Weeknight Cooking
Moussaka, but Make It Bulgarian
Besides scrapping the eggplant, Bulgarian moussaka combines ground meat with potatoes and a spiced tomato sauce before baking in the oven.
While many are most familiar with Greek-style moussaka (consisting of layers of eggplant, potatoes, and minced meat topped with a white sauce), this dish has variations all throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. The origin of the word moussaka actually comes from the Arabic musaqqa’a (مسقعة), which roughly means “to moisten,” referring to the fact that many versions of this dish consist of slices of eggplant that soak up a zesty tomato sauce.
Some food historians suggest that the origin of this dish is found in the Ottoman Empire, and a version of moussaka is served in Turkey to this day. This theory makes the most sense considering that the spread of moussaka throughout the Mediterranean coincides with the reach of the Ottoman Empire at its peak. Currently, you can find versions of this dish in the Levant (the area around Lebanon), Egypt, Romania, Greece, and the Balkans, and each former Ottoman territory has its own way of preparing it.
Preparation of the Bulgarian version in particular is appealing for many reasons. I don’t like cooking slices of eggplant, and the thick béchamel that crowns Greek moussaka can be, at least for me, too rich. Besides scrapping the eggplant, Bulgarian moussaka combines raw ground beef or pork with diced potatoes and a spiced tomato sauce, and the mixture is baked almost like a meatloaf or shepherd's pie. The mystery herb one of my Bulgarian friends once described to me is actually summer savory, which you can replace with oregano to taste. The topping is simple to whip up and requires no time at the stove: Simply whisk together yogurt, eggs, and a little bit of binder (in this case, flour) and pour it on top of the meat mixture.
In my research, I found that many recipes call for mushroom-flavored bouillon cube, which is commonly used in Eastern European cooking. Instead, I call for finely minced mushrooms to provide that umami flavor. The end result is a hearty (yet not-too-heavy) one-dish meal you can whip up on a weeknight. This dish can also be assembled a day in advance before baking, which makes everything even more manageable. The side Shopska salad is optional, though highly recommended.
| 1 | tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil |
| 1/2 | cup finely minced button mushrooms |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 2 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
| 1 | tablespoon dried savory leaves |
| 1 | teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika |
| 1/2 | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1/2 | teaspoon ground nutmeg |
| 1/4 | teaspoon ground white pepper |
| 1 | bouillon cube (optional) |
| 1 | pound potatoes, peeled and diced |
| 1 | pound ground beef or pork |
| 1/4 | cup water |
| 1 1/2 | cups Greek yogurt |
| 1/4 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 2 | large eggs |
| 1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste |
| 1 | tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil |
| 1/2 | cup finely minced button mushrooms |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 2 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
| 1 | tablespoon dried savory leaves |
| 1 | teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika |
| 1/2 | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1/2 | teaspoon ground nutmeg |
| 1/4 | teaspoon ground white pepper |
| 1 | bouillon cube (optional) |
| 1 | pound potatoes, peeled and diced |
| 1 | pound ground beef or pork |
| 1/4 | cup water |
| 1 1/2 | cups Greek yogurt |
| 1/4 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 2 | large eggs |
| 1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste |
| 1 | long, thin English cucumber |
| 1/2 | large red onion |
| 1/2 | large green bell pepper |
| 2 | large, very ripe plum tomatoes |
| 1/2 | cup Kalamata olives |
| 2 | tablespoons red wine vinegar |
| 4 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1/4 | cup chopped flat-leaf parsley |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 1/2 | cup finely crumbled Bulgarian feta cheese |
| 1 | long, thin English cucumber |
| 1/2 | large red onion |
| 1/2 | large green bell pepper |
| 2 | large, very ripe plum tomatoes |
| 1/2 | cup Kalamata olives |
| 2 | tablespoons red wine vinegar |
| 4 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1/4 | cup chopped flat-leaf parsley |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 1/2 | cup finely crumbled Bulgarian feta cheese |
A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).
Order now
Written by: Carlos C. Olaechea
Popular on Food52
16 Comments
Ingredients:
1kg potatoes, peeled and diced (I prefer to work with varieties that are easy to boil, soft, with high content of starch, yellow),
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tbsp. vegetable oil (sunflower)
200g tomatoes canned, chopped
500g minced meat (beef, pork)
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground wild oregano
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp salt
For the topping:
400ml plain yogurt
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Directions:
1) In a large pan at medium heat sauté the onion and the garlic with the oil till soften.
2) Add the minced meat and stir until is cooked to reduce the cohesion.
3) Add salt, paprika, oregano, cumin, black pepper and fry for a while until the spices are well absorbed. At the end add the tomatoes. Stir for a minute and set the mixture aside.
4) Chopped the potatoes in small cubes. Put them in a rectangular baking dish and combine them with the meat mixture.
5) Add hot water until the mixture is covered.
6) Bake in preheated oven at 180°C until the water is almost evaporated or until you can still see bubbles.
7) Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the yogurt and baking soda. Add the eggs, the flour, the nutmeg, a pinch of salt and black pepper and beat until you have a nice homogenous mixture.
8) Pure this mixture over the meat and the potatoes when ready. Switch off the heat and turn on the oven fan. Leave it until the topping is golden.
9) Leave it to cool for a few minutes. Cut it in big squares and serve either with Bulgarian yogurt or Tsarska turshia, and a glass of red wine.
Наздраве!
But then again, there are people who say there is no such thing as Cuban pizza, and I insist that American potatoes aren't really potatoes.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.