BLACK BEAN MOUSSAKA

This has to be in my top ten vegetarian dishes of all time. You don’t have to stack it up as I’ve done here though, just layer it in an ovenproof dish if that works better for you.

Serves 1

● ½ an onion, sliced

● Olive oil

● Salt and pepper

● A pinch of cumin seeds

● 200g (7oz) black beans (from a 400g tin), drained

● 200g (7oz) chopped tomatoes (from a 400g tin)

● 3 slices of aubergine

● 1tsp butter

● 1tsp plain flour

● 200ml (7fl oz) milk

● A small handful of grated Cheddar cheese

● 1 egg

Preheat your oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Fry the onion in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for a few minutes. Season and add a pinch of cumin seeds, then fry for a few more minutes. Add the black beans and the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Season to taste and set to one side. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, season and fry the aubergine in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for a few minutes on each side. Set to one side. In a saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, add the flour and cook for a minute, stirring continuously. Slowly add the milk, stirring all the time, and when a lump-free sauce has formed, remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, crack in the egg and mix everything together well.

Assemble the moussaka in an ovenproof dish. Start with an aubergine slice, add a tablespoon of the white sauce, and then a couple of tablespoons of the black bean mixture. Repeat the layers. Top with the third slice of aubergine and finish with a final tablespoon of white sauce.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese sauce is bubbling, then serve.