Vegan MoFo IV Day 10: Moussaka ka ka ka

Moussaka is quite a time consuming dish and is probably why we don't have it that often round these parts but we are all truly grateful when it does make an appearance. Drizzling the courgette and aubergine slices in oil and then baking in the oven is the easiest way to do it though I used to fry them all up and that did take an even looooonger time.

Vegan Mousakka
Serves 6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Aubergine (Eggplant)
3 Courgettes (Zucchini)

For Tomato Sauce: This makes enough for two dishes, I usually freeze the other half.
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Large Carrot, scraped and diced
1 Celery stick, diced
2 x 400g Canned Tomatoes
5 fl oz Red Wine or Vegetable Stock
1 bay Leaf
Tbsp Fresh Basil, diced
1 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Bechemal Sauce:
1 Tbsp Corn Flour
25g Vegan Margarine (or olive oil)
1 Litre unsweetened Soya Milk
Quarter of an onion
Quarter of a carrot
Bunch Fresh Thyme
4 Black Peppercorns
Fresh Grated Nutmeg

2 Slices Nutty Wholemeal Bread
1 tomato sliced

Method
Wash and thinly slice the aubergine and courgette. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp olive oil over 2 baking sheets. Place eggplant and zuchini on baking sheets, turning them over so as they are covered in the oil on each side. Bake in a hot oven for 30 mins turning once. Set aside to cool.
In a pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil and fry the carrot, celery and onion for 10 mins stirring regularly.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, red wine (or stock), Basil, Oregano and Bay Leaf and cook on a gentle heat for 20 mins. Take out the Bay Leaf and whizz with a hand mixer. Set aside half of the amount for another time, you only need half for this recipe.
In an oblong baking dish place a layer of aubergine, then a layer of sauce, then a layer of courgette then another layer of sauce then a layer of aubergine. Cover this in another layer of sauce then finish off with whatever you have left which is usually half aubergine and half courgette.
Now to make the bechamel sauce.
Place the corn flour in a bowl and with a little milk taken from the litre mix into a paste. Heat the remaining milk in a pan stirring regularly so as it doesn't burn. Just before boiling point pour into the bowl with the corn flour mixture in and KEEP STIRRING.
Place all of that back into the milk pan and stir constantly for 2 mins. Lower the heat. Add the onion quarter, carrot quarter, bay leaf, peppercrons, cloves, thyme.
Keep sirring on a low heat for 5 mins. Strain through a sieve, grate in some nutmeg and pour over the moussaka.
Whiz up the bread to make breadcrumbs and sprinkle on the top of everything. You might like to dot the breadcrumbs with some vegan margarine then layer the sliced tomato on top.
Cook in an oven set to 200 degrees for 10 mins then cover the top with some aluminium foil.
Cook for another 25 mins.
Serve with a crisp green salad.
Enjoy!!