triple-moussaka (with the braised & shredded «kokkinisto» triple-meat sauce)

braised & shredded «kokkinisto» triple-meat sauce :

• see instructions here for the braised & shredded kokkinisto meat sauce with beef, lamb & veal but only make half or make the total recipe, use half for this recipe and freeze the 2^nd half in a freezer bag

vegetables :

• mix the olive oil with the ground pepper and crushed garlic and let sit until fragrant for at least 30 minutes and set aside
• wash the potatoes but do not peel, slice the potatoes into thick and round slices about 1 cm thick, place in 2 liters cold water with 2 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp vinegar, bring to a boil (it will take about 10 minutes) then let boil for an additional 10-15 minutes until more tender but still whole, remove the hot slices with a slotted spoon and place on a rack to slightly dry out and cool down
• slices the eggplants and zucchinis into thick 1 cm round slices, brush or spray both eggplant and zucchini slices with 2  tbsp white vinegar and sprinkle both sides of all slices with 2 tbsp sea salt, place on large kitchen towels and cover with more kitchen towels and press down and wait for 30 minutes until the slices lose about 15% of their water, then place in a colander and set aside
• preheat the oven to 210°C
• use 3 baking sheets covered with baking paper and place the vegetable slices that you have generously brushed with the olive oil, garlic and black pepper mixture on both sides and bake all 3 vegetable slices at the same time (if you’re oven is large enough) for 45-50 minutes or bake each vegetable type separately for 30-35 minutes each (if your oven is smaller and you have room for only 1 baking sheet at a time) until roasted and slightly browned but still slightly firm, then remove and let cool down and set aside

bechamel/mornay sauce (see the more detailed recipe instructions here) :

• prepare the bechamel/mornay sauce by heating the milk with the bay leaves until it simmers and set aside for 15 minutes, in another casserole, melt the butter at high heat until bubbling, stir in the flour and whisk until it no longer smells like flour and slowly add half of the warm milk mixture and whisk vigorously until it slightly thickens and slowly add the second half of the milk while continuously whisking at medium heat, wait until the first bubbles appear, remove from the heat and add in the beaten egg and egg yolk, whisk continuously and finally add the grated cheeses and salt and pepper and mix until combined and set aside (you will sprinkle the ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice on the top of the assembly before baking)

assembly : 

• *note : the recipe quantities are sufficient for 8 individual spring-form pans measuring 10 cm wide and 5 cm high or for 1 larger square baking dish measuring 25 cm x 25 cm x 5 cm high or a rectangular dish measuring 30 x 22 cm x 5 cm high (inside measurements of the baking dishes) as shown in the 2 images with the roasted potato slices laid inside both versions …
• if using a large baking dish, brush the inside with olive oil and if using individual spring-form pans, lay a small pieces of baking paper on the bottom, then clip it shut to hold it into place and brush the insides with olive oil (if your spring-form pans are older and perhaps leak a little, then wrap a piece of aluminum foil on the outer and bottom side of your spring-form pans
• *note : mathematically and ideally, you will be assembling, in this order, approximately 417 grams of potato slices, then the first layer of 625 grams of meat sauce, then 417 grams of zucchini slices, then a second layer of 625 grams of meat sauce, then 417 grams of eggplant slices and finally a layer of bechamel/mornay sauce of 625 grams for a total weight of  3,125 kg or 8 portions of 390 grams before baking or 375 grams after baking …
• lay the first layer of roasted potato slices, slightly overlapping if possible, then add the 1^st layer of the meat sauce (that you measured and separated in 2 bowls beforehand for 2 layers) and spread it out, then add the layer of roasted zucchini slices, also slightly overlapping, add the 2^nd layer of meat sauce and spread out and finally the final layer of roasted eggplant slices, slightly overlapping, press everything down, then pour in the top layer of bechamel/mornay sauce up until the rim of your baking dish(es), wait until it seeps downward, then add some more and sprinkle with a few pinches of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
• bake in a 180°C pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the cream sauce topping is slightly puffy and golden on top, then remove and let cool down for 8-10 minutes before removing from pans
• open up the springform pans, slide a knife around the edges (if some parts have baked and stuck), slide the individual moussaka portions with a spatula (while holding on to the baking paper) directly onto a plate and if making the larger version, simply slice, carefully lift out and serve either version with a green salad sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese.
• *note : individual portions are longer to assemble but easy to freeze if you only need 2 or 4 portions each time, simply freeze the non-oven-baked assemblies inside the spring-form pans and when frozen solid after a few hours, slip each portion inside an individual freezer bag, suck out the air with a straw and seal and place back inside the freezer, simply thaw out and bake when you need …