Recipe: Vicki Ravlich-Horan | Photography: Ashlee deCaires
Use left over slow cooked lamb to create this Greek classic. If you want a more substantial version you can layer in slices of cooked potato.
2–3 eggplants
olive oil
60g butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup of grated cheese
salt & pepper
2 eggs
6 cups of shredded slow cooked lamb
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup tomato pasata
Slice the eggplants into ½ cm thick slices. Brush with a little oil and bake for 15 minutes in a moderate oven (180°C).
Make the white sauce by melting the butter in a small pot. Stir in the flour and continue to cook for 1–2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, stirring to avoid lumps.* Cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Season, stir in the nutmeg and cheese and take off the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before stirring in the beaten eggs.
To make the meat sauce, place the slow cooked lamb along with the remaining ingredients in a pot and heat through, mixing well.
Layer a third of the cooked eggplant on the bottom of an 2.5–3 litre ovenproof dish. Top these with half the lamb mix followed by another third of the white sauce and another third of the eggplant. Add the remaining lamb, another third of the white sauce and the final layer of eggplant before finishing with the last of the white sauce. Bake in a moderate oven for approx. 45 minutes.
*If you are not used to making white sauces, warming the milk may help you avoid getting lumps. Stirring with a whisk also helps.
