Pastitsio is a cross between lasagna and moussaka with the flavours if Greece. Pasta base topped with a meat ragu flavoured with herbs and cinnamon and topped with moussaka style set bechemal sauce. Can be made a couple of days in advance as the flavours improve with age.
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 500 g beef mince
- 150 ml red wine
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 150 ml beef stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 300 g macaroni
- ½ bunch parsley leaves picked and finely chopped
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 100 g feta
Topping
- 120 g plain flour
- 120 g butter
- 1 ltr milk
- pinch nutmeg
- 2 eggs beaten
- 80 g paremsan grated
Instructions
- Start with the meat sauce. Gently heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and tomato puree and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the mince, breaking it up with a fork and brown for 4-5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to high, pour in the red wine and reduce by half. Lower the heat, add sugar, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves. Tip in the tomatoes and stock, season, Bring to the boil, turn the heat to a simmer and leave to bubble with the lid off for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once most of the juices have evaporated, remove the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves (if you can't find the cloves, warn your guests!)
- Preheat the oven to 160 c fan
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes less than the packaging suggests, Drain, stir ia drizzle of olive oil and the parsley, beaten egg and crumbled feta, mix well. Butter a roasting tin, tip the pasta into the bottom of the pan.
- To make the topping, melt the butter in a large pan over a low medium heat. Add the flour and stir, gradually whisk in the milk. Add a few pinches of nutmeg, continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Stir in half the parmesan and quickly whisk in the eggs.
- Pour the meat sauce over the pasta followed by the white sauce and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories: 543.2kcalCarbohydrates: 50.1gProtein: 26.9gFat: 24.4gSaturated Fat: 9.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 10.3gTrans Fat: 0.8gCholesterol: 125.3mgSodium: 496.6mgPotassium: 622.2mgFiber: 3.6gSugar: 6.3gVitamin A: 677.1IUVitamin C: 12.1mgCalcium: 269.1mgIron: 4.1mg
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