Cypriot Moussaka

Ingredients:

700 gr minced lamb

700 gr aubergines

175 gr onions

225 gr tomatoes

150 ml olive oil

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp chopped parsley

425 ml bιchamel sauce

Salt

Ground black pepper

Coating:

1 egg

large pinch grated nutmeg

75 gr Cheddar cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Wipe, top and tail, but do not peel the aubergines. Cut them into slices about 6 mm. (thick. Put into a colander with a light sprinkling of salt between the layers and leave to drain for half an hour. Peel and slice the onions: peel, de-seed and chop the tomatoes. When ready to cook, pat the aubergine slices dry with paper. Heat 3tbsp oil in a frying pan over a low heat and, when hot, fry the aubergine slices gently until tender, in batches, turning once. Lift out and drain on absorbent paper. Add extra oil between batches as necessary. When all are fried, make the oil in the pan up to 30 ml. again. When this is hot, fry the onions gently for about 5 minutes, until soft and pale gold. Add the meat and fry. Add the tomatoes, allspice, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, cover and cook very gently for 25 to 20 minutes. Heat oven to 180 C., gas mark 4. In a deep, ovenproof dish, arrange alternate layers of aubergines and meat, finishing with aubergines. Warm the sauce over a low heat. Separate the egg and, off the heat, stir the yolk, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste, into the sauce. Reserve the egg white for use in another dish. Pour the sauce evenly over the surface of the dish. Grate the cheese over the sauce. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the topping is golden and bubbling.

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