Moussaka

I wish I had taken a picture of this dish - it was beautiful, and the perfect thing when we discovered eggplant and tomatoes and onions in the garden - and some ground beef in the freezer. Its from a cookbook put out by the Mennonite Central Committee called "Extending the Table" and its a fun one to find some international recipes, that aren't too flamboyant. We made a couple of modifications that I'll note (when you have white wine, use it!). It might look like a lot of ingredients or prep time, but it really isn't. And the result is worth it!!


Iraqi Baked Dinner -- Moussaka

1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 medium potatoes, cut in 12-1/2 inch slices (we used sweet potatoes, cause that's what we had)
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t allspice
3 medium tomatoes, cut in 12 thick slices
2 onions cut in 12 thin slices
15-0z can tomato puree or sauce (we smashed up our own tomatoes from the garden)
1 cup water (we used half water and half white wine)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Cut the eggplant slices in half, sprinkle with salt, and set aside on a cookie sheet.
Cook the potato slices in a saucepan of water for 6 minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile, Mix the beef, garlic, salt, pepper and allspice, and shape into 12 2-inch patties.
Rinse the eggplant.
In a deep 3-4 quart casserole dish, arrange eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, meat patties, and onions alternately in rows, standing on end.
Mix the tomato puree, water, salt and pepper and pour over the casserole. Bake at 350 for 1 hour until cooked through.