Pastitsio (Greek lasagna)


  

Prep time: About 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 2 hours

Makes: 4 - 6 servings

    

Ingredients

    

Directions -

  1. Heat 1 T. olive oil in heavy skillet and fry beef at medium heat 20 minutes until all moisture is gone and beef sizzles.
  2. Stir in onion and saute 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic.
  3. Deglaze pan with wine, add bay leaf, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and tomatoes.
  4. Cover pan and simmer meat sauce 45 minutes.
  5. Boil water and cook pasta 8 minutes until al dente. Drain and mix in 1 T. olive oil and cool.
  6. When still warm stir in the egg whites and 2 T. grated cheese.
  7. For the bechamel, melt butter in pot at medium heat. Then stir in flour and whisk 2 minutes until smooth.
  8. Remove from heat and whisk in milk slowly until smooth. Return to heat and whisk continuously 5 minutes until sauce thickens.
  9. To the whipped egg yolks slowly mix in some bechamel to blend. Then blend yolks, 2 T. cheese and nutmeg into bechamel.
  10. Oil a 6x9 inch baking dish (3 inches high). Mix 1/4 of meat sauce with pasta and put pasta into dish.
  11. Carefully spread remaining meat sauce on top of pasta to make a cover over pasta.
  12. Carefully spread bechamel sauce over meat sauce.
  13. Bake 25 minutes in 375 deg. F. oven, then turn down to 350 deg. F. and bake another 25 minutes or until top is brown.
  14. Let pastitsio cool for an hour before cutting into portions and serving.

Based on a recipe from the Internet.

 

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