Does it count as an Easter Dish if there’s no lamb in it? Moussaka a la Crawford

Its Easter 20201!

Originally, I was going to do a post about chocolate because…well…Easter. However, the only actual chocolate family recipe we have came into being around Christmas so that didnt work, timeline wise. So what next?

So instead I decided to share a special occasion recipe instead because Easter has always been one of the big two events in our family calendar. Now, full disclosure: we didnt actually eat this dish during easter celebrations but we did eat it during other special events. And it is based on a Greek dish containing lamb and lamb is symbolic and we always eat lamb on easter so….connection?

Now, as readers might have guessed from previous posts, our family is Christian. I come from a long line of religious ministers on both sides and I grew up in a Pentecostal Christian environment, so Easter is BIG. And yes, because we are mostly British, Easter Sundays means a roast. Specifically, roast lamb. To be honest, I dont even know where this family recipe came from. I asked my mother about the history of the dish and she said that she didnt know either. I imagine that maybe, one of my relatives saw it in a cookbook somewhere and thought it sounded nice.

And yes, this dish is pretty much nothing like actual greek moussaka. I have eaten a lot of moussakas from greek restaurants and their version is barely anything like what ours is. But, like most of our recipes, the one we co-opted is easy, filling and delicious.

So, if you decide to make it, please let me know what you think. I like comments! Also, apologies for the lack of concrete measurements, I’m typing it off my grandmothers recipe card.

‘Moussaka’

Slice thickly and cook enough potatoes to have two good layers in a casserole dish
Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with one layer of potatoes, add tin of braised steak and onions [or home cooked mince and onions]
Add tin of sliced, peeled tomatoes or fresh ones that have been put in boiling water and skin removed
Add another layer of potatoes
Cover with cheese sauce [a bechamel, which I have added below]
Add to top of casserole

And the recipe runs out here…..

From memory, my mother used to put it in a 180 degree oven until it looked right and was bubbling. I dont quite know what happened when committing this recipe to paper but I would hazard a guess that because everything was already cooked, she might have just served it up like that.

So….good luck?

Also, the cheese sauce recipe:
Melt 1oz butter in saucepan
Add 1oz flour
Stir in, add 1/2 pint of milk, little at a time
Heat until boiling, stirring CONSTANTLY
Remove from heat and add 2-3oz grated cheese, salt and pepper