Cut eggplant into 5mm-thick slices. Mix oil with spices and cayenne. Brush eggplant slices with oil mixture and grill or fry on both sides until golden brown.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and fry 5 minutes to soften but not brown. Increase heat and add lamb. Cook, stirring to remove lumps, until meat has lost it's pinkness. Add tomatoes, stock, tornato paste and herbs. Season to taste. Simmer until mixture is a thick sauce - about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180?C. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a shallow ovenproof dish. Top with mince followed by another layer of eggplant

Combine topping ingredients and spread over the eggplant. Bake 45 minutes, until topping is golden.

COOK?S NOTES .

Moussaka can also be made with beef mince or a combination of beef and lamb.

To increase the volume of the mince filing add a cup of cooked white rice or some vegetables, roasted peppers, thinly sliced courgettes, cooked pumpkin, kumara or potato.

If haloumi is unavailable or not to your liking add grated parmesan, gouda or other tasty cheese. Or eliminate the cheese completely and sprinkle the topping with breadcrumbs before cooking.

Serve moussaka with a Greek salad. Leftovers can be

served in pita bread with salad as a delicious sandwich.