VEGAN MOUSSAKA

...my very first MoFo post for this year is MOUSSAKA...which I think I've only ever made once before...and it was a version that had a creme sauce...

...so you start with eggplant of course...or aubergine as Julia would say...

...slice it in half...salt and leave it for 30 minutes...

...rinse...dry and place on a shallow baking dish with 1/2 inch of water...and bake until tender...

...scoop out the flesh...leaving the skin intact...

...oil your mold...Julia prefers a cylinder for this...and line it with the eggplant (aubergine) skins...

...sauté the eggplant in olive oil...and mix with some onion and mushroom, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic...

...and mix in some ground 'lamb'...I used the Lamb Seitan from the VEGAN GIGOT EN CHEVREUIL...and just ground it up in the food processor...

...then add some Jus Lié...Julia says that you can 'even' use version 3...the quick one...so of course that's the one I used...I'll post the Vegan Version of that tomorrow...

...add some tomato paste and beat vigoriously to combine...I should also mention that I used my favorite egg replacer...which is just Flax Seed Goo mixed with EnerG egg replacer...

...pack the mixture into your lined cylindrical mold...cover with more eggplant skins...cover with foil and bake about 30 more minutes...

...I'm always a little bit nervous when it comes to unmolding...but this one held it's shape perfectly...

...serve topped with some VEGAN SAUCE TOMATE...through the blender this time...

...just sliced like a cake...

and served with green beans and french bread...

...it was delicious...

...perfect really...if it didn't take hours to make...I'd probably make it again... Substitutions: Vegan Ground Lamb
Vegan Jus Lié

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

p. 349-350