The spices in this, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon are so feminine and fragrant and kinda sweet balancing the rich eggplant, tomato and onion flavours coming through. The spices are stimulating for your circulatory system and are great for metabolism too. Lot’s of folate and minerals in the lentils and eggplant skin is an excellent source of vitamin K. So good with Parmesan cheese on top.

This is a recipe of many steps. Just for an overview you’re going to get the tomato/lentil sauce on the stove, then prep the eggplant and béchamel sauce while the tomatoes cook.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 brown onion

1 leek

3 garlic cloves

1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground allspice

2 400g tins of tomatoes

2 cups of vegetable stock

2 large eggplants, cut into rounds about 1 cm thick.

Béchamel

1L milk of your choosing

80g butter

1.2 medium onion

1 bay leaf

6 parsley stalks

60g arrowroot

1/2 tsp sea salt

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and cook the onion, leek and garlic until soft. Add the spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the tomatoes and vegetable stock, stir to combine. Cook for 25 – 30, add in the tinned lentils, cook for another 10 minutes until sauce is reduced. You can shorten this step if you like by adding less water and cooking for a shorter time, but the flavour won’t be as developed. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C

4. Meanwhile grill the eggplant. Brush the slices of eggplant with olive oil on either side and grill over high heat for a couple of minutes each side until browned.

5. Cook the Bechamel. Heat the milk, onion, baby leaf and parsley stalks. Set aside for 10 minutes so the flavours can infuse, then strain the milk, discarding the solids. In a separate saucepan melt the butter and then stir in the arrowroot, cook for about two minutes until foamy. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk until the béchamel becomes a smooth sauce. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add in the salt and nutmeg and remove from heat once thickened.

6. Assemble the Moussaka. Choose your baking dish and cover the bottom with a layer of eggplant rounds. Spread half the lentil mixture on top, and then half the bechemel. Repeat these layers and then sprinkle some nutmeg on top. Bake for 15 minutes and then take out of the oven, sprinkle grated parmesan over the top and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown and the sauce bubbles up over the sides.