Greek Pastitsio (Recipe & Pictures)

For the pasta

• Add the pasta to a pot full of salted water.
  Brush a baking pan with olive oil.
  When the pasta is ready, drain and spread in the baking pan.
  Add the 2 eggs, lightly beaten, a generous amount of thyme and crumbled feta cheese.
  Set aside until needed.

Method For the ground meat

• Place a pan over high heat.
  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the finely chopped onions, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and finely chopped thyme.
  Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onions caramelize nicely.
  Add the garlic and continue to sauté.
  Add the ground meat. Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes.
  Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
  Add the canned tomatoes, cinnamon, bouillon cubes and bay leaves.
  Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the sauce reduces and the ground meat is cooked.
  When ready, remove from heat. Discard the bay leaves and set aside until needed.

For the béchamel sauce

• Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat. As soon as it melts, add the flour. Beat with a hand whisk and sauté the flour for a few minutes.
  Add the milk, in small batches, whisking continuously so that no lumps form in the mixture.
  The mixture will be quite thick at first. As you add more and more of the milk, you will see how the béchamel sauce will start to become nice and creamy.
  When ready, remove from heat and add salt, pepper, nutmeg and all of the grated gruyere, apart from 1 tablespoon which will be added at the end of the recipe.
  To complete, add the 2 egg yolks and whisk to incorporate.
  Set aside until needed.

To assemble

• Preheat oven to 180°C Fan. Bring back the baking pan containing the pasta mixture.

• Spread the ground meat mixture over the pasta in the baking pan.

• Pout the béchamel sauce over the ground meat.

• Last, sprinkle the reserved grated gruyere over the top.

• Bake for 40 minutes or until the béchamel turns golden brown.

Ingredients for ground meat

-750 gr ground beef
-2 onions finely chopped
-1 clove of garlic minced
-2 beef bouillon cubes
-1 can chopped tomatoes (400 gr)
-1 tablespoon sugar
-100 ml red wine
-fresh thyme
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-2 tablespoons olive oil for the onion
-2 tablespoons olive oil for the ground meat
-2 bay leaves
-½ bunch of parsley finely chopped

Ingredients for béchamel sauce

-100 gr gruyere cheese, grated
-1 liter milk
-100 gr butter
-2 egg yolks
-100 gr all-purpose flour
-½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
-salt
-pepper

Ingredients for pasta

-300 gr long ziti or bucatini pasta
-2 eggs
-200 gr feta cheese, crumbled
-30 ml olive oil
-a generous amount of fresh thyme

Enjoy...

✒With Love by GLadiaTOM...