Aug 09, 2004
This was awesome! I have been to Greece, and must say, the flavor was very authentic! I had to make numerous modifications, however, to make it more lowfat to suit my taste. I steamed the eggplant instead of frying in olive oil, and omitted the 1/2 cup butter in the meat mixture (don't forget to drain the meat fat before adding the spices). I substituted 1/4 tsp. oregano + 1/2 tsp. basil + 1/4 tsp. thyme for the fines herbs, and increased the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp (key!). I cut the butter for the bechamel sauce in half (i.e., used 1/4 cup), and added 1/4 tsp. salt + 1/8 tsp. pepper to it. I used only 3/4 cup parmesan instead of 1 1/2 cups. I took other reviewers' advice and folded 3 beaten egg whites into the bechamel sauce (discarded the yolks instead of adding them to the meat mixture) - this was key to making the top part authentic! In addition, I think 1 layer of eggplant is more of how they serve it in Greece, but if you want a taller casserole, make it 2 layers. Thanks so much for the recipe!
—KRANEY
