Lamb Moussaka

Ingredients

4 medium-sized eggplants, sliced thinly
2½ tbspn olive oil
Se salt flakes, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper. to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g lamb mince
½ inch piece fresh cinnamon
½ cup red wine
¼ cup verjuice
1 tbspn tomato paste
1 cup passata
1 lemon, zest grated
½ cup flat leaf parsley, freshly chopped
1 tbspn lemon thyme

Béchamel
2 tbspn parmesan, grated
50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
1¼ cup full cream milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 pinch nutmeg grated

Crust
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup parmesan. grated
1 tbspn preserved lemons skin only, finely chopped
½ tbspn lemon thyme. chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 250C.
2. Brush eggplant slices with 1½ tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and put in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden – turning the pieces over halfway through cooking.
3. Sauté onion at moderate temperature for 5 minutes – add the garlic and cook another 5 minutes. Set onion and garlic aside.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 200C.
5. Salt and brown meat in batches at a high temperature, you don’t want the mince to ‘boil’. Put all meat back into the pan and deglaze with verjuice and then wine at high temperature. Reduce to medium heat add cinnamon, onion and garlic, tomato paste, then add lemon zest, passata, parsley, and lemon thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes to allow flavours to combine.
6. To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a pot and then sprinkle the flour over it, stirring well to combine. Continue to cook for until golden or until the flour colours slightly.
7. Remove from the heat and pour the milk in first and then the stock, slowly, whisking continuously to remove lumps. Return pan to the stove and continue to cook until thickened – stirring often until the liquid thickly coats the back of the spoon. Add the nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper. Lay a piece of plastic wrap or baking paper directly on top of the sauce so that it doesn’t form a skin. Set aside until needed.
8. To make the moussaka, spray an oven proof dish with non-stick cooking spray or brush with a little olive oil. Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom of the dish and then a layer of lamb mince on top. Continue to alternate between eggplant and lamb mince, finishing with a layer of eggplant.
9. Pour the béchamel over the eggplant. For crust mix the breadcrumbs with the grated parmesan, preserved lemon and lemon thyme and generously sprinkle over the top of the béchamel. Bake for half an hour or until golden and bubbling.