Basic Greek Bechamel Recipes

GREEK PASTITSIO RECIPE (GREEK LASAGNA WITH BéCHAMEL)

Steps:

• To prepare this traditional pastitsio recipe (pastichio), start with the meat sauce. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, the chopped onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and the beef. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes. Pour in the red wine and wait to evaporate. Add the canned tomatoes, the sugar, cinnamon, clove, the bay leaf and season. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated. (After the meat is cooked, discard the bay leaf, the clove and the cinnamon)
• Prepare the bechamel sauce for the pastitsio. Melt the butter in a large pan over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add warmed milk in small batches, whisking continuously in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat whilst continuing to stir. Remove the pan from the stove and add the egg yolks, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and the grated cheese (50g/ 1.7oz.). Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning an omelette! Season with salt to taste.
• Cook the pasta for the pastitsio 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, so that they don't get mushy after turning out of the oven later. Drain the pasta and stir in the egg whites and the feta cheese (smashed with a fork) and mix gently with a spatula.
• For this pastitsio recipe you will need a large baking dish, approx. 25*35 cm / 10*14 inch. Butter the bottom and sides of a pan and assemble the pastitsio. Layer the pasta, top with the meat sauce and even out. Top the pastitsio with the bechamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
• Sprinkle the pastichio with grated cheese and bake in preheated oven at 180C (350F) Fan for about 40 minutes, until crust turns a light golden brown. Let the pastitsio cool down for a while before serving.

BASIC BECHAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the flour until smooth. Continue stirring as the flour cooks to a light, golden, sandy color, about 7 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in milk until thickened by the roux. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the flour has softened and not longer tastes gritty, 10 to 20 minutes, then season with salt and nutmeg.

YIAYIA'S PASTITSIO RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large dutch oven, cooking pasta according to package instructions. Once pasta is cooked and drained. Add back to dutch oven and coat with a splash of olive oil to keep noodles from sticking. Cover and set aside.
• This is the correct amount of salt needed to make delicious tasting pasta!
• In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil and add in ground beef and onions. Saute until ground beef is browned and onions are translucent.
• Stir in salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
• Stir in tomato. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off fire and move pan aside.
• In a dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.
• Make a roux (Flour and butter mixture to thicken bechamel sauce). Stir in flour and continue to stir until its coated in butter. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently.
• Then, In a large microwave bowl, warm 4 cups of milk in microwave for about one minute. Add in two eggs and whisk well.
• Turn heat to medium high and whisk milk mixture into flour/butter. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Whisk constantly to smooth out any lumps and prevent the mixture from sticking.
• Keep your full attention on this step, as the mixture needs to constantly be whisked. It takes about 5 minutes or so for it to thicken. Once it thickens and reaches a pancake batter consistently turn off flame and remove from stove.
• NOTE: You will need either TWO 9 x 12 dishes or one DEEP 10 x 13 dish to properly fit the mixture and prevent the bechamel from overspilling.
• Next, spread about 1/2 cup meat sauce on bottom of pan -- just enough to cover the bottom.
• Layer half of the noodles and top with the meat sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
• Layer the remaining noodles.
• Pour the bechamel sauce on top of the noodles evenly to cover.
• Lastly, sprinkle 1 cup of parmesan evenly on top of the bechamel sauce.
• Bake covered for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until the top of the bechamel is golden brown.

PASTITSIO RECIPE (GREEK PASTA BAKE)

Steps:

• Make the meat sauce: Heat a deep pan over high heat and add the oil and the minced beef. Let it brown, without stirring, and when the meat is no longer red, stir with a wooden spatula and break any meat lumps. Cook until all the juices have evaporated, reduce heat to medium/high and add the onion the carrot, the bay leaves, the cinnamon stick, the allspice and the cloves. Stir for 5 minutes and add the wine. Wait for 1 minute for the alcohol to evaporate and add the tomato paste, the pureed tomatoes, the sugar, the salt and the pepper. When it starts to boil again, reduce heat to low and simmer until almost all of the liquids have evaporated (about 30 minutes). Remove and discard the bay leaves and the cinnamon stick.
• In the meantime, make the pasta: Cook the pasta in a pot with salted water, until al dente, according to the packaging directions.
• Drain the pasta well, mix in the grated cheese and transfer about two-thirds of the pasta to the casserole dish. Level with a spoon and cover with the meat sauce. Level the meat sauce with the back of a spoon and spread the rest of the pasta uniformly over the meat.
• Preheat your oven to 374°F (190°C)
• Make the béchamel sauce: Cook the flour with the oil in a large pot stirring continuously with a whisk until it starts to smell nutty. Remove from the heat and add the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the salt. Whisk to combine and add the warm milk gradually, whisking constantly to prevent it from forming any lumps. At first it will thicken, but as you continue to add the milk it will loosen up. When all the milk is added, return to the stove and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. When it starts to bubble, remove from the heat and let it sit on your counter for 5 minutes to cool a little. Add 1 cup of the grated cheese and the eggs and whisk quickly to combine.
• Pour the béchamel sauce over the pasta, level with a spatula and sprinkle the surface with the remaining grated cheese.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown with dark spots all over the surface. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing for easier serving. Eat!

BASIC GREEK BECHAMEL

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat until hot.
• In another saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. As soon as it melts, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps.
• Increase the heat to medium-low and add the hot milk slowly, stirring constantly with a whisk, and continue stirring until the sauce begins to thicken; it should be creamy without being too thick.
• Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the egg yolks one at a time, until the desired color is reached, and return to the heat, whisking briskly until well blended. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.