Juicy lamb cooked in a tomato, oregano and red wine sauce and rolled in grilled eggplant. Topped with a creamy white parmesan sauce. This is a fantastic tasty and comforting meal!
Preparation:
To cook:
Level: Easy
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- ½ whole medium eggplant
- Olive oil, as needed for cooking
- 40 grams Onion, diced
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 4 oz Ground lamb
- 50 milliliters Red wine
- 100 grams Canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Plain flour
- ¼ teaspoons Oregano
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 whole Bay leaf
- 1 tbsp Breadcrumbs
- FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:
- 5 grams Butter
- 5 grams Plain flour
- 100 milliliters Milk
- 5 grams Grated parmesan
- ¼ teaspoons grated nutmeg
Preparation
Cut the aubergine lengthwise into about 5mm pieces – I used a mandoline set to 6mm thick. Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 30 minutes. You will need 3-4 slices per serving for the rolls.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). For the meat filling, heat a large skillet or skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil or a few sprays of light cooking spray. Sweat the onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the ground lamb to the skillet and cook until browned, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes. Add the red wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, flour, oregano, cinnamon stick and bay leaf and reduce the heat to bring the pan to a gentle simmer. Bake for 30 minutes – the mixture should have thickened nicely by the end.
Remove the eggplant from the colander and rinse. Dry well with paper towels and leave them spread out on paper towels while you prepare the béchamel.
To make the béchamel sauce, add the butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Melt and add the flour. Mix well. Slowly add the milk to the mixture and whisk until it creates a smooth sauce. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan and nutmeg.
Lightly brush eggplant with olive oil or spray lightly with cooking spray. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Alternatively, you can use a frying pan if you don’t have a frying pan, but the frying pan leaves those nice grill lines that are definitely worth the effort!
Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick from lamb. Place a thin strip of béchamel on each piece of eggplant, crosswise, followed by a little of the lamb mixture in the center of each slice of eggplant. Roll carefully. Place on a lined baking sheet. Pour the remaining béchamel sauce on top of the buns and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Place in the lower half of the oven for 20-30 minutes. Serve with a crisp green salad. Delicious!
