GREEK PASTITSIO RECIPE (GREEK LASAGNA WITH BéCHAMEL)
The Best Greek Pastitsio recipe (Pastichio)! An authentic Greek Lasagna recipe to recreate this traditional delight just like my grandma used to make it.
Provided by Eli K. Giannopoulos
Categories Main
Time 1h35m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- 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 sauté 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 square, Calories 724kcal, Sugar 11.1g, Sodium 607.6mg, Fat 30.7g, SaturatedFat 14.6g, UnsaturatedFat 14.1g, TransFat 0.2g, Carbohydrate 63.2g, Fiber 3.1g, Protein 44.5g, Cholesterol 169.6mg
MY BIG FAT GREEK PASTITSIO
This is real comfort food! I love this meaty, rich casserole. I must warn you - you will probably end up with very messy kitchen after making this, but it is worth it. Named in honor of the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" which celebrates Greek culture. I have been making this homestyle Greek recipe for many years, but it originally came from one of my favorite military community cookbooks, "Enough to Feed an Army." Prep time allows for cooking the macaroni and chopping the onions & garlic.
Provided by HeatherFeather
Categories Lamb/Sheep
Time 1h40m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a nonstick skillet sprayed with nonstick spray, saute the onion over medium-high heat until translucent, 2-3 minutes or so.
- Add meat to the pan and cook over medium heat until browned all the way through; drain fat.
- Add tomato sauce, garlic,just 1 tsp of the cinnamon, and some salt to taste.
- Simmer on low heat 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
- Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour, whisking until blended.
- Remove pan from heat and whisk in the milk slowly until blended.
- Return pan to heat and let simmer over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring often,or until thick and smooth.
- Remove sauce from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a bowl, beat eggs and then add small portion of the cream sauce, whisking quickly as you do.
- Whisk in a bit more of the sauce, then add all the rest and whisk well until smooth.
- (You can to be careful not to add too much at first or you will cook the eggs.) Season sauce with some salt& pepper and a dash of nutmeg to taste, mixing well.
- Grease a 9x13" casserole with deep sides well and place hot macaroni in it.
- Top with meat sauce, then sprinkle meat sauce with remaining 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Pour cream sauce over all to cover.
- You may need to shake the pan a little to make everything settle in (not too hard- you don't want sauce flying everywhere).
- You may have a little extra cream sauce left over, depending on how deep your pan is.
- Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for approximately 40 minutes or until custard is firm (no jiggling).
- Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
MY PASTITSIO
This is a variation of the Greek meat, pasta and custard casserole. It relies on cumin rather than cinnamon to flavor the meat. The proportions of pasta, meat and custard are comparable to traditional pastitsio, as is the custard topping, but the meat sauce used in this version is completely mine.
Provided by Nicole Schultheis
Categories Cheese
Time 1h10m
Yield 1 9" x 13" casserole, 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Meat Base: Saute onion with ground beef, breaking meat up as you go, until meat is almost done.
- Drain off any excess fat.
- Add garlic, cumin and flour, stir together well, and saute a minute or two more.
- Add remaining meat base ingredients and simmer gently, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off heat and cover.
- Pasta: Cook pasta until al dente in an ample quantity of salted water to which a bit of vegetable oil has been added (helps keep strands from sticking together).
- Drain well.
- Custard Topping: Melt butter in saucepan and mix in the flour.
- Let it bubble a minute or two or until you can smell a slightly nutty flavor, but do not let it brown.
- Gradually add most of the milk, whisking.
- Let it cook about 10 minutes, stirring, until well thickened, then remove from heat.
- Mix the nutmeg, salt and pepper into the grated cheese.
- Add the eggs to the remaining milk in your measuring cup and whisk.
- Whisk the egg and milk mixture into the sauce, then whisk the cheese mixture into the sauce also.
- Assembly: Layer 1/2 of the pasta in the bottom of your baking pan.
- Then add all of the meat sauce, removing the bay leaf and any stems from the marjoram.
- Top with remaining pasta, then pour the custard sauce over all.
- If everything is still hot when you assemble it, bake at 400 degrees Farenheit for about 35 minutes.
- If merely warm, or if using a glass or ceramic pan instead of a metal one, bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.
- Top should be slightly golden, edges slightly brown.
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