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Good morning my friends and happy Saturday, another traditional recipe for all of you today , we call this papoutsakia (small shoes haha) .
It’s not so easy but believe me you will take an amazing result , let’s do this step by step

Ingredients

5 eggplant flasks, medium size

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Salt

Pepper

For the minced meat:

500 gr. ground beef, from spalomita

800 gr. crushed tomato

150 ml wine, red

7-8 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sk. garlic, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 pinch of cinnamon, grated

1 pinch of cloves, grated

Salt

Pepper

For the béchamel:

500 ml milk, whole

100 gr. gruyere, grated and extra for sprinkling

50 gr. flour, g.o.x. and sifted

50 gr. butter, at room temperature

2 egg yolks

¼ κ.γ. nutmeg, grated

Salt

Pepper

Preparation

1
For the aubergines: Rinse the aubergines and cut them with a knife lengthwise in the middle. Carve their flesh crosswise with a knife to create "little diamonds".

2
Sprinkle each eggplant with olive oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Then place them on an oven tray and bake them in a preheated oven at 200 ° C in air for 30 minutes, until soft.
3
Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.
4
For the minced meat: Place a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
5
Then add the garlic, sauté it for another 1 minute and then, add the minced meat and fry it until it turns white.
6
Once white, add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
7
Quench with red wine, waiting for the alcohol to evaporate completely.
8
Then add the cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, lower the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
9
Once it is ready, mix the minced meat with a wooden spoon and set it aside.
10
For the béchamel: Place a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and after it melts, add the flour and stir with a hand whisk for 1 minute, slowly adding the milk and stirring constantly, so that the béchamel does not clump.
11
When it thickens, remove the pot from the heat, add the yolks, the gruyere, the nutmeg, add salt and pepper and mix well with a hand whisk.
12
Composition: Take the ¼ of béchamel, add it to the minced meat, fill the surface of each eggplant with the minced meat and cover with a full spoon of béchamel.
13
Finally, sprinkle with extra grated gruyere and bake at 200 ° C in the air for 25-30 minutes, until the béchamel is granulated.

I hope you try this and enjoy it as well

Stay safe and healthy my friends and take care of your people

My best wishes from Greece