(Serves six)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
500 g minced lamb or beef
200 ml red wine
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried oregano
250 ml beef stock
Salt and pepper
4 zucchini, approx. 20-cm long, trimmed
200 g feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
300 ml béchamel sauce
4 slices day-old Maltese bread made into coarse crumbs
3 tbsp grated cheese

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more. Stir in the meat and cook until it loses its raw colour, then add the wine, turn up the heat and let it bubble until the wine evaporates. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and stock. Season with salt and pepper and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes until the sauce is thick.

Cut each zucchini lengthwise into slices about 5-mm thick. Drop the slices into boiling water and blanch for two minutes, then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Spread a third of the meat sauce into a rectangular baking dish and cover with a third of the zucchini, overlapping the slices so that they cover the sauce. Sprinkle with half the feta cheese, then repeat the layers once more.

Top with the remaining sauce and zucchini. Stir the beaten egg into the béchamel sauce and pour it over the zucchini. Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese together and sprinkle themon top, then bake for about 35 to 40 minutes until brown and bubbling.