I make moussaka with a higher weight, proportionally, of vegetables to minced lamb and it produces a very pleasing result. Fresh mediterranean vegetables add colour and flavour and reduce the otherwise ‘lamby’ experience which can be overly rich and cloying. I also add fresh garden mint to the meat and vegetable sauce just before covering with Parmesan sauce and baking - this also gives the dish a summery lift. Moussaka is quite filling enough to serve it piping hot with crisp salad leaves and bread.

Ingredients - serves 4 600g minced lamb 1 onion, peeled & chopped 1 aubergine, trimmed & cut into 1cm dice 1 red pepper, deseeded & cut into 1cm dice 1 courgette, trimmed, halved & sliced 4 tomatoes cut into 1cm dice 3 tbsp Eleanthos olive oil 1 tbsp plain Dove's Farm flour 1 tbsp Essential tomato purée 100ml white wine 1 tbsp chopped mint for the Parmesan sauce: 40g Riverford Dairy butter 40g Dove's Farm plain flour 350ml Riverford Dairy milk 40g grated Parmesan cheese salt, pepper

Method

1 Fry off the lamb in a dry oven proof pan to brown it lightly. Spoon away excess fat and add the chopped onion - continuing to cook over gentle heat for a further 5 minutes - then stir in the flour. Now add white wine, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and some salt and pepper and continue to cook over the lowest heat whilst preparing the vegetables.

2 Preheat the oven to 220°C
Toss the diced aubergine, red pepper and courgette in the olive oil, (add a pinch of chilli flakes too if you like some heat) and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a roasting tray and cook in a hot oven for about 30 minutes until tinged with colour. Remove the meat sauce from the stove and fold in the vegetables together with chopped mint. Gently pat the surface to level. Reduce the oven to 180°C

3 Melt butter and flour together with some seasoning until foaming, cook for a couple of minutes then pour in the milk, whisking until it forms a smooth, thick sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the grated Parmesan then pour over the surface of the moussaka. Bake for 25-30 minutes to golden and serve with crisp salad leaves and crusty bread.