Paleomoussaka!

Say it! As all one word. It's so invigorating, you can really shout it. Shout it at random people in the street. Wait for friends and relatives to walk by and jump out of a murky recess, shouting PALEOMOUSSAKA with gusto like a maniacal murderer. It truly is good for the soul. 

This recipe, as the battlecry suggests, is a paleo modification of the Greek dish moussaka. That is to say, flour has been eliminated from the top layer part of the recipe, leaving only whole yummy goodness. Many paleo enthusiasts may take issue with the use of cheese, but I tolerate it quite well so have incorporated it. If you wanted to dispense with the cheese, you could go for a mushroom sauce type of thing, maybe using besan or chickpea flour to give it body. Consider my words of wisdom on this matter, and then create!

In essence, moussaka is a lasagne but using aubergine instead of lasagne sheets, so its already primed to be a paleo meal apart from the topping. Modify that, then bingo you've got Paleomoussaka.

  

A word on the ingredients. Obviously the fresher and more home-grown the ingredients are, the better. I think the key ingredient to prove that point is the tomatoes. If you have a bunch of luscious ripe, sweet tomatoes straight off the vine then you can see how that is very much superior to some anonymous,  industrially produced floor scrapings from a tin, but if that's all you've got then needs must. If you are asked by a dinner guest on the origin of your tomatoes just switch their attention to the sensual precociousness of your aubergines and that should hopefully spare your blushes. Or maybe contribute to them, depending on which way you swing. You will see that in place of 1 onion (yellow, red, both fine) in this recipe there are three good sized spring onions, but again it depends what is lurking in your garden. And finally, selection of a good cheese is essential if you are going to blag a moussaka topping by avoiding flour. High quality cheese and parmesan can prove a nutrient dense diversion from what's not there. Some people use potatoes in moussaka, but it's not a paleo option, so it's not in this recipe. 

Speaking of ingredient quality, both sweet marjoram and spearmint were doing well in my garden at the time (July), so I cut them fresh in the proportions of Marjoram 2:1 Spearmint and chopped them both up very fine together. Being quite aromatic (I used mostly leaf but also a little flower of both) few other fresh ingredients were needed. 

Now if I said just treat the whole bloody thing like you were making a lasagne you couldn't go far wrong from here, but below is the recipe, which I suppose is what you're here for: 

Ingredients

1. Moussaka component:

• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 large spring onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 500g minced lamb
• 8 medium mushrooms, finely chopped
• 8 large fresh tomatoes, finely chopped (+ tomato puree to thicken up if required)
• 2 Tbsp dry white wine
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander powder
• 2 Tbsp fresh sweet marjoram & spearmint in ratio of 2:1
• 2 medium-large aubergines sliced thinly
• Salt and pepper to taste

2. Top layer

• Dolmio Lasagne sauce (Creamy, family-sized version or similar) 
• Large handful of strong cheddar cheese

3. Garnish

• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• Parmesan cheese & pepper to taste

On the subject of the Dolmio. Yes, its a short cut compared to making a cheese sauce from scratch but if you choose a lasagne sauce that does not contain flour or gluten and you can tolerate lactose/ dairy, then you're winning. There is a modicum of glucose syrup in this sauce, which I object to, but total carbs in this product is 3% so the levels are bearable and conform to requirements of a keto diet. 

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C. 
• Heat half of the olive oil in a large casserole dish over a moderate heat. 
• Saute the onion and garlic until they brown.
• Add lamb mince and mushrooms and increase the heat. 
• Cook through for 5 minutes, then add the wine, chopped tomatoes, and spices. 
• Reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the rest of the olive oil in batches in a frying pan set over a high heat until very hot. Fry the aubergine slices quickly until lightly golden on both sides. 
• Once coloured, layer the slices in a shallow, heatproof 2.5 litre baking dish. 
• Season between the aubergine layers with salt and pepper and set to one side.
• Add the Dolmio to a separate pan and heat through.
• Spoon the lamb sauce over the aubergine layer. 
• Pour the Dolmio topping over the lamb sauce and add the cheese on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling. 
• Remove from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. 
• Spoon the moussaka onto serving plates and garnish with parsley, pepper and parmesan as desired. 
• Shout PALEOMOUSSAKA and dive in. 
• Enjoy!