Greece

Moussaka.
Ingredients
1 large eggplant (aubergine)
Greek olive oil
Salt
Meat Sauce

One large onion, chopped

Six cloves of garlic, chopped
Three tablespoons of olive oil
One kilogram (2.2 lbs) of minced/ground beef or lamb
One large (28 oz) tin of diced tomatoes
One cup of red wine
Two tablespoons of chopped, fresh parsley
Two tablespoons of chopped, fresh Greek basil (optional)
Two bay leaves
One teaspoon of sugar
One cinnamon stick
Freshly ground black pepper
Two tablespoons of tomato paste

Procedure
Cut eggplant into 5mm slices. Lay the slices out and sprinkle liberally with salt.
This leaches out the bitterness. Leave these for at least an hour.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add onion and garlic. Saut these until the
onion starts to change colour. Add the meat and brown thoroughly. Add bay
leaves and cinnamon stick, and continue to stir the meat until all the moisture
from the meat is gone. Add tomatoes, herbs and sauces. Mix through and
allow to cook for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and continue
to cook until the sauce is very thick. It should have very little moisture in it all.
Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick! Allow to cool.
In another saucepan, melt butter over a low heat. Remove from heat and add
the flour. Blend this through thoroughly, then return to the heat and cook
gently for three minutes, stirring continuously so that it does not catch (burn).
Remove from heat and add the milk. Mix this through then return to the heat
and allow mixture to boil. Allow sauce to cook gently for one minute, stirring
continuously. Remove from heat, add cheeses, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper
and mix through. Stand sauce aside and allow to cool.
Rinse the slices of eggplant under running water and dry on paper towels. Heat
olive oil in a frying pan. Place slices of eggplant in the pan and quickly turn to
coat both sides in the hot oil. Fry until the slices are cooked (when they change
colour and become soft). Drain. Repeat with remaining slices.
In a large casserole dish, lay slices of eggplant to cover the bottom. Cover with
a layer of the meat sauce. Repeat layering eggplant and meat sauce until
within three centimetres of the top of the dish.
Add the egg to the cool, cheese sauce and mix through thoroughly. Spoon this
on the top layer in the casserole dish and sprinkle with extra grated cheese.
Bake at 200 degrees C for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool
and set for ten minutes.
Serve with a tossed Greek salad, red wine and crusty garlic bread.

Cheese Sauce

Three tablespoons of butter

Four tablespoons of plain flour
Two cups of milk
Sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper
Half a cup of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
One cup of grated cheese (tasty, Edam, whatever)
One egg