Greek Pastitsio recipe (Greek Lasagna with Bechamel)

Ingredients

• La Molisana Penne Ziti Rigate Pasta

  La Morenita

  100g

• Feta cheese

  100g

• Egg white

  Raw, fresh eggs

  200g

• Ground beef

  70% lean meat / 30% fat, raw

  100g

• Onions

  Raw

  2 medium or 220g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 cloves, minced or 6g

• Tomatoes

  Whole, canned

  100g

• Tomato paste

  Canned, without salt added

  1 tbsp or 16g

• Sugar

  White, granulated sugar

  1 tsp or 4g

• Red wine

  Alcoholic beverage, table

  500g

• Bay

  Castella

  100g

• Cinnamon

  Spices, ground

  100g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  25g

• Salt

  Table

  2 tsp or 12g

• Green peppers

  Hot chili, raw

  2 tsp, chopped or 6g

• Wheat flour

  Whole-grain

  122g

• Butter

  Unsalted

  24 ⅜ pat or 122g

• Reduced fat milk

  Fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin a and vitamin d

  964g

• Egg yolk

  Raw, fresh

  200g

• Parmesan cheese

  Grated

  100g

• Nutmeg

  Spices, ground

  0.02 tbsp or 0.1g

• Salt

  Table

  1 dash or 0.4g

• Parmesan cheese

  Grated

  100g

Directions

1. To prepare this traditional pastitsio recipe (pastichio), start with the meat sauce. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, the chopped onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and the beef. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes. Pour in the red wine and wait to evaporate. Add the canned tomatoes, the sugar, cinnamon, clove, the bay leaf and season. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated. (After the meat is cooked, discard the bay leaf, the clove and the cinnamon)
2. Prepare the bechamel sauce for the pastitsio. Melt the butter in a large pan over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add warmed milk in small batches, whisking continuously in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat whilst continuing to stir. Remove the pan from the stove and add the egg yolks, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and the grated cheese (50g/ 1.7oz.). Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning an omelette! Season with salt to taste.
3. Cook the pasta for the pastitsio 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, so that they don't get mushy after turning out of the oven later. Drain the pasta and stir in the egg whites and the feta cheese (smashed with a fork) and mix gently with a spatula.
4. For this pastitsio recipe you will need a large baking dish, approx. 25*35 cm / 10*14 inch. Butter the bottom and sides of a pan and assemble the pastitsio. Layer the pasta, top with the meat sauce and even out. Top the pastitsio with the bechamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
5. Sprinkle the pastichio with grated cheese and bake in preheated oven at 180C (350F) Fan for about 40 minutes, until crust turns a light golden brown. Let the pastitsio cool down for a while before serving.
6. Recipe by: Eli K. Giannopoulos (source: https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/pastitsio/)

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