PASTITSIO (Greek Lasagna)

This is Greece’s version of Italy’s famous Lasagna and I’m all for it! Pretty well anything that includes pasta is a winner in my books though.

This casserole style pasta dish is made with layers of pasta tossed with egg whites and feta cheese (I use penne but bucatini is more traditional for this Greek dish).  It is topped with a thick and rich meat sauce with the subtle hint of cinnamon and cloves and finally, topped with a thick layer of a velvety béchamel cheese sauce.

We are teetotalers by personal choice but as the alcohol burns off while the sauce simmers, I do use red wine in this recipe.  You can substitute beef broth if you like but you will lose some of the depth of flavour the wine adds. 

It sounds like a daunting recipe to make but it really isn’t!

Served with grilled garlic bread, this is sure to please.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

Meat Sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 2 onions, diced

• 2 lb lean ground beef

• 3/4 cup red wine (or beef broth)

• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

• 2 tsp beef bouillon paste (or two cubes)

• 3 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tsp white sugar

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

Greek Bechamel:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup flour

• 4 cups whole milk

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

• 2 large egg yolks (save the whites to toss with the pasta)

Pasta:

• 500g package of penne or bucatini pasta

• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 2 large egg whites

DIRECTIONS:

Meat Sauce:

• Fry ground beef, garlic and onion until thoroughly cooked and no pink remains. (if you didn’t use lean ground beef, drain the excess fat)

• Add the red wine and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the wine has reduced.

• Add the rest of the meat sauce ingredients. Stir and allow to simmer stirring occasionally, over medium low heat for 50 minutes or until liquid is reduced and the mixture is thick (not saucy!)

• Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
  

Béchamel Sauce:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

• Continue to stir with a whisk while slowly pouring in half of the milk. It will become a thick paste like consistency. Slowly pour in the remaining milk, whisking constantly until smooth.

• Continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 5 more minutes or until it is thick enough so that you can draw a path across it with a spoon.

• Remove the béchamel sauce from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, Parmesan or Romano cheese and salt.

• Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Now quickly and thoroughly whisk in the egg yolks. Cover and set aside until ready to assemble the dish. If your sauce cools and becomes too thick, slightly reheat and add a touch more milk until it is smooth again.

Pasta:

• When both the meat and béchamel sauces are almost ready, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Don’t overcook it! It’s better for it to be al dente as it will continue to cook in the oven.

• Drain, and return to the pot. Quickly stir in the egg whites and crumbled feta cheese.

LAST STEP:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with cooking spray or oil with olive oil.

• Place pasta in the baking dish arranging it as much as possible so they are all going in the same direction. This isn’t super important but it adds to the visual beauty of the dish.

• Spread the Meat Sauce evenly over the top.

• Pour the Béchamel Sauce evenly over on top of the meat sauce.

• Bake for 30 min or until the béchamel forms a golden crust.

• Cool for 10 minutes to allow the layers to set before cutting and serving. Enjoy!