Papoutsakia

Medium·30 min

Halved eggplants hollowed into 'little shoes', filled with a cinnamon-scented beef-and-tomato mince, crowned with béchamel and baked until golden. Think individual moussaka served in its own edible boat.

Melitzanes papoutsakia (μελιτζάνες παπουτσάκια) is a classic Greek baked dish whose name means 'little eggplant shoes', so called because the stuffed eggplant halves resemble little shoes; like moussaka and pastitsio, it is crowned with béchamel and baked.

A soft, almost custardy eggplant shell cradles spiced, tomatoey mince under a blanket of nutmeg-fragrant béchamel that turns silky and lightly browned on top. Each forkful balances sweet vegetable, warm spice and creamy richness. It eats like a cozier, lighter moussaka.

Salting and pre-roasting collapses the eggplant's cell walls so the shell turns creamy and absorbs flavour. The egg-enriched béchamel sets into a sliceable top, and baking lets cinnamon and tomato meld with the rendered eggplant.

Variations

Vegetarian version (Imam-style with no meat), lamb instead of beef, topped with grated kefalotyri, with diced potato in the filling

On the Palate

Where Papoutsakia sits in the Greek flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

How it's made

8 steps · 30 min

1
35 min
Halve eggplants lengthwise, score the flesh, salt and let drain, then brush with oil and roast until soft.
Watch out
Salt and drain the eggplant until beads of moisture sweat out — roast it soft enough to dent with a spoon, or the shells stay spongy and bitter.
2
10 min
Scoop out some flesh to form hollow shells and chop the scooped flesh.
3
8 min
Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
4
20 min
Add ground beef, brown it, then stir in tomato, cinnamon, the chopped eggplant flesh, salt and pepper and simmer into a thick mince.
Watch out
Cook the mince down until no watery liquid pools in the pan — a wet filling makes the béchamel slide off and the shells go soggy.
5
15 min
Make a béchamel by cooking a butter-flour roux and whisking in warm milk until thick, then temper in egg and cheese.
Watch out
Whisk a ladle of the hot sauce into the beaten egg first, then return it — add egg straight to the hot pot and it scrambles.
6
10 min
Fill the eggplant shells with the mince and spoon béchamel over the top.
7
35 min
Bake until the béchamel is set and golden brown.
Watch out
It's done when the top is set firm and blistered golden-brown — a pale, jiggly top means the custard hasn't set to slice.
8
5 min
Rest briefly, then serve warm sprinkled with parsley.