Pastitsio

Tonight I tried my hand at pastitsio and it was delicious! The only thing I did wrong was use rigatoni because it made it hard to make the pieces look pretty/stay layered when sliced. Bucatini is the standard noodle used for this, but I couldn't find any. Ziti or penne is definitely a better choice than rigatoni.

Because I have made Greek meatsauce several times before (and I like my version), I asked my grandma just to tell me what she does for the bechamel, and the pasta if anything. Then I put on my best translator/thinking cap (kind of hard when the woman uses HER glasses/cups as measures, and not actual measuring utensils!) and went to town on this.

I basically went by her "recipe" for the bechamel but added a little nutmeg and a little less flour (hers called for a cup of flour for 1/2 stick of butter which I think would have been a clumpy mess, but then again, I tend to not be the best when it comes to making a roux or cream sauce).

The best thing is that I thought this would be SO high calorie when I entered it into Sparkpeople. I also thought I would get about 8 servings but we will get 10 easily, if not 12. It turns out to be about 400-500 calories (using 90% lean ground beef and 2% milk). per serving depending on whether you get 10 or 12 servings.

Kefalotyri cheese can often be found at places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and some grocery stores in the ethnic section. Myzithra is a little tougher to track down but it is, by far, my favorite cheese for pastas. If you can't find either, I recommend using a strong, salty, fairly hard cheese like a romano.

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Pastitsio

Pasta
1 lb. medium tube-shaped pasta, like ziti
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup mizithra, grated
2 tbsp. butter

Cook pasta until just al dente in salted water. Melt butter and toss with pasta, cheese and beaten egg.

Cream/Bechamel
6 tbsp butter
2/3 c. flour
4 cups milk
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup mizithra, grated
3/4 cup kefalotyri, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1 egg yolk, beaten

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and whisk. Cook about 1-2 minutes to remove raw flour taste.

Stir in milk and bring JUST to a slight boil. Continue to simmer until thickened, and sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Remove from heat.

Allow to cool slightly before stirring in cheese and eggs.

Meatsauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 lbs. ground beef
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 cups water
1/2 can diced tomatoes (I don't normally add this but I had it leftover from the okra)
1 cinnamon stick (or about 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
8 whole cloves or allspice (or a mixture, ground is fine but I don't have it!)
1.5 tbsp dried parsley or 1/4 cup, fresh
salt (about 2 or so tsp), pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add onions and cook a few minutes before adding in beef. Brown beef and drain.

Return beef to pan and cook about a minute with the minced garlic.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer for an hour, seasoning to taste.

Assembly
Grease a large lasagna pan or baking dish. Layer half the pasta mixture, the entire meat mixture, the remaining pasta and then the cream. (At least this is how you are supposed to do it, I had a huge pan so I couldn't really layer half the pasta and just made the entire first layer pasta, which makes it harder for the bechamel to separate).

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup grated kefalotyri and 1/4 cup bread crumbs.

Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes. Allow to cool about 10 or 15 minutes to stiffen/set.

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We had this with some Greek-style okra, which I make exactly like I make my green beans.

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