# Moussaka
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 12, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131 "2006-10-12T00:28:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/1 "2006-10-12T00:28:11Z")
I’ve been looking for a good recipe that doesn’t have dairy in it. The last one I found that uses tomato paste is going to be pretty bad, I can tell.
Any dopers have one?
Thanks
---
### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/2 "2006-10-12T01:02:59Z")
I don’t, but…
\
**You eat _moosecaca_???** :eek: 😃😉😛
\
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/3 "2006-10-12T01:38:49Z")
I ask for a chef, they send me a comedian.
🙂
---
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/4 "2006-10-12T02:24:41Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant]
I ask for a chef, they send me a comedian.
🙂
[/QUOTE]
Does this food taste funny?
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/5 "2006-10-12T02:53:27Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.]
Does this food taste funny?
[/QUOTE]
Yes’m, it does.
---
### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/6 "2006-10-12T11:39:16Z")
Moussaka includes a bechamel sauce. Bechamel by definition includes dairy.
You can probably make a good eggplant/lamb casserole without dairy, but it ain’t moussaka.
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/7 "2006-10-12T12:36:02Z")
[QUOTE=Athena]
Moussaka includes a bechamel sauce. Bechamel by definition includes dairy.
You can probably make a good eggplant/lamb casserole without dairy, but it ain’t moussaka.
[/QUOTE]
Well… my wife nakes a great moussaka, and she doesn’t use dairy. She’s of Greek/Bulgarian Jewish heritage, and if anyone in the world can make a decent kosher moussaka, it’s a Balkan Jew.
I’ll get the recipe this evening.
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2006, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/8 "2006-10-20T03:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan]
Well… my wife nakes a great moussaka, and she doesn’t use dairy. She’s of Greek/Bulgarian Jewish heritage, and if anyone in the world can make a decent kosher moussaka, it’s a Balkan Jew.
I’ll get the recipe this evening.
[/QUOTE]
I hate to nag, but what with Mrs. Plant doting on Kosher and all, this would be exactly what we’re looking for.
---
### Author:  [@Weird\_With\_Words](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weird_With_Words)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/9 "2006-10-20T04:09:29Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug]
I don’t, but…
\
**You eat _moosecaca_???** :eek: 😃😉😛
\
[/QUOTE]
This is Moose Caca pie!
But it’s good!
---
### Author:  [@peri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peri)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/10 "2006-10-20T04:28:06Z")
Try the Turkish recipe from [this page](http://www.stigmes.gr/br/brpages/articles/recipes/mousaka.htm). Not a hint of dairy. The English is a little fractured (kitchen toilet paper instead of paper towel). Cook this, covered, on the range over medium-low heat and omit the glass of water.
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2006, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/11 "2006-10-20T07:57:24Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant]
I hate to nag, but what with Mrs. Plant doting on Kosher and all, this would be exactly what we’re looking for.
[/QUOTE]
Damn… forgot about this thread. I swear I’ll ask my wife as soon as she gets home from work.
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/12 "2006-10-25T22:32:52Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan]
I swear I’ll ask my wife as soon as she gets home from work.
[/QUOTE]
Bump.
---
### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/13 "2006-10-25T22:56:07Z")
[QUOTE=peri]
(kitchen toilet paper instead of paper towel)
[/QUOTE]
Of _course_ you need toilet paper! You’re making _ **moosecaca!** _
\
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/14 "2006-10-25T23:08:31Z")
Should I be so fortunate to acquire this long awaited recipe, I have a list of Dopers who will _not_ be invited to dinner.
What time is it in Israel? 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/15 "2006-10-25T23:43:15Z")
My wife has a family recipe they call “miniature moussaka,” though I don’t know if you’d care to try it, as it may not conform to your requirements. It is, however, very good, and it requires very little work.
Miniature moussaka
1 small eggplant (3/4 lb to 1 lb)
3 T olive oil
1/2 lb ground lamb or beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 oz mushrooms
1/4 cup ketchup (yes, I know, but this is a quick and easy recipe, remember)
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T parsley (fresh)
1 cup shredded jack cheese
2 T grated parmesan cheese
Rinse and slice eggplant. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Arrange in a single layer on the bottom of a baking dish and bake at 475 until browned.
Brown meat in skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, ketchup, oregano, cinnamon, and parsley, and cook until sauce thickens (about 10 minutes.)
Spoon meat sauce over eggplant, and sprinkle with 1/2 the jack cheese. Repeat layers (eggplant, meat, cheese) until used up.
Sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
---
### Author:  [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/16 "2006-10-25T23:51:30Z")
I just made moussaka the other day - my SO loves it and has almost eaten it all singlehandedly. I make it rarely as it is a total pain in the ass to make and takes forever. All in all, took about 4 hours to make, and that was with his help.
The best recipe I have ever found is in Joy Of Cooking (hardbound edition only for some odd reason). I substitute ground beef instead of using ground lamb (not exatly easy to find at grocery stores in Las Vegas), and with the nutmeg, you can’t really taste the difference. However, the extra great sauce on top requires butter and milk, so you might have to forgo that part, but it should still taste great.
---
### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/17 "2006-10-25T23:54:39Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant]
Should I be so fortunate to acquire this long awaited recipe, I have a list of Dopers who will _not_ be invited to dinner.
[/QUOTE]
Can I come if I bring [cat box cake](http://static.flickr.com/70/190517633_a441c93995_o.jpg)?
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2006, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/18 "2006-10-26T09:27:03Z")
Sorry.
I mean, sorry. I’m just not so good with the not-procrastinating thing.
The recipe is from a cookbook by Israel Aharoni, probably Israel’s biggest “celebrity chef” (and also the man who intruduced Chinese cooking to this country - long story). We’ve tested it several times and it works just fine. Measurements are metric, so do your best in converting them:
> [@](#):
>
> 4 fresh eggplants
> Olive oil for frying
>
> _For the meat:_
> 1 kg fresh ground beef
> 6 tbs olive oil (note - all olive oil is assumed to be extra virgin, as that’s the only kind sold here)
> 1 onion, finely diced
> 4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
> 4 sage leaves, diced
> 4 tomatoes, peeled, diced
> 1/3 cup pine nuts
> Salt, freshly ground black pepper
>
> _For the sauce:_
> 4 tbs olive oil
> 2 cloves garlic, peeled
> 8 tomatoes, peeled, crushed
> Salt, freshly ground black pepper
> 10 basil leaves, hand-torn
>
> Instructions:
>
> - Slice the eggplants lengthwise in slices less than a centimeter thick. Add salt and pepper.
>
> There are two ways to prepare the eggplants: First option - fry the eggplant slices in olive oil, both sides, until they turn golden, and absorb the oil with paper towels. Second option- rub the eggplant with olive oil on both sides, put in an oven pan and bake at 170 degrees (centigrade) until the eggplants soften.
>
> - Meat preperation:
>
> Heat the oil in a broad pan and fry the garlic, onion and sage leaves for some 5 minutes while stirring. Add the beef and fry until brown and completely crumbling. Add the tomatoes, pine nuts, salt and pepper and continue cooking for approx. 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Cool slightly.
>
> - Sauce preperation:
>
> Put all ingredients except basil leaves in food processor and crush into a smooth mixture. Stir in the torn bay leaves.
>
> - Heat oven to 190 degrees (centegrade)
>
> - Cover the bottom of a heat-proof rectangular dish [Pyrex, for instance] with eggplant slices. Lay half of the meat mixture over the eggplants in an even layer. Cover the meat with another layer of eggplant slices. Pour some of the sauce over the eggplant. Place the remainder of the meat and cover it with a final layer of eggplant slices.
>
> Pour the rest of the sauce over everything and bake in the hot oven for an hour and 15 minutes.
(Translation mine).
---
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2006, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/19 "2006-10-26T10:13:17Z")
[QUOTE=Athena]
Moussaka includes a bechamel sauce. Bechamel by definition includes dairy.
[/QUOTE]
Sure, but it’s possible to make a bechamel-style white sauce without any dairy - using sunflower margarine instead of butter and either by using some milk substitute such as soy milk, or by using stock (in which case it will be more of a gravy than a sauce, but will still be nice).
The cheese is a bigger hurdle than the sauce, and I’m not sure what can be done about that.
---
### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2006, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131/20 "2006-10-26T10:15:26Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre]
1 cup shredded jack cheese
2 T grated parmesan cheese
[/QUOTE]
(pst, **Ogre** , cheese is dairy. Since the problem is kosher vs non, instead of something like “lactose intolerance”, it doesn’t matter what form the dairy takes. If my gorgonzola memory doesn’t fail me, kosher includes not mixing dairy and meat)
Now off to translate recipes to Spanish… at least I don’t have to translate metrics to non, MWAHAHAHA!
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moussaka/376131.md?page=2)