Moussaka is a typical Mediterranean dish that is quite similar to lasagne and is an instant crowd-pleaser. Made up of layers of eggplant, lamb, tomato and spices, this recipe puts a bit of a twist into a typical Wednesday night meal. Packed full of classic flavours, it might just take you back to that summer spent in Greece.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1cm slices
• 500g lean lamb mince
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 425g can crushed tomatoes with herbs
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 125mL of red wine (optional)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup of parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil or butter

For the bechamel sauce

• 2 cups of milk
• 1/3 cup of plain flour
• 75g of butter
• 125g of parmesan cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC and heat a non-stick frying pan with butter/oil.
2. Fry off eggplant slices for 2-3 minutes on each side to slightly soften them. Put these to the side.
3. In a separate pan, cook onions and garlic until softened, and then add meat. Cook until browned.
4. Add carrot, can of tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano and parsley, bay leaf and wine. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
5. In a large baking dish, make a layer of eggplant and cover it in meat sauce. Repeat until the baking dish is full.
6. Make the bechamel sauce in a saucepan by melting the butter, adding the flour and stirring and then gradually whisking in the milk until smooth.
7. Add around half the cheese to the saucepan and then pour over the top of the layered baking dish. Top with the remainder of the cheese and bake for 40 – 45 minutes until golden brown on top.