Roast your eggplants until lightly golden brown - about 30 minutes.

Make the sauce. Sauté onion and green pepper until lightly brown. Add in the ground beef (mine is pre-cooked from the freezer) and cook until done. Drain any grease that you can.

Add to the ground beef the tomatoes, chickpeas, spices, sugar, and bay leaves. Simmer over medium-low heat for about an hour. You can do less, but the sauce gets so much better with time.

Make a bechamel sauce for the top. Check out the full tutorial here. In a saucepan or large skillet melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for one minute whisking often and then add the room temperature heavy cream. Whisk well and let simmer for a couple of minutes until thick.

In a large baking dish layer a spoonful of sauce and then a single layer of eggplant. Repeat 2-3 times depending on how many of the ingredients you have.

On top of the last layer, pour all of the white creamy bechamel and spread it around evenly. Slice the fresh tomatoes put on top and sprinkle with oregano.

Place the casserole on a baking tray in a preheated oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on the broiler and cook another 10 minutes.

Let sit for about 10 minutes and serve hot.