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1 brown onion, finely diced

2 garlic, roughly diced

½ tablespoon all spice

½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground clove

35g tomato paste

250g beef mince, freeze any unused

¼ cup red wine

½ can whole tomatoes

7 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string

2 fresh bay leaves

1 large eggplant

25g gluten free flour

250ml milk

1 egg yolk

⅓ tsp nutmeg

40g kefalograviera cheese (or pecorino)

5 fresh parsley stalks, washed, just leaves, roughly chopped

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

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1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius, fan forced

2. Start with the beef ragu, by placing a large pot on medium heat with a table spoon of olive oil. Add in the brown onion with a big pinch of salt and saute for 3 minutes. Add in the garlic, all spice, cinnamon, clove and tomato paste and mix through for a minute. Add in beef mince and break down with wooden spoon and mix through for a minute until the mince is broken through.

3. Raise heat to high and pour in red wine and deglaze, scraping the bottom of pot with wooden spoon. Once nearly all liquid is gone add in can whole tomatoes, breaking them down with your hand along with half the tomato can worth of water. Add in thyme and bay leaves and bring to simmer. Simmer for 40 - 45 minutes or until all liquid has gone. Salt to taste and remove thyme and bay leaf once cooked.

4. Slice the eggplants longways and then criss cross with a knife the flesh of the eggplant, cutting close to the skin, but not going through. Drizzle on olive oil and salt onto the flesh side and then place onto a lined baking tray flesh side down and pop into the oven for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the eggplant flesh is soft enough to press into. 

5. Once eggplant is cooked turn oven to 200 degrees celsius grill & fan forced setting.

6. For the olive oil béchamel, pour in 25ml olive oil into deep pot over high heat, whisk in flour and cook for a minute. Add in your milk and then whisk until béchamel thickens. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat and whisk in eggs yolk, super quickly as to not scramble. Grate in fresh nutmeg before seasoning with salt to taste.

7. To put the papoutsakia together, in the tray with eggplant, turn them over and using a fork squish into the eggplant flesh so it breaks down nice and smooth, being careful to keep the eggplant skin intact. Spoon on the beef ragu into the eggplant boats before spooning over the thick béchamel. Finish with finely grated kefalograviera (or pecorino) all over the top and pop into the oven to grill for 10 minutes or until charred and caramelised on top. Finish with a garnish of fresh parsley.