Recipe Preparation

POTATO LAYER

1. Boil a large pot of water. Cut the peeled potatoes into ½ cm / 0.2″ slices and boil them for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

EGGPLANT LAYER

1. Pre-heat the oven up to 225° C / 440° F and line a large baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
2. Top the eggplants and cut them into 1.5 cm / 0.6″ slices lengthwise.
3. Place the eggplant slices on a parchment-lined baking tray (no need to grease them) and into the hot oven for 25 minutes – until they are soft and lightly browned. You may need to do it in two goes (SEE NOTES with regards to salting).

RAGU

1. Pan fry your Lion's Mane Mushroom Crumble on med-high heat. Set aside.
2. In a pan, heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the finely diced onion and fry until translucent and slightly browned, stirring from time to time. Add in the garlic and fry for another minute. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, coating the onion-garlic mixture in the spices. Gently fry for another minute on low heat so that the spices don’t burn.
3. Add in the tomatoes, 2 tins worth of water, bay leaf, oregano, chilli (if using) and wine.
4. Simmer covered until the tomatoes break down completely. Remember to give the sauce a good stir from time to time.
5. Once the tomatoes break down fully and the sauce becomes more uniform, add the Lion's Mane Mushroom Crumble and continue to simmer (lid off) until the excess moisture has evaporated and the sauce has thickened. You want the sauce to be rather thick for this application.
6. Season with salt, date nectar (or sugar) and pepper. Set aside to cool down.

BECHAMEL

1. Place the drained cashews and 1¼ cups (300 ml) of water in an upright blender. Blend until super creamy and smooth. If you have an average blender like I do, you may need to do it in two batches to obtain smooth results.
2. Add garlic, miso paste, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
3. Keep the mixture in the blender until you are ready to top the moussaka. Seconds before topping moussaka add tapioca starch into the blender and give it a good whizz.

ASSEMBLY

1. Brush the bottom of the baking dish with a little olive oil and arrange a layer of parboiled potatoes so that they cover the entire bottom of the tray. Brush the potatoes with a bit of oil (or some garlic oil if you love garlic like me), sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and some Greek herbs (I used oregano and thyme).
2. Follow with another layer of potatoes, again brush with oil and season.
3. Place a layer of eggplant slices on top, season and sprinkle with some herbs.
4. Spoon the cooled-down tomato sauce on top of the eggplant (you’ll have some leftover sauce unless you want the ragu layer extra thick). Even out with a spatula.
5. Arrange another layer of eggplant slices neatly on top, season.
6. Finally, spread the béchamel on top evenly.
7. Bake in a 160° C / 320° F fan oven (or 20° C / 70° F more for non fan) for about 40 minutes – until the top gets golden. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with a piece of kitchen foil. Allow the moussaka to set for an hour or so before cutting or else the slices will come out messy. Store the leftovers in the fridge.

Recipe taken from by Lazy Cat Kitchen