Pastitsio

Barbara Heller's Note:

Serve with Greek salad and lots of chilled retsina wine.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 tablespoons flour
• salt
• 4 cups milk
• white pepper
• 4 -6 egg yolks
• 8 ounces macaroni, cooked and drained (2 cups raw)
• 1 ounce butter
• salt
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• pepper, freshly ground
• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups kefalotyri or 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt 1 oz of butter in large skillet and saute onion til soft and transparent. Add the meat, cook until browned.
3. Mix tomato paste with wine and add to meat. Continue cooking, adding nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
4. Cook about 15 minutes, take off heat, cool and mix in half the breadcrumbs and half the grated cheese. Set aside. Do not allow meat to "bulk", keep it separated.
5. Cook the macaroni in boiling water with oil til soft. Drain and set aside. Make crema: melt butter, add flour, cook briefly stirring constantly.
6. Gradually add milk stirring constantly until it starts to boil and thickens slightly.
7. Add seasonings.
8. In a separate bowl, beat eggs.
9. Add about 1 cup of the hot sauce to the eggs, stirring constantly.
10. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan, stirring constantly.
11. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese. To Assemble: Grease a baking dish (LIKE A LASAGNA PAN) and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs.
12. Spread half the cooked pasta over the bottom of the dish and sprinkle it with 1/4 cup reserved cheese. Spread all of the meat over the pasta.
13. Pour half the sauce over the meat and spread the rest of the pasta over it. Sprinkle it with 2 tablespoons of cheese.
14. Pour the rest of the sauce on top and smooth with a spatula.
15. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in the preheated oven 50-60 minutes.
16. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Reviews

[Scots Lass/Cairo]

This is one of my favourite pastitsio recipes. I have a very similar one by Anne Theoharous, which is so lengthy in preparation. Everyone always asks me for this recipe. This recipe goes very well with a tomato salad in a Greek dressing. Thanks for sharing!!

[chef Nic]

I have never had this dish so I had nothing to compare it to. But we all enjoyed it. It was alot of work cleanup wise..LOL Thanks

[Myra]

I made this the other night for my boyfriend and we both really loved it. I added a few vegetables into it: zucchini, bell pepper and mushrooms. The spices were delicious, just like at the Greek restaurant. Thanks for submitting this recipe.