Oven-Baked Moroccan Eggplant (Berenjenal) – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables and leave 20 minutes, so it releases liquid.
3. 3
   Brush the vegetables generously with the olive oil.

   Pastry brush
4. 4
   Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
5. 5
   Roast the vegetables in a hot oven (200°C / 390°F) 20 minutes, until the eggplants turn golden.

   ⚙ Oven roastingOvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.

For the Tomato sauce

1. 6
   Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 7
   Add the onion and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 8
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 9
   Add the cumin and paprika and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.

For the Béchamel

1. 10
   Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat, add the flour and stir 1–2 minutes, until a smooth roux forms and starts to bubble.

   StovePot
2. 11
   Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly, and cook 5–8 minutes, until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon.

   StoveWhisk

   💡Add the milk slowly, whisking constantly, so no lumps form. For lasagna, the common ratio is about 7 g flour per 100 ml milk (4 tablespoons flour to 2 cups): more flour gives a thick béchamel, for moussaka; less flour gives a soft béchamel, for a sauce.
3. 12
   Season with salt and Nutmeg.
4. 13
   Remove from the heat and stir in the eggs.

   💡Eggs go into the béchamel only after it has cooled slightly: boiling béchamel cooks them into lumps.

To assemble

1. 14
   Lower the oven to 180°C (355°F).

   Oven
2. 15
   In a greased baking dish, layer eggplant, tomato sauce, another layer of eggplant and the rest of the tomato sauce, and pour the béchamel on top.

   Baking pan
3. 16
   Bake 35 minutes, until the dish is browned and bubbling.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.