What is Aglianico? | Food Pairing - Moussaka Recipe (Eggplant Lasagne)
Aglianico (AL-YAN-IK-OH) is a well structured and fragrant grape variety. Its ancient origins appear to have come from Greek settlers who brought the vines from Greece and planted them in Italy. Now it is mostly grown in the Southern parts of Italy in Basilicata and Campania. Aglianico has been proven to thrive in warm and mild climates in Australia. The grapes skins are quite dark in colour, almost black, producing a gorgeous, well structured, fragrant, dark fruit style wine. Our Aglianico at Cappa Stone Wines has velvety tannins and was matured in French oak barrels, which compliments the flavours and aromas of blackberries, mulberries and violets.
Kade (son & winemaker at Cappa Stone) produced this elegant wine. He chose this variety as his experimental wine to add to our Family Selection range.
It was also awarded a Gold Medal (94) points at the Australian Wine Showcase Magazine.
More from our Family Selection Range - Donna’s Choice Tea Wine
Map of Italy: Here you can see where Campania & Basilicata are based at the Southern end of Italy.
Kade Stephens: Winemaker at Cappa Stone Wines
FOOD PAIRING | MOUSSAKA (Eggplant Lasagne)
Moussaka (MOO-SAA-KUH) is a dish generally made with ground lamb in a tomato based sauce with eggplant, potato or both, layered like a traditional pasta lasagne. The common Greek variation is made with eggplant and is how Gina’s (Marketer at Cappa Stone) Yiayia (grandmother) makes her Moussaka. Gina spent the day with her Yiayia learning how to make this delicious and easy meal you can make at home. Like most Greek food it’s heavy on the seasonings and olive oil! Just how we like it. Our Aglianico is a perfect pairing for a meal like this. The fried eggplant and rich flavours of the sauce and ground lamb compliment the dark fruit flavours our Aglianico has to offer. Keep reading for the recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
4 eggplants
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
Salt
MEAT FILLING
500g ground lamb
1 cup red wine (shiraz or pinot noir) or any red wine you have on hand
3 tbsp olive oil
2 diced white onions
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp vegeta
2 cups boiling water
parsley (small bunch)
ground white pepper
salt
CHEESE SAUCE
90g unsalted butter
5 tbsp flour (sifted)
3 tbsp fine semolina
4 cups lite milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup shredded kefalograviera cheese (or cheese of your liking)
2 egg yolks
MAKE IF YOU LIKE:
Eggplant
Layered dishes like lasagne
Greek cuisine
Crunchy cheesey sauce topping YUM!
METHOD:
Eggplants and meat filling
Slice eggplants into 1cm cuts long ways. Lay all slices flat and sprinkle salt on them all. Leave aside for 30 minutes to help drain any excess water.
Dice onions and garlic. Add olive oil to a saucepan then cook the ground lamb till brown on medium heat.
Add diced onion and garlic. Once sauteed, add the chopped parsley, vegeta, white pepper and salt to taste. Stir until combined, then add a can of crushed tomatoes.
Add red wine, simmer until wine reduces then add 2 cups of boiled water and reduce heat. Cover and let the water reduce until absorbed and you are left with a thick consistency.
While the meat filling simmers, wash egg plants ensuring all the salt is washed off. Squeeze each slice and lay to dry on paper towel, make sure to dab the tops dry as well.
Add oil to a frying pan, once hot enough and eggplant is drained of all water, start frying each side of the eggplants until golden brown. Again place them on a plate with paper towel to drain any excess oil.
Cheese sauce
Preheat 4 cups of milk in microwave for 1 minute. Grease saucepan with butter and heat, once melted add flour and semolina. Stir quickly until well combined.
Slowly add warmed milk to mixture and carefully whisk until fully combined and you are left with a thick consistency. Add nutmeg, then salt and pepper to taste.
Add your shredded cheese and stir till the mixture becomes thick. Set aside to cool and keep stirring every so often to keep the consistency of the sauce.
Assembling lasagne
Drizzle olive oil in your baking dish, then sprinkle thin layer of breadcrumbs to ensure the Moussaka won’t stick to the dish.
Put down your first layer of eggplants, making sure to cover the dish fully. Add the meat filling evenly across the eggplants, then sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese. Repeat this till you come to your final layer of eggplants.
Add 2 egg yolks to the cooled cheese sauce and whisk till combined well. Pour evenly across the dish. Finish by adding more shredded cheese on top.
Bake at 170 degrees for 40 minutes or until nice and brown.
