Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. With a spoon remove the inside but keep it aside until later. Try not to damage the skin or the mince filling will spill out.

Place the eggplant halves on an oven tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake the eggplant for about 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) until soft. Then let the roasted eggplant cool at room temperature. Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped garlic and shallot.

Gently stir fry them for a minute. Then add the ground beef.

Brown the beef for a few minutes. Now add the tomatoes and eggplant you kept aside. Season with the dried herbs and a pinch of pepper and salt.

Stir well. Cover the saucepan and let the mince mixture simmer for about 8 minutes. We'll make the bechamel sauce now. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the flour.

Stir well. Bake the flour over low heat for about 2 minutes. Then turn the heat back up and then add the milk little by little.

At first the sauce will be thick and sticky. Keep adding extra milk until it's a little runnier.

Stir constantly. In the end you should end up with a fairly thick white sauce. Season to taste with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Add a tablespoon of this bechamel sauce to the tomato filling.

Stir well. Check the seasoning of the mixture and also add extra pepper or salt. Then fill up the roasted eggplants. Top with a layer of bechamel sauce and finish with some grated cheese and a last sprinkle of pepper and salt.

Bake the stuffed eggplants in a hot oven at 356°F (180°C) until golden. Serve hot.