Greek Pastitsio. (Separated from a previous thread).

(I realized the previous thread was too long and tedious, so here is the Pastistio by itself)



As I mentioned in the Dolmathes thread, I lived in Athens as a boy in the 1960's. I have LOVED Greek cuisine ever since. This is a really simple and easy to prepare casserole type dish that has unique flavor and is really very good. Think of it as a Greek version of baked Ziti.

Here is a really good recipe to use as a starting point.

I ground some lamb straight from the packaged leg I bought;

The first strip or two of the Lamb meat through the grinder, about 1/3 of a pound of this with no herbs mixed in.

Once the meat is ground, I starting off with a finely diced onion, olive oil and butter.


In with the ground beef and the Lamb. This is a 1.5 LB pound package of Ground Round and about a half pound of freshly Ground Leg of Lamb. The hunk of Lamb is on the right.


Beginning the pasta. I'm using Barilla Penne n.72. It's best with a small, tubular pasta, so you can use elbows too, or any small, tube pasta you like. Spaghetti and the like will work, of course, but the dish is best served by a Penne or small shells or elbows,


When the meat has cooked, it's time to add some tomato sauce. Various recipes call for various types, from crushed to sauce to puree to diced. I'm using Pomi' strained Tomatoes. Add Cinnamon, a bit of oregano and nutmeg, salt and pepper.


When the pasta is finished, it's time to dress it. Drain and rinse in a colander. 2 Tbsp of butter into the warm pan and then back in with the pasta. Add a bit of Parmesan and mixing quickly, add a beaten egg. Set aside.


The ingredients for the Bechamel sauce. 2 Cups of milk in the white bowl, 4 Tbs of butter melting in the pan and 4 Tbs of flour. Make a Roux with the butter and flour and then add the milk.



3 beaten eggs will go in as well, but first they must be tempered.

Here's a short vid of that process. Sorry about the framing!

I didn't show it in the video, but finish the sauce with a bit of Parmesan.


Now to assemble the dish.

First in goes the pasta. You can see the coating that the egg and cheese has given it. This will help it hold together as well as providing wonderful flavor.


Then a layer of the meat. Once again I am using a pie dish, but this works really well with your regular casserole or lasagna pan.


Then ladle on the Bechamel.


Ready for the oven. 350 degrees for about 30 to 35 minutes.


Out of the oven and it looks like this;


And here you go! Pastisio and Dolmathes. Serve with lemon and/or a lemon sauce;



Yassou!