*Dine or Hide

Moussaka

Any member of my team will willingly nod in agreement when posed the question "Is Chef Aaron lazy when it comes to work?" . Well generally I am and Im obnoxiously proud of it so i decided to just give in for once and go a little fancy with my all time lazy indulgence Moussaka. Not really a crowd favorite the Greek moussaka is a notoriously laborious dish to make if you don't work at Santos speed. Enter , The slicer, yet another notch in my lazy Wednesday belt.

Putting the monster together

No biggie...

YET!

STEP ONE

Essentially a meat pie, beef would be a better alternative and a more traditional one. Fry, yes i said fry room temperature lamb mince in a pan with olive oil, with diced onions , garlic till golden brown, this takes a while but its worth every single painstakingly hot minute of submission to your sweltering hot gas range when you finally bite into that chunky succulent caramelized goodness all fuck fades to gray!

If you've got past the heat congratulations there are four more steps to go. On with the madness to this concoction we add cumin and paprika powder, now this is my own version of the moussaka so feel free to disagree cos your opinion well ...fades to gray.Cook it through as raw sweet paprika gives out a nutty aroma if you don't cook it through. One which I am not most fond of. Concentrated tomato puree goes in next this brings everything together add in tomato paste if you feel like or even a little chopped tomato but reduce to a simmer and let it cook all the way down. Add in a little flour this combines with the fat in the meat to form a roux (french fancy shenanigans + high funda escoffier ='s another word for binder). Cook it through to eliminate any raw taste of flour. This is essential or else you will prove to your friends that your are in fact a retard.

STEP TWO

Alternatively norm dictates meat must be consumed with veggies. Snapp! Slicer to the rescue, now if you do not have a 35 pound slicer lying around your apartment you may resort to a more rudimentary device we in the bizz like to call "A chaako", yes it spells out that way, slice up roundels of aubergines breadth wise about half a thumbnail thick, (PS i said slice the aubergine not your thumbnail) now to spruce up my dish i added in semisecco tomatoes which in nothing but oven roasted tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and oregano, and sliced boiled potatoes and here's another twist i use yellow zucchinis to brighten up the mix, grill these for a better appearance. you can marinate all these veggies in olive oil, garlic and herbs and grill em the next day.

STEP THREE

Its go time! alternate the meat and vegetables arranging the roundels over the layer of meat. Be sure to alternate vegetables to bring in as much contrast as possible. Schnazzy baaaaby! Go with the aubergine, then the zucchini and the tomato and so on and so forth top this up with another layer of meat and repeat with another layer of vegetables.

FINAL STEP

Make it look pretty : Doll this babe up with a generous helping of thick bechamel and gratinate. Spruce her up with a few sprigs of mint and voila just wait for those Greek chicks to check out the moussaka on you.