Beef Moussaka with Matbucha

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a cookie sheet or large baking pan and cover with paper towel. Slice the eggplant length wise to 3/4 inch slices. Place the slices on the paper towels and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt. Cover with paper towel and let eggplant sit for at list 30 minutes and release internal moister.  Pat the slices with paper towel to dry, place them on a baking pan covered with parchment paper, and with a pastry brush coat with olive oil (about 1/4 cup olive oil for all of the sliced eggplant). Bake for 25 minutes until soften and getting lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool.

2. Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium - high heat. Once the pan is hot add the onions and sauté carefully for 3-5 minutes, don’t let the onions burn.  Once the onions start to caramelize add the minced garlic and cook until you can smell the garlics aroma, about 30-60 seconds. Add the ground beef and with a wooden spoon constantly “break” the beef into “crumbs”, add the tomato paste and spices and cook for about 7 minutes, season with salt and pepper Let cool. Once cooled add the eggs and mix well.

3. In a deep baking pan, start assembling the musaka. Start with 2-3 tablespoons of the matbucha and spread on the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of eggplant, cover with half of the beef and then over it half of the matbucha. Repeat with another layer of eggplant, beef and matbucha.

4. In a small mixing bowl combine the Kosher Le’Pesach breadcrumbs with 1/4 cup olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the dish.

5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes, uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes to get a nice golden color to the top. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

6. This dish can be prepared in advance and warmed before serving