Mousakas

Ingredients:
1 kg aubergines (large or/and elongated variety)
160 ml vegetable oil (about 1 teacup)
1 large onion, finely sliced
450 grams minced beef
1 glass white wine (not retsina, but aretsinoto)
1400 grams tomatoes, drained of some of their juice and chopped finely
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
salt and black pepper
1 tsp oregano
25 grams grated parmesan, kefalotiri, or Gruyere cheese
some chopped parsley
* for Bechamel Sauce
80 grams butter
80 grams flour
600 ml warm milk
salt and white pepper
30 grams grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese
2 egg yolks
* for the Toppings
60 grams grated Parmesan, Gruyere or kefalotiri cheese
4 tbsp toasted breadcrumbs

Cooking Procedure:
1. Top and tail the aubergines, without peeling them. Rinse them, cut them lengthwise in 75-mm thick slices and immerse them in salted water, for 30 minutes. Take them out, squeeze gently, rinse, then squeeze them again. Drain them in a colander and pat dry. Fry them in hot vegetable oil until they become pale golden on both sides; you can either deep-fry them, which is easier but they absorb a lot of oil, or shallow-fry them. In either case, drain them on absorbent paper on a flat platter.
2. Saute the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, until it looks glistening. Add the meat and sautee together, stirring, until all the lumps are broken down and the meat starts to change color. Pour in the wine, add tomatoes, the spices, salt and pepper and the oregano. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time in case it sticks. Then mix in the grated cheese and parsley.
3. In another saucepan, melt the butter, and away from the heat, gradually add the flour and stir to amalgamate. Return to the heat and gradually add the milk and seasoning, stirring continuously. Simmer for 9-10 minutes, stirring, until it has thickened considerably. Withdraw the pan from the heat, let it stand briefly, then add the cheese and the egg yolks. Stir to amalgamate them. Do not let the sauce boil after this. It should by now be a thick bechamel, to enable it to sit on top of the meat mixture and form a kind of crust.
4. To assemble, cover the base of the roasting dish with half of the fried aubergines, then spread half of the meat mixture evenly on top of them and cover neatly with the remaining aubergines. Spread the remaining meat and sauce evenly over the top and cover neatly with the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese all over the top, and the breadcrumbs. Moussaka from Macedonia may contain a layer of thinly sliced roun potatoes which have been fried first. Bake in a pre-heated oven, 350 degrees Fahrenheit/ 180 degrees Celsius for an hour, until a golden crust is formed all over the top. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving, in order to be able to cut it more easily.
5. To serve, cut into square or oblong-shaped pieces, about 8 cm thick. It should be quite dry by then and the pieces should ideally stay intact. Garnish with parsley.