← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Red onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 900 g Minced beef
• 150 ml dry red wine
• 600 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp Sugar
• salt and black pepper
• 450 g pastitsio no. 2 pasta, bucatini or penne
• 100 g Feta, crumbled
• 2 egg whites (yolks go in the béchamel)
• 120 g Butter
• 120 g Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 l whole milk, warmed
• 1 pinch Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 2 egg yolks
• 100 g kefalotyri or parmesan, finely grated

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 6–8 min until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then turn the heat up, add the mince and fry for 8–10 min, breaking it up, until browned.
2. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 min. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, sugar and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer on low, uncovered, for 30 min until thick and not watery. Fish out the whole spices.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Cook the pasta in salted water for 2 min less than the packet says and drain. Toss it with the feta, the egg whites and a splash of olive oil.
4. For the béchamel, melt the butter over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the warm milk a little at a time and simmer for 5 min, whisking, until thick like custard. Off the heat, stir in the nutmeg and half the cheese, cool for 5 min, then whisk in the yolks.
5. In a 23 × 33 cm dish, spread half the pasta (lining the tubes up in rows if you like), cover with all the meat sauce, then the rest of the pasta. Pour over the béchamel and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 45–50 min, until the top is puffed and golden brown in patches. Rest for 30 min before cutting so the layers hold their shape.

Tips

• Make the meat sauce a day ahead to spread the work; the flavour improves overnight.
• Leftover egg-white pasta helps the layers set, so do not skip it.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

My Greek Dish RecipeTin Eats Dimitra's Dishes