AN IN-BETWEEN MEAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS: COURGETTE (ZUCCHINI) AND BASIL MOUSSAKA WITH LEMON BÉCHAMEL (can be vegetarian and gluten-free)

I had so much fun on Friday doing a festive cooking Q and A for The Financial Times with Tim Hayward and Jay Rayner.

The number one question (asked by many) was the secret to better roast potatoes! I wonder whether it would have been mashed potatoes, had we been answering questions about Thanksgiving cooking. Both Jay and I said that the key to better roast potatoes was less in the kind of fat used (for Chriostmas Day, I use a combination of olive oil and butter and more in the par-cooking - par-boil the peeled potatoes for longer than you think - Cyprus or Maris Piper both good - and leave them for at least a few hours to dry out before scuffing up a bit and adding to hot oil in a hot oven for 45 mins to an hour, with or without some rosemary, and you will have the best roast potatoes you ever tasted, even without extra texture-enhancers such as semolina or polenta.

(Having said which, my heart is still with the Nigella method for roast potatoes from HOW TO EAT using semolina, which my daughter made in 2020, our first post-separation Christmas. When I tasted these, in a very shaky mood, I felt that maybe we were all going to be alright, after all).

The questions from readers that moved me the most were from people who were struggling in one way or another with their Christmas appetites - one person was cooking for a parent who had lost their appetite and another person had a guest who needed to eat everything in pureed form and wanted a suggestion for a main course which could be eaten both as puree and as solid food (I suggested Coq au vin which I think could make a delicious smooth soup in pureed form and was delighted when Tim Hayward agreed).

One of the most asked questions was for easy dishes (especially vegetarian ones) to serve for varying numbers over the holidays aside from the main feast. In this spirit, I am offering this - it’s the COURGETTE AND BASIL MOUSSAKA WITH LEMON BÉCHAMEL from The Secret of Cooking.

This is something I have often served friends for lowkey meals in between Xmas & NYE. It looks like nothing from the list of ingredients but I can't say how gratefully it is received,. The lemon béchamel is the key, I think but there's also something about the roasted onions (or fennel) that makes it deeply moreish. I can knock up even when my cooking energies are almost exhausted by Christmas and you canadapt it to be gluten-free/vegan; or conversely, serve it alongside cold leftover roast meat, whether turkey, beef or ham, if you have those in the house.

When I say ‘moussaka’, I am playing fast and loose with Greek cuisine: what I really mean is a lasagne-like savoury bake centred on potatoes.Serves 4 (double or triple it for big parties)

Thank you so much to everyone who has told me that this is one of your favourite things to make from THE SECRET OF COOKING.

Anyway, wishing you good appetite and delicious things this week, however you are celebrating. xx

Much as I love the classic version of moussaka made with a rich meat sauce and fried aubergines, these days I prefer to make it with vegetables instead so that it works for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. You can make it vegan by using olive oil instead of butter. I add lemon zest and juice to the béchamel to make it taste sprightly and fresh, an idea I got from a lasagne recipe in Gennaro’s Limoni by Gennaro Contaldo.

Serves 4 (double or triple it for big parties)

900g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices about 5mm
400g courgettes, cut lengthways into long ribbons
400g onions, peeled and cut into slices, or 400g fennel, trimmed and sliced 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
40g unsalted butter (or use olive oil to make it vegan)
40g gluten-free flour (or use plain flour if you are not cooking for people on a gluten-free diet)
500ml milk (use oat milk to make it vegan)
1 large unwaxed lemon
A few basil leaves
1 ball of mozzarella, drained and sliced (optional - I usually leave it out)
30g grated Parmesan (or vegetarian equivalent, or leave it out for the vegan version)

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 12–15 minutes,or until cooked through but not soggy.Drain in a colander.Meanwhile, brush the courgettes and the onions or fennel with the oil, arrange them on two baking trays, and roast for 20 minutes or until sweet and tender, turning after 10 minutes. While the vegetables are roasting, make the lemon sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the flour and mix very thoroughly with a whisk. Slowly, slowly add the milk, whisking all the while. Bring it to simmering point, stirring often, and simmer until it is thick and smooth. Season with salt and add the zest and half the juice of the lemon. Taste it to see if you think it needs more juice.

Now you can layer everything up in an ovenproof dish (the dish I use is around 33cm × 24cm). First, put a layer of half the potatoes, then half the sauce, then the onions or fennel, then more potatoes, then the basil plus the mozzarella, if using, then the courgettes (arranged in lines), then the final half of the sauce. Top with the Parmesan and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbling and brown on top. Or, if it suits you better, you can assemble this ahead of time and refrigerate it, covered, for up for 3 days. If you bake it cold from the fridge it will need more like 30-40 minutes in the oven to heat through. Serve with a salad and/or with a quickly made carrot pickle (recipe in THE SECRET OF COOKING).