Ingredients
- FOR 6 persons 2 SLICES EACH
- 1/4 cup Greek extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey/chicken/soy meat (Morningstar or Fortune or Nutrela)
- 2 large Italian eggplants stalks and leaves removed
- 3 inch stick cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon habanero sauce or chilli pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- salt and ground black pepper
- 1.5 cups white onion finely chopped
- 12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup
- 1 (28-ounce can) plum tomatoes, pureed until smooth with their juices
- 2 tablespoons table red wine
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves plus more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons Maida or rice flour for gluten free
- Honey, if needed
- Vegetable oil for frying
- For the bechamel sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 quart 2% plain milk
- 1.5 cups of melting cheese such as (cheddar, fontina, emmenthaler) plus half cup for topping
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour or rice flour for gluten free
Instructions
- Wash and dry the eggplants. Hold them up vertically. Slice them lengthwise into 4-5 long flat oval pieces.
- Sprinkle generously with salt and place in a colander for 1-2 hours. They will lose a fair amount of water so place the colander over a bowl.
- Meanwhile heat olive oil. Add bay leaf and cinnamon stick followed by the onions and saute until tender and translucent. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes. Add minced meat or soy meat of your choice, allspice and ginger and saute until all the meat is cooked and very dry about 20 minutes on medium flame. Stir from time to time to prevent burning.
- Stir in the oregano, chillie flakes, chopped parsley, tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine and continue to cook until you have a thick gravy.
- Stir in your flour and continue to cook until thick. If it oozes too much water it will drench the eggplant slices.
- Adjust salt, red chilli flakes and honey.
- For the eggplant: Heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. pat the eggplant dry. Working in batches, add the eggplant slices and fry until tender and lightly golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the eggplant slices to paper towels and wipe to remove excess oil.
- For the bechamel: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly about 1-2 minutes. Still whisking add the milk and cook until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Let the sauce cool then stir in cheese.
- TO ASSEMBLE
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment.
- Lay down all the eggplant slices. Top generously with the meat or soy meat. Spoon over some bechamel and top with some ore cheese.
- Bake until golden and bubbly.
- Garnish with parsley.
- Serve with warm sliced pita or garlic bread.
- You can make this as a layered casserole also.
- To assemble: Put half the eggplant slices in the dish and cover with half the meat sauce. Top the sauce with the remaining eggplant slices, and then the remaining meat sauce. Pour the bechamel over the top of the meat sauce and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle more cheese over the top, place the dish on a baking sheet, and bake until browned and bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes. Top with more chopped parsley, if desired. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
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