Phil’s Moussaka

Preheat the oven to 160 °C gas 3.

First, make the cheese soufflé base by heating the milk in a saucepan.

Mix the soft butter and flour until you have a paste.

Once the milk is hot, whisk in the butter and flour mixture and whisk until boiled, it will thicken considerably.

Remove from the heat, add the cheese and whisk well; once cooled for 10 minutes, stir in the egg yolks.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Heat half the olive oil in a pan, add the aubergine, then cook on both sides so they take on a little colour (you can add a little water to help the softening of the aubergine). Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper, and season well.

Add the rest of the oil lamb mince, onion, garlic, and oregano to the pan and cook until it takes a little colour

Add the flour, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, stock cubes, and water, then mix well and season well.

Gently simmer for 15 minutes; take care as it may catch slightly as you have flour in the sauce.

You will need a large ovenproof dish, probably 30cm squarish, to assemble the moussaka. The finished dish needs to be nice and deep. Remember, you will have layers eventually, plus the souffle.

Place a layer of aubergine on the bottom.

Cover with a nice layer of cooked potatoes.

Next, cover with a layer of tomatoes.

Next, add a layer of lamb.

Then repeat, so six layers in total.

Cover the dish with foil when ready to eat and place it into a preheated oven at 220 C gas 7 for 25-30 minutes to warm through.

Whisk the egg whites until foamy, then add to the warm cheese sauce.

Remove the warm moussaka from the oven and uncover, spoon on the cheese soufflé mix, return to the oven, and cook for 15 minutes.

Once the moussaka is nicely brown and risen, serve it in the middle of the table and let people help themselves.