Moussaka

1. Take the sliced eggplant and transfer it all into a colander in the sink. Sprinkle salt liberally all over the eggplant, then let it sit for an hour. The salt draws out a lot of the moisture so the moussaka doesn’t get soggy. It also takes out a lot of the bitterness to make the eggplant perfect for baking.
2. When the hour is up, preheat the oven to 400 F and line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil. In a large shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Get the breadcrumbs into another large, shallow bowl. Take the first eggplant slice and dip it into the egg mixture first, then coat it in breadcrumbs before transferring it to the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant to fill all three sheets in a single layer.
3. Bake the eggplant for 30 minutes to get it super flavorful and tender. While it bakes, prepare the bechamel sauce according to my related recipe (see my TastyKitchen recipe box or related blog link). It takes about 25 minutes total. Once the bechamel sauce is cooking, it’s time to make the super fragrant meat mixture for the moussaka.
4. Take a large rondeau pan and heat some olive oil in it over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and let it get completely brown as you break it up with a spoon. Then the onion, garlic, cilantro and mint go in. Stir and heat to get fragrant for 30 seconds. Season the mixture with the cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and coriander and mix it all well. Add the tomato paste and red wine and let them both cook off for a minute. Lastly, pour in the marinara sauce and let the whole mixture simmer and meld for 10-15 minutes. It should be done at the same time as the bechamel sauce! Take both the bechamel sauce and meat mixture off of the heat and set them aside.
5. The eggplant should be done at this point too. Take it out of the oven and reduce the oven heat to 350 F. It’s time to just put this baby together! Take a large lasagna pan and lightly grease the bottom with olive oil. Evenly distribute the breadcrumbs on top of the olive oil. Layer the first tray of eggplant on top of the breadcrumbs, then layer half of the meat mixture on top of the eggplant. Finish the layer with about 1/4 cup of the freshly grated Parmesan.
6. Repeat this with the next tray of eggplant, the remaining meat mixture and another 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Finish the assembly with the last of the eggplant on top. Pour the bechamel sauce on top of the layers and spread it out evenly, then sprinkle the last of the Parmesan evenly on the very top. Get the assembled moussaka into the oven for about 45 minutes.
7. The bechamel should get golden with little brown spots when the moussaka is done. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then cut out the desired sized portions and serve immediately!