One Of The Best Greek Dishes.

Most versions are based primarily on sautéed eggplant and tomato, usually with minced meat. However, the Greek version includes layers of meat and eggplant topped with a Béchamel sauce and baked.

There are variations on this basic recipe, sometimes with no top sauce, sometimes with other vegetables. Such variants may include, in addition to the eggplant slices, sautéed zucchini slices, part-fried potato slices, or sautéed mushrooms
There is a vegan version , which includes neither meat nor dairy products, just vegetables (ground eggplant is used instead of ground meat), tomato sauce, and bread crumbs.

Ingredients:

FOR THE VEGETABLES

Olive oil, for brushing and extra for vegetables

5-6 potatoes, cut into thin slices

5 eggplant, cut into  slices

Salt + Pepper

FOR THE GROUND MEAT SAUCE

Olive oil , for sautéing

1 onion, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

500 g / 17.6oz  ground meat (beef)

Salt + Pepper

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch of Ground cloves

1 tablespoon Tomato paste

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

FOR THE BECHAMEL

750 ml Milk

3 egg yolks

100 g / 3.5oz  All purpose flour

100 g / 3.5oz Unsalted butter

1/4 tsp Ground black pepper

Pinch of Ground nutmeg

100 g / 3.5oz Grated Parmesan

Baking Pan 9 inch

Note: For bechamel you can use , Bechamel Mix

Directions:

Preheat oven at 180C / 370F.

Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices, and fry lightly until golden.

Transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and toss to coat.

Spread potato slices in a single layer on the bottom of the baking pan.

Thinly slice the eggplant. The vegetable slices need to be thin in order for them to cook correctly in the oven.

Transfer eggplant slices to a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and bake for 25 min at 375F, until soften.

Spread the eggplant slices  in a single layer over the potato. If your eggplant looks a little dry, drizzle with some more olive oil

For the ground meat:

Pour a small amount of olive oil into a pan. Mince an onion. Add it to the pan and caramelize over high heat.
Mince a clove of garlic. Add it to your pan and mix. Sauté until it softens and turns slightly golden.

Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves. Mix and sauté. It makes such a huge difference when you cook your spices before you add the meat.

Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Sauté.
Add the ground meat. Use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces. Season with salt and pepper and brown over high heat.

Add a can of chopped tomatoes and parsley, Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. The mixture should be quite dry. Set aside.

For the béchamel sauce:
Place a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter. As soon as the butter starts to melt add the flour and start to whisk as you sauté.

Start to add the milk slowly and in batches. Whisk continuously throughout this process so no lumps form in the mixture. As soon as the first batch of milk is absorbed in the flour, you can add the next batch. Repeat process until all of the milk has been added and completely incorporated in the mixture.

When the sauce finally starts to bubble you’ll know it’s ready. It should be smooth, creamy and delicious.

Remove from heat. Add some freshly ground pepper, ground nutmeg, grated parmesan and 3 egg yolks. Stir and set aside.

To assemble
Add 1/3 of the béchamel sauce to the ground meat mixture. Mix together to create a sticky filling that will hold the dish together when serving and eating.

Spread filling over vegetable layers.

Pour béchamel sauce over meat filling.

Use a spatula to smooth the top and sprinkle with some grated parmesan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven. Allow to cool , cut into pieces and serve.

Kali Orexi !