Maghmour (Lebanese moussaka).
Maghmour (Lebanese Moussaka) is quite different from the Greek moussaka most of us are familiar with. Turns out there are many versions of moussaka through the middle east and the Greek version is a French/Greek hybrid introduced in the 20th century. This one came from the Forks & Foliage blog and it’s delicious for its rich tomato flavor and the textural pleasure of slightly crunchy chickpeas combined with tender eggplant and an intense sauce. Makes about 3 cups.
Ingredients:
For the eggplant:
2 medium eggplants, about 2 lbs
1 t Kosher salt
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
For the sauce:
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Kosher salt
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cored and coarsely chopped
1 ½ c tomato sauce
1 c cooked chickpeas
Fresh cracked black pepper, a generous crank of the peppermill, maybe ½ t
Dried mint (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)
Cayenne or chili powder (optional)
Allspice (optional)
Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish
You want the Maghmour to cook down to the point liquid has been fully absorbed but the dish is not dry.
Method: preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a peeler, zebra stripe the eggplants into alternate peeled and unpeeled strips. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Toss with oil and salt and spread out on a sheet pan. Cook in oven 25 minutes or until tender.
While eggplant is roasting, make the sauce. Heat olive oil in an oven-proof pan and sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent but not brown or crispy, 5-8 minutes. Mix in chickpeas, tomato, tomato sauce and spices including any optional spices.
Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Add baked eggplant to other ingredients in the pan and mix thoroughly. Heat the pan in the oven for 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced. Cool and serve cold or at room temperature with pita or crusty bread and other mezze, adding a garnish of chopped parsley if you like.
About the optional spices: there are many versions of this recipe online, most adding cinnamon and possibly allspice, some with a touch of heat, some with the additional element of dried mint. I kept mine simple for the first batch and I’m glad I did because I had some really excellent tomatoes. But this dish is a keeper and I will try variations in the future.
