Moussaka

Serves 6

2 pound eggplant ½ cup olive oil 2 large tomatoes 2 large onions 1 pound ground lamb or beef ¼ teaspoons ground allspice 2 tablespoons tomato puree 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley ½ cup chicken stock Salt and pepper to taste For the sauce 4 tablespoons butter ½ cup flour 2 ½ cups whole milk ¼ teaspoons grated nutmeg 1/3 cup grated parmesan 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1 Cut eggplant into ¼ inch slices, layer the slices in a colander, sprinkling each layer with plenty of salt. Leave to stand for 3 minutes.

2 Rinse eggplant well and squeeze gently to remove excess water and pat dry.

3 Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Fry the eggplant slices in batches until golden on both sides, let drain on paper towels.

4 Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, refresh in cold water, peel and chop roughly.

5 Preheat oven to 350F

6 Sauté the onions and lamb for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, allspice, tomato puree, parsley, stock and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover with a lid and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

7 Layer meat and eggplant in a dish, alternating and ending with a layer of eggplant.

8 For the sauce, melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and return to a simmer, stirring until thickened. Add the nutmeg, cheese and salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the top layer of eggplant, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake 45 minutes, until golden.