Green Pastitsio Recipes

PASTITSIO (GREEK LASAGNA)

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and then gradually whisk in the hot milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Stir in the salt, remove from heat and let cool. When the sauce is lukewarm, whisk in the eggs. Set aside.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute until softened and golden. Crumble the beef into the skillet and cook with the onions until the beef is browned. Stir in the cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir in the water and tomato paste, and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Cook ziti according to directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cool water. When pasta has cooled down, stir in the beaten eggs and 1½ teaspoons salt.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a deep 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. You really need a deep casserole dish for this recipe (deeper than the usual 9x13-inch pyrex).
• Scoop half of the pasta into the bottom of your prepared dish. Sprinkle generously with cheese. Spoon on the meat mixture to create an even layer; sprinkle with another layer of cheese. Scoop the remaining pasta on top of the meat and sprinkle with more cheese! Top with the cream sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Bake 45 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and golden on top. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving (but it is suggested that you refrigerate to let the layers set... and then warm up later to serve).

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.

NIKKI'S PERFECT PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss with butter; add grated Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in tomato sauce, salt and cinnamon; heat through. Spoon over pasta. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese., In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened., In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Pour over beef mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese., Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes longer or until golden brown.,

PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ground beef, and cook until crumbly and no longer pink. Pour in the water and tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon; cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, adjust salt to taste, then refrigerate until cold. Once cold, remove any congealed fat, and thoroughly mix with 2 beaten eggs, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and rinse under cold water to cool. Mix the macaroni in 2 beaten eggs until well coated.
• Evenly spread half of the macaroni mixture into a 11x14x2 inch baking pan, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated parmesan cheese, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of melted butter. Spread the meat mixture overtop, then finish with the remaining macaroni. Sprinkle the macaroni with another 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of melted butter.
• Whisk together 4 beaten eggs with the half-and-half, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, flour, and salt; whisk until well blended. Pour the cream mixture evenly over top of the pastitsio, and sprinkle with nutmeg.
• Cover the pan with foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake until the top has turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

PASTITSIO (GREEK PASTA BAKE)

Steps:

• Heat in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 - 3 minutes until onion is softened. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.
• Add wine and and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated - about 3 minutes.
• Add remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Stir well, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium / medium low so it's simmering gently. Cook for 45 min to 1 hour until liquid is mostly gone, stirring every now and then. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid, not saucy like Spaghetti Bolognese (Note 4).
• Remove from stove and cool. Preferably to room temperature, otherwise for at least 30 minutes before assembling (lid off).
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
• While stirring, slowly pour half the milk in. It should turn into a wet paste. Then again, while stirring, pour in remaining milk - the paste should easily dissolve so it's lump-free. If not, just whisk vigorously.
• Cook, stirring so the base doesn't catch, for 5 minutes or until thick enough so it coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
• Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg yolks quickly. Place lid on and set aside. If sauce cools and gets too thick to pour, just reheat on a low stove until pourable.
• When you're ready to assemble, cook the pasta per packet instructions, minus 1 minute.
• Drain, then return to the pot. Leave to cool for 3 minutes, then stir through egg whites. Gently stir through crumbled feta.
• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
• Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75"), arranging them so they are all going in the same direction as best you can (for visual effect when sliced). Make the surface as level as you can.
• Top with Meat Sauce, then smooth the surface.
• Pour over Béchamel Sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.
• Bake 30 min or until crust turns golden.
• Cool for at least 10 minutes so you can cut neat slices with tdhe layers neatly visible. Serve!

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!

GREEN PASTITSIO

Steps:

• If you're serving this baked pasta on the night you prepare it, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the water to a boil for pasta, salt the water and undercook the pasta by about 2 minutes.
• While the water comes to a boil, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add the garlic and onions, soften a few minutes then stir in chard to wilt. Then add the scallions, dill, mint, parsley, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep greens warm.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepot over medium to medium-high heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the flour and stir 1 minute. Whisk in milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
• Drain the pasta and place back in hot pot, stir together with greens and feta to combine, taste to adjust seasoning. Place the pasta in a casserole dish and top with bechamel sauce and Parm cheese, place in oven and bake until bubbly and brown, 20 minutes or, cool and cover then store. To reheat, place in 375 degrees F oven and bake 45 to 60 minutes until brown.

PASTITSIO

Steps:

• For the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beef and lamb, and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's no longer pink, crumbling it with the back of wooden spoon. Drain off any excess liquid, add the wine, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne, and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the bechamel, heat the milk and cream together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Pour the warm milk and cream mixture into the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick. Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomato and meat sauce, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the eggs and yogurt and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Don't over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.
• Add the pasta to the meat and tomato sauce, and pour the mixture into a baking dish. Spread the bechamel evenly to cover the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.