Ingredients
- 450g aubergines, thickly sliced
- 450g courgettes, thickly sliced
- 2 large potatoes (and I mean large!), peeled and sliced
- 100ml olive oil
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 450g minced lamb
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
For the cheese sauce:
- 600ml milk
- 50g butter
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- pinch ground cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 50g grated cheese (hallumi, kefalotiri or strong cheddar)
Method
- Layer up the aubergine in a colander and sprinkle each layer with salt. Leave to drain. Meanwhile, fry the potatoes in olive oil until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper. Next fry the courgettes and drain. Rinse the aubergines, pat dry, then fry until golden brown. (You may need some more oil, as the aubergines absorb a lot!)
- Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions until softened. Add the mince and stir occasionally until browned. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, parsley and plenty of seasoning. Cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes until thickened.
- Heat the oven to 160ºC.
- Warm 450ml of milk in a saucepan with the butter. Mix the remaining milk with the cornflour, beat in the eggs, then add the cinnamon and cheese. Pour some of the buttermilk into the cheese mixture, to help melt the cheese, then pour the lot into the saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sauce thickens.
- Lightly grease a 20cm square dish, at least 5cm deep. Layer the potatoes into the base, followed by half the aubergines and courgettes. Spoon over the mince, then cover with the remaining aubergine and courgette. Spoon over the cheese sauce and bake in the oven for 1 and a half hours or until the top is set and just golden brown. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.