Eggplant Moussaka -- Patlıcan Musakka

Turks know 101 ways to prepare eggplant, and this is one of the best. I'd recommend soaking the eggplant slices in salt water for about an hour before frying. Also, if you'd like your eggplant to absorb less oil when frying, then first bake the slices in the oven until slightly tender.

The eggplant usually found in Turkey is the smaller, slender Asian variety, thus if you're using the Black Beauty eggplant more commonly found in the US, you'll probably only need 1-2 to reach 2 pounds.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium size (1 kg / 2 pounds) eggplant
  
• 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) olive oil (absorbed during frying)
  
• 1 ¼ cups (250 g) ground meat
  
• 2 small size (100 g) onions
  
• 2 medium size (250 g) tomatoes
  
• 2 teaspoons (10 g) tomato paste
  
• 2 teaspoons (12 g) sea salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) freshly ground black pepper
  
• ½ cup (120 g) water
  
• 2-3 sprigs (6 g) parsley

Directions:

Pare eggplants in strips and cut into 1 cm (½ inch) thick slices. Brown lightly in oil in a non-stick pan until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from pan, reserving oil. Layer eggplants in a shallow pan.

Add ground meat and finely chopped onions to oil left in pan; stir. Brown for 8-10 minutes or until meat is crumbly; drain.

Stir in 1 diced tomato, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add water, mixing well. Bring to boil.

Pour mixture over eggplants and spread. Top with sliced tomato. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes (or bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes) until tender.

Remove from heat. Garnish with parsley leaves before serving. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.


Cultural notes:

Patlıcan musakka is a very common dish during the summer months in Turkey. It is usually served as a main dish for lunch or supper with pilaf (rice) and cacık (cucumer/yogurt salad).

In the winter it was traditionally made with dried eggplant.

This recipe is adapted from Samples from Turkish Cuisine.