It's Greek to me!

I am almost done test driving this cookbook. I/We. just. can't. take. it. anymore. Look! This has meat AND cinnamon in it.

This is my surprised face.

I've seen this in menus at Greek restaurants, but I was always too much of a wuss to ask what the heck it is. NOW I know.

"Moussaka" (6 quart pot)

~1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
~1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4"-thick crosswise slices
~1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
~5 whole cloves
~6 peppercorns
~2 allspice berries
~1/4 t  cayenne pepper
~1 lb lean ground beef
~1 large yellow onion, chopped
~4 large garlic cloves, mined (From the CSA.)
~1/4 c dry red wine (I accidentally told my other half that he could finish off the last of our red,  so I had to use white. It was Terra Fossil's Sauvignon Blanc.)
~1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
~salt

Topping:

~3 c milk
~1/2 c flour
~ground nutmeg
~2 eggs
~1 c Gruyere cheese, shredded

Grease crock pot with olive oil.
Arrange potato slices on the bottom of the crock pot.
Arrange eggplant slices on top of the layer of potatoes.
Combine cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, allspice, and cayenne pepper and grind to a fine powder. (I used our coffee grinder.)
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Add meat, onion, and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes, or until just browned.
Add spice mixture, wine, and tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the sauce thickens.
Stir in salt to taste.
Spread the meat mixture on top of the eggplants and potatoes.
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

To prepare topping:
Combine milk and flour in a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, or until thick enough to cost the back of a spoon.
Add several pinches of nutmeg and stir well.
Remove from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the cheese and stir well.
Pour the topping over the meat in the crock pot.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until the topping is slightly browned.
 Turn off the crock pot and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Spoon onto dinner plates and serve warm.

6 servings.

This was good and not overly cinnamon-y. (In my opinion. My other half disagrees.) It was different. (Whatever that means.) The author of this cookbook says that the eggplant is usually fried which I imagine would be AWESOME. So...maybe next time I find myself at a Greek place (or in Greece. Ha!), I'll try their moussaka. Maybe.