Ground Beef Moussaka

2 large eggplants, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
salt and pepper
olive oil
OR
1 box of Trader Joe’s breaded eggplant

ground beef-tomato mixture;
1 lb. ground beef
½ cup onion, diced
1 Tbls. minced garlic
salt
pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup red wine
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

For the Béchamel:
4 Tbls. butter
4 Tbls. flour
2 ½ cups milk
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
½ cup parmesan cheese
salt and white pepper

To Finish:
¾ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbls. chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

Season eggplant with salt and pepper, add olive oil to a pan and fry the eggplant until golden, about 3 minutes per side, adding more oil as necessary. Drain on paper towel or even easier just buy it from T Joe’s.

Next, cook beef over medium high heat; add onions and garlic toward the end, season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat from the pan, put into a pot and add oregano and cinnamon. Pour in the red wine, and just let in reduce slightly. Add tomatoes, simmer about 30 minutes or until mixture is a nice tomato sauce consistency. Check for salt and pepper and if the mixture is too tart and a pinch of brown sugar to balance out the flavors.

For the Béchamel: In a saucepan, melt the butter, ad flour to make a roux. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking, add nutmeg. The mixture should be fairly thick. Take ½ cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk into beaten eggs, this will temper the eggs. Whisk that mixture back into the milk mixture. Add parmesan cheese and stir. Season with salt and white pepper.

To Finish: Sprinkle the bottom of a 7” x 10” baking dish with bread crumbs, place a layer of eggplant down, next layer ½ of the beef-tomato mixture over eggplant, then layer 1/2 of the béchamel over lamb mixture. Repeat and then sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and let sit 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 4-6.