, and cook gently for another 20 mins, until mixture is quite dry. (Take out cinnamon stick if you used one).
OK now this is where I cheat! I used to always make my sauces in the traditional manner, melt butter add flour etc., but one day I was running late (as usual) and made it this way, since then I always use this method and it has always worked. Melt butter in strong based pan add a quarter of the milk. In a cup mix the flour with the rest if the milk until all lumps are gone. Take pan off the heat and add the cup contents, mix well with wooden spoon, put it back on a low heat and add the cheese, stir all the time until cheese has melted.
Put a layer of aubergines in the bottom of a baking dish ( a metal one is better), cover with the meat mixture, and layer the aubergines again and cover with the meat mixture. Pour the sauce over the whole tray. Sprinkle grated cheese on the top, (to be honest I always put Mozzeralla, I just like it that way).
Bake in the oven at 180C/350F for about 50 mins, or until top looks good and brown.
Serve straight away, with salad or bread, and it even goes with chips!