Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream

I haven't stopped cooking. I've surprised myself with keeping up with Sunday dinners. I haven't surprised myself in that I've dropped the ball with blogging about it. Sorry folks.

This is the second time I've made the vegan moussaka from The Veganomicon. I believe the first time I made it was when we were doing our monthly "let's have another couple over for dinner and pretend to be mature adults" thing. If memory serves me correctly, I don't think the moussaka turned out fabulously. Or maybe it did. Who knows. I just had a craving for eggplants on Sunday so I went with it.

So here goes:
Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream
serves 6
Vegetable Layer:
1 1/2 lbs eggplant
1 1/2 lbs zucchini
2 lbs Russet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400.
Lightly oil three baking sheets or shallow pans.
Wash the eggplant and zucchini and trim the stems.
Scrub and peel the potatoes.
Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices, rub with a little salt and set aside in a colander over the sink for about 15 minutes to drain. (I didn't quite understand the point of this...
While they are draining, slice the zucchini and potatoes similarly.


Briefly rinse the eggplant slices with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Place the zucchini and eggplants in a bowl and toss well with 1/8 of the olive oil. Spread out on two baking sheets (some overlapping is OK) and sprinkle with a little salt. Do the same for the potatoes, but put them on their own sheet.


Roast the zucchini and eggplant for 15 minutes, and the potatoes for 20-22 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Set all aside to cool.

Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large shallots, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup vegetable broth or red wine
2 (15-oz) cans crushed tomatoes, with juice
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
salt

While the veggies are cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and minced garlic in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium heat and let the garlic sizzle for about 30 second, and then add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.


Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, ground cinnamon, and bay leaf. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should reduce slightly. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and adjust the salt to taste.

Pine Nut Cream:
1 pound soft silken tofu
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp arrowroot powder
1 clove garlic
nutmeg
salt
white pepper

Make the pine nut cream by blending the pine nuts and lemon juice in a food processor until a creamy paste forms.
Add the tofu, garlic, arrowroot, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Blend until creamy and smooth.

I know it doesn't look appetizing but it's very good and very ricotta-like.

Assembly

Lightly oil a 9×13 inch pan and preheat the oven again to 400, if necessary. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce on the pan, then add successive layers in order of eggplant, potatoes, and sauce. (If you want to use some ricotta cheese in the layers too, feel free.) Spread all the zucchini on top of this. Top with a final layer each of eggplant, potatoes, and sauce.


Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread the pine nut cream over the entire top layer. Sprinkle some pine nuts if you have some leftover.


Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a few cracks have formed in the topping. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Voila!


I need to learn to take good pictures of food while cooking. Clearly I have no mastered it. I swear that this dish is very good.