Ingredients
Pasta
- 500 gpastitsio pasta, no. 2 macaroni, or bucatini
- 2eggs, beaten
- 100 gkefalotyri, grated
- salt
Meat sauce
- 800 gminced beef, or beef and lamb
- 2onions, chopped
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 400 gtinned tomatoes
- 2 tbsptomato purée
- 150 mlred wine
- 1cinnamon stick
- 3cloves
- 1bay leaf
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 3 tbspolive oil
- salt and pepper
Béchamel
- 120 gbutter
- 120 gplain flour
- 1.2 litreswhole milk
- 4egg yolks
- 150 gkefalotyri, grated
- a grating of nutmeg
- salt and white pepper
To finish
- more grated cheese
Directions
- Fry the onions in olive oil until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the mince and cook it hard until it is browned and dry, breaking it up as you go. Brown the meat properly rather than stewing it grey. Add the garlic, then the wine, and let it bubble away almost completely.
- Add the tomatoes, purée, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay and oregano. Use whole cinnamon and cloves rather than ground, and fish them out at the end, which gives a cleaner flavour. Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes until very thick and almost dry. The meat sauce must be nearly dry.
- Cook the pasta in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet says. Undercook it deliberately, because it finishes in the oven and fully cooked pasta comes out bloated.
- Drain it, do not rinse it, and let it cool for a few minutes. Toss the pasta with the beaten eggs and grated cheese while it is still warm. Toss it warm rather than hot, or the egg scrambles. Now the béchamel: melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook it 2 minutes without colouring.
- Add the milk gradually, whisking each addition in fully before the next. Cook until it is very thick, thicker than you would make a sauce for anything else. It should hold its shape on a spoon.
- Take it off the heat and beat in the nutmeg, cheese and seasoning, then the egg yolks one at a time. Add the yolks off the heat and beat fast, or they set into threads. Now assemble: spread the pasta in a deep dish, arranging some of it lengthways if using bucatini.
- Spread the meat sauce evenly over the pasta. Pour the béchamel over the top and level it right to the edges. Scatter more grated cheese over. Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is deep golden and set firm. Now rest it for at least 30 minutes before cutting, and an hour is better.
- Cut hot, it slumps into a heap; rested, it cuts into clean squares with three visible layers. Serve warm rather than hot, with a green salad.
Technique
- Greek pastitsio pasta is a thick hollow tube sold specifically for this and holds its shape well.
- Kefalotyri is sharp and hard; kefalograviera or a young pecorino are close substitutes.
- It reheats well and many prefer it the next day.
Substitutions
- Bucatini or thick penne in place of pastitsio pasta.
- Pecorino or a hard sheep’s cheese for kefalotyri.
Variations
- Made with lamb, which is richer.
- Vegetarian, with lentils or aubergine.
- With a layer of sliced potato at the base.
History
Baked pasta with minced meat and béchamel, its name from the Italian pasticcio and its topping from Tselementes’s French-influenced cooking.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pastitsio?
Pastitsio is a main from Greece: baked pasta with cinnamon-scented meat sauce, béchamel. Baked pasta with minced meat and béchamel, its name from the Italian pasticcio and its topping from Tselementes’s French-influenced cooking.
How long does Pastitsio take to make?
Pastitsio takes 45 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Pastitsio?
Yes, within limits. Bucatini or thick penne in place of pastitsio pasta. Pecorino or a hard sheep’s cheese for kefalotyri.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pastitsio?
Fry the onions in olive oil until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the mince and cook it hard until it is browned and dry, breaking it up as you go. Brown the meat properly rather than stewing it grey. Add the garlic, then the wine, and let it bubble away almost completely.
