Melanzane alla Comasco

Name: Melanzane alla Comasco (Beef and Béchamel Stuffed Eggplant)
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ¼ cup (35 g) plain flour; 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; 50 g unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering; ½ onion, finely chopped; 300 g beef mince; 75 ml dry white wine; 100 g Grana Padano, freshly grated; 200 g fine fresh breadcrumbs; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 4 eggplants (aubergines), halved lengthways, seeds scooped out and discarded; extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling; 3 bulbs baby fennel, shaved; freshly ground black pepper; ½ lemon; 35 g unsalted butter; 400 ml milk; fine salt

Beef and Béchamel Stuffed Eggplant

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

A Lombardian Cookbook

By Alessandro Pavoni and Roberta Muir

Published 2015

About

This dish, from the Como province, is the Lombardian equivalent of eggplant Parmigiana; of course in Lombardy, we add meat! Or, with the creamy béchamel, it’s a bit like a lasagne without the pasta.

Ingredients

50 g unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering
½ onion, finely chopped
300 g

Europe
Italy
Main course
Mediterranean

Method

To make the béchamel sauce, bring the milk to the boil in a small heavy-based saucepan. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and cook for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk, in three or four batches, and continue whisking until it comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and whisk for another 2 minutes. Stir in the salt