Moussaka vegetarienne

03 — Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) fan. Slice the 3 eggplants lengthwise 8 mm (⅓ in) thick, skin on. Salt them in a colander for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, finely dice the 2 yellow onions. Remove the germ from the 4 garlic cloves and crush them. Drain and rinse the canned lentils.
3. Rinse the eggplant in cold water and pat completely dry so it doesn’t soak up too much oil.
4. Heat 4 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil in the large skillet over medium-high heat and fry the eggplant in batches for 3 minutes per side until golden. Drain on paper towels.
5. In the large sauté pan, cook the onions in 2 tbsp of olive oil for 8 minutes until golden. Add the garlic, ground cinnamon, oregano and cumin and cook 1 minute.
6. Pour in the red wine and reduce for 3 minutes over high heat. Add the crushed peeled tomatoes and the lentils, season and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until thick.
7. Build the moussaka in the gratin dish: eggplant on the bottom, then lentil-tomato sauce, eggplant, sauce and crumbled feta. Repeat for 3 layers, ending with eggplant.
8. Spread the béchamel generously over the top, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and bake for 35 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F) until golden. Let rest for 15 minutes and serve sprinkled with parsley.