Midsummer Moussaka with Montana Buffalo and Sheeps Milk Feta Classic Greek moussaka combines ground lamb,

eggplant, tomatoes and aromatics in bchamel sauce (a combo of butter, wheat flour, and dairy milk). My longtime pal, Tori Ritchie, of tuesdayrecipe.com prepares a quick version that relies on feta instead of the usual white sauce, an idea I like because it keeps the wheat on the prairie where it belongs. I add a bit of ground pork to lean buffalo for added richness. This is a great make-ahead, one-dish meal best served warm or at room temperature. 1 large ripe red tomato, thinly sliced 3 to 4 Japanese eggplant (aubergine), sliced 1/4 inch (2 mm) thick 4 T (2 fl oz/60 ml) olive oil, plus oil for brushing 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 1/2 t ground allspice 1 T tomato paste 3 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 lb (375 g) ground buffalo 1/4 lb (125 g) ground pork 1 bay leaf 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) red wine 1 T balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 6 oz (185 g) crumbled sheeps milk feta cheese 2 t chopped fresh Greek oregano

1. Place the tomato slices on a layer of paper towels and salt lightly. Set aside to drain excess juices (so you dont have a soggy moussaka!).

2. Preheat a griddle or grill pan over medium heat; brush lightly with olive oil when hot and toast eggplant slices until speckled with brown and just softened, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer slices to paper towels and set aside.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and allspice and saut for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir until distributed throughout. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl. 4. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan over high heat then add the ground meats breaking up in a single layer. Brown, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Stir and cook 3 minutes more, until no pink remains. Pour off any excess fat from the pan. Stir the onion mixture into the meat. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick halves, and wine and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and remove the pan from the heat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Arrange a third of the eggplant slices in the bottom of a pie dish lightly sprayed with oil. Top with half of the meat mixture and one-third of the feta. Layer again in the same fashion. For the final layer, arrange the remaining eggplant slices with the tomato slices in a slightly overlapping fashion. Top with the remaining third of the feta cheese. Grind black pepper over the top and place in the preheated oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until cheese begins to brown and you are salivating. Let moussaka cool slightly then garnish with chopped fresh oregano. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 servings (note: the metric equivalents provided have been rounded off)