Pastitsio
Pastitsio or macaronia tou fournou, which is the term mainly used in Cyprus, is a Greek or generally Middle Eastern baked pasta dish including pasta, meat sauce, and a custard or béchamel sauce.
The usual Greek version has a bottom layer of bucatini or other tubular pasta with cheese and egg as a binder; a middle layer of ground meat (beef, veal or lamb) with tomato and nutmeg or allspice; another layer of pasta; and a top layer of sauce, varying from an egg-based custard to a flour-based Béchamel or a Béchamel with cheese known as Mornay sauce in France. Grated cheese and nutmeg are often sprinkled on top. Pastitsio is a common dish, and is often served as a main course, with a salad.
Pastitsio
I've had this recipe for a long time and do not remember where I got it from. It makes quite a large casserole; you may want to cut the recipe in half.
Meat Sauce:
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, grated
1/2 cup red wine
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried
2 eggs
Pasta:
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup bread crumbs [omit]
1 pound ziti or other tubular pasta, elbow noodles could be used
Custard Sauce:
6 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. flour
3 cups hot milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
Cook meat and grated onion without oil over low heat, stirring, until meat is lightly browned. Drain off any fat and add wine, tomato sauce, water, salt, pepper, nutmeg and parsley. Cook until all juices have been absorbed. Let cool and mix in the 2 eggs.
Prepare macaroni noodles according to direction. To assemble, use a 16 x 11 inch lasagna pan, but any type of baking dish about that size will do. You will have just two layers of the macaroni noodles. In bottom of the baking dish that has been lightly oiled, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs. Place the one layer of macaroni noodles on top. Mix remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs with 1/2 cup of the Romano cheese and sprinkle over noodles. Pour all the meat mixture over this. Place second layer of noodles over the meat mixture and top with all of the custard sauce (see instructions below). Sprinkle remaining Romano cheese over the sauce and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until top is browned and dish is bubbly. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
To make Custard sauce, melt butter in a skillet and stir in flour. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture bubbles. Turn off heat and add milk, stirring until smooth. Turn heat back on and continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cover. When cool, stir in beaten egg yolks and Romano cheese.
Serves 8 - 10
Village Taverna’s Pastichio
Recipe from Village Taverna in Queen Village, Philadelphia, owner Kostantin Dalamagas.
Base ingredient:
12 ounces of macaroni, penne, or ziti
Ingredients for the meat sauce:
25 ounces of lean minced beef
2 medium-sized red onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
5 ounces of red wine
1 bay leaf
1/8 of a teaspoon of cinnamon
1 whole clove
1/4 cup of olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the bechamel sauce:
4 ounces of flour
4 ounces of butter
3 1/2 cups of whole milk
2 egg yolks
3 1/2 ounces of Parmesan or Kefalotyri cheese
A pinch of nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Layer half of the boiled pasta in a baking pan. Saute the beef seasoned with the clove and cinnamon. Add the tomatoes, garlic, sauteed onions, tomato paste, sugar, wine, olive oil, and bay leaf to the beef mixture. Simmer for an hour over mediumlow heat, remove the leaf and the clove, and layer the sauce over the pasta in the pan. Add the remaining pasta on top of that.
For the bechamel sauce, place the butter and flour in a saucepan. Add the milk while whisking to prevent clumping. Add the nutmeg. Take off the burner after the sauce has thickened, let cool, and add the yolks, salt, pepper, and cheese. Pour the sauce over the pasta layer. Bake until golden brown, and top with grated cheese.
