Great Greek Pastitsio

• December 4, 2014
• Mari Bickmore
• no comments

As far as I’m concerned, this is the Greek version of a lasagna and it gives the same comfort you would get from that.  I probably like it better.

One of my sons has recently been traveling.  He has now been gone since September 2 and has visited many friends and places all over Europe.  He just left Athens yesterday to work for a couple of weeks in Japan.  Athens was his longest stay, probably almost a month, the last two weeks of which he spent with a family he met there, so he got a good slice of life.  I have a few stories to share as soon as I can pin him down for more details.  He recently told me about the pastitsio that he ate at a nice local restaurant and that made me crave it.  I pulled out this recipe I had made a few years ago, which I knew made a quite tasty pastitsio.  I hope the leftovers last a couple of days!  It made me wish I was sitting in a cheap little taverna somewhere in Greece with friends, probably overlooking the Mediterranean.  Breezy with blue skies, a plate of olives, and some fresh blood orange juice, thinking about visiting some ruins tomorrow…or the next day.

This is not a quick make, but it is not difficult either.  I would start it about three hours before you want to serve, just to give yourself some time.  It would be nice to have an antipasto to serve along with it…I did not for the first day, but think I will run out and get some for tonight!  Don’t forget,  you can make this gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour and the pasta with a brown-rice or other gluten free pasta, but no matter how gluten-free you make it, you can’t seem to take out those calories.  But now fat is good for you! so hey.

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

3 Tbps olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground lamb

3/4 cup dry red wine

4 medium to large garlic cloves

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or dried)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 can crushed tomatoes in puree, 28 oz.

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bechamel:

1 1/2 cups whole milk (not 2%, not skim)

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan (you can grate in your food processor, but I typically buy the good freshly grated Parmesan in the better cheeses area)

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt, plain

3/4 pound small shells

Directions

Sauce:

1.  Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot.  Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes.

2.  Add the ground beef and lamb.  Saute with the onions on medium for 8-10 minutes, until it’s no longer pink, crumbling it with the back of wooden spoon until there are no chunks left. Drain off any excess liquid.

3.  Add wine and cook for about two more minutes.

4.  Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne, and continue cooking on medium for five  minutes.

5.  Add the tomatoes, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 to 45 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bechamel:

1.  Heat the milk and cream together in a medium bowl in the micro about 2-1/2 minutes until it is warm.

2.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.

3.  Pour the warm milk and cream mixture into the butter and flour mixture, about a half cup at a time, whisking constantly and blending completely with each addition of milk.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick.

4.  Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

5.  Stir in 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomato and meat sauce.  Turn off the heat and set aside to cool for 8-10 minutes.  Stir occasionally to release the heat.

6.  Stir in the eggs and yogurt.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Don’t over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.

Stir the pasta into the meat and tomato sauce mixture, then pour the mixture into a baking dish (needs to be larger than a 10×12 casserole dish.  I use a 10 x 16 pan).  

Pour the bechamel over the meat mixture and spread evenly to completely cover the pasta.  Then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese over the bechamel evenly. 

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.

I know you will love this dish!  Please subscribe to my blog if you do.  I promise to add more good recipes and hopefully some stories to amuse, if even for a short time.