Pastitsio (pronounced: pahs-TEET-see-yoh), is a dish enjoyed in Greece and also worldwide. There are so many variations of it in the cooking process, but the basic Greek traditional dish consists of a thick tubed-like pasta, ground beef or pork, bechamel sauce and a mix of spices. The final result is always delicious. Let’s get started!
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ packet of thick tubed-like pasta
1 tbsp of butter
1 tsp of salt
Ingredients for the meat:
1lb, 10.5oz of ground beef or pork
1 onion, chopped
5 tbsp of olive oil
1 can of tomato sauce
½ cup of red wine
½ cup of water
½ tsp of nutmeg
1 tbsp of salt
½ tsp of black pepper
¼ cup of whole milk (optional)
Ingredients for the bechamel sauce:
7 tbsp of flour
3 eggs
8 cups of whole milk
½ cup of soft butter
½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ tsp of salt
Authentic Greek Pastitsio:
Put the water and 1 tsp of the salt into a large pot and boil it on med-high heat. Add the pasta and cook for approximately 10 minutes, until they are soft. Rinse them and set aside.
Now let’s prepare the meat. Put the oil and the onion into a large frying pan and cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the ground beef or pork and continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Now add the tomato sauce, nutmeg, salt, pepper, red wine, milk and the water and mix all the ingredients together. Let the meat mixture boil on med-high heat for approximately 30 minutes. Add more salt if necessary, to taste.
Let’s make the bechamel sauce. In a pot melt the butter on medium heat. Add the flour and stir well. While stirring add slowly the milk, eggs and salt. It’s very important to keep stirring constantly, until the mixture gets thick enough and starts boiling. When it’s done, add the shredded cheese and mix it all together. Add more salt if necessary, to taste.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with butter and on top of that add the ¾ of the pasta. Sprinkle a little of the shredded cheddar cheese. Add the hamburger mixture, then the rest of the pasta and last add the Béchamel sauce on top with the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese. Apply the sauce and cheese so they cover the whole surface. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees (F) for approximately an hour, until the surface is golden brown. When it’s done, take the casserole out of the oven and let it rest for a while until it’s just warm, otherwise you won’t be able to cut it into squares. Enjoy!
Greek cooking secrets:
As you’re cooking this dish, be careful to pay attention to the balance of flavors in each different parts. For example, after the hamburger is cooked, taste it. If it tastes a little salty, do not add more salt to the Béchamel sauce, otherwise the whole dish will be way too salty to eat.
The only reason we add milk to the meat mixture, is because it creates a more silky texture.
You can replace the shredded cheddar cheese with feta cheese. Add less salt in the food, because feta is already salty.
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