Preparation time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 1hour 15 minutes
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
500g long grain cooked rice
8 slices ham
3 Marlene apples (Gala) thinly sliced

For Bolognese sauce:
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
500gms lean ground beef
2 medium grated carrots
½ teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tbsp mixed spice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 jar (400gms) tomato puree
3 tablespoons tomato paste (Maltese kunserva)
2 large eggs
200gms grated Parmesan (or Glockner-Taler) cheese

For Curry broth:
2 tbsp curry powder
300ml warm vegetable or beef broth

For Gluten free white cheese sauce:
500 ml whole milk
40 g cornflour
½ tsp nutmeg
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
300g Emmentaler or Cheddar

Method:
For Bolognese Sauce:
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the onion and garlic for 2 – 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
Add the salt, pepper, mixed spice and cinnamon. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes to release the flavours in the spices.
Add the tomato puree and the tomato paste. Cook covered for a further 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef and grated carrots and cook until the meat is done.
Set aside.

For Curry Broth:
Stir the curry powder in the warm broth until well combined.

For White Gluten Free Cheese Sauce:
Bring the milk to the boil in a small saucepan with the bay leaf, cloves and nutmeg. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins. (This infusion process is optional, but adds a huge depth of flavour to the sauce.)
Remove the bay and cloves from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard. Leave the infused milk to cool before whisking in the cornflour.
Once the milk has absorbed all the cornflour and it feels thin and smooth then turn on the heat. Continue to stir.
Bring the sauce up to a gentle boil, stirring all the time.
Stir until the sauce has become thick and smooth. Do not let it bubble.
Remove the white sauce from the heat and add the grated cheese. Use immediately.


Assembly
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)

2. Divide the cooked rice in half. To half the rice add the Curry Sauce and 1 egg. Spread this rice in the base of a deep 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) dish.

3. Place the ham over the curry rice. Put the sliced apples on top of the ham.

4. Pour the Bolognese Sauce and egg over the rest of the rice. Spread the rice over the ham and apples layer.

5. Pour the spiced bechamel over the rice. Cover the dish with parchment paper.

6. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes until sauce becomes golden brown.