Baked Eggplant with Meat and Bechamel Sauce - purple eggplants

Method

• Wash the eggplants and cut off the ends.
• With a smell paring knife, working with one eggplant at a time, peel 1/2-inch strips of the skin from the stem down, making stripes around the eggplant.
• Place it on its side and carefully slice crosswise into even 1/3-inch-thick rounds.
• Repeat with the remaining eggplants.
• Sparingly, use the 2 teaspoons salt to very lightly sprinkle both sides of all the slices, spreading the salt with your fingers.
• Dont use more than 2 teaspoons of salta little salt goes a long way.
• Place the salted slices on a large flat tray lined with paper towels.
• Layer them between additional towels if necessary and let sit for approximately 30 minutes.
• Rinse the slices well under cold running water and immediately pat dry and set aside.
• In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Make sure the oil is hot and evenly distributed over the surface of the pan.
• Carefully add 6 to 8 eggplant slices (or as many as the pan will fit comfortably), one at a time, and fry, turning once, until the eggplant is golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Using tongs, remove the eggplant from the pan and place on a tray lined with paper towels.
• Continue frying the remaining eggplant in batches, repeating the process with 2 tablespoons of oil each time until all the eggplant has been browned, drained, and cooled (see Notes).
• To make the meat sauce, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, being careful not to brown it.
• Add the chopped onions and cook until tender and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and brown for about 6 minutes.
• Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to deglaze, loosening any browned bits stuck on the bottom.
• Bring to a simmer and cook to reduce the liquid until the pan is almost dry.
• Add the tomato paste, water, parsley, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and let the mixture cook over very low heat for about 20 minutes.
• The sauce should be moist and spreadable but it will have much less liquid than a standard pasta sauce.
• Remove from the heat and let cool.
• To make the bechamel sauce, in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
• Blend in the flour with a whisk and cook until bubbly but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Gradually pour in the milk, whisking it into the butter-and-flour roux thoroughly until the mixture is thick and smooth.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste and blend thoroughly.
• Let the mixture cool slightly, then add 1 cup of the grated cheese, stirring until blended.
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Before assembling the moussaka, butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish.
• Arrange half of the eggplant on the bottom of the pan and spread half of the meat mixture over it.
• Repeat with another layer of eggplant and top with the remaining meat mixture.
• Spread the bechamel sauce evenly over the meat mixture, and then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese over the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until casserole is piping hot and the cheese has melted and browned slightly.
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 20 minutes.
• Cut into 3-inch squares and serve warm.