Hey everyone, it is me, Dave, welcome to our recipe site. Today, we’re going to prepare a special dish, pastitsio (greek pasta bake). One of my favorites food recipes. This time, I’m gonna make it a little bit tasty. This is gonna smell and look delicious.
Pastitsio is a favorite traditional Greek dinner recipe. You certainly don't have to make it this way, just know that the pasta dish will be more "loose" and will. The Pastitsio (or Pastichio) is a famous Greek pasta bake with a spiced meat sauce and a silky béchamel.
Pastitsio (greek pasta bake) is one of the most popular of recent trending meals on earth. It is enjoyed by millions daily. It is easy, it is quick, it tastes delicious. They’re fine and they look fantastic. Pastitsio (greek pasta bake) is something that I’ve loved my entire life.
To get started with this particular recipe, we have to prepare a few ingredients. You can have pastitsio (greek pasta bake) using 16 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.
The ingredients needed to make Pastitsio (greek pasta bake):
- Get 500 grams (gluten free) pasta e.g. fusilli
- Take 1 sea salt
- Make ready 1 extra virgin olive oil
- Make ready 500 ml (semi-skimmed) milk
- Take 3 tsp margarine
- Prepare 6 tbsp corn flour
- Make ready 2 tsp grated nutmeg
- Take 500 grams minced veal or extra lean beef
- Get 250 ml tomato passata
- Get 1 large onion, finely squared
- Take 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- Prepare 1 tsp grated cinammon
- Make ready 2 tsp allspice
- Take 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Prepare 1/2 cup red dry wine or 1/4 cup cognac
- Take 1 cup grated goat's cheese (e.g. feta)
It was my oldest sister that first introduced me to Pastitsio, although we just thought it was a "baked lamb casserole" at the time. It wasn't until I researched the recipe further that I learned its real Greek origins. Pastitsio (Greek: παστίτσιο, pastítsio), sometimes spelled pastichio, is a baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce found in Greek, Egyptian, Maltese and Cypriot cuisines. We love Pastitsio in part because it's so delicious and shamelessly in part because the name is so much fun to say.
Instructions to make Pastitsio (greek pasta bake):
- Boil the pasta in salted water and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil , until al dente. Then drain. You shouldn't need to rinse with cold water, because you added oil during boiling.
- Boil the milk in a pan and then reduce the heat. Add the margarine and cornflour ehile continuously stiring to avoid burning at the bottom of the pan. I used a hand mixer at a slow speed. When the sause is slightly thick , you add the nutmeg and set aside.
- In another pan, you saute the minced meat. When brown and all juices are reduced, you add the finely chopped onion and grated garlic until transparent and flavour the minced meat. Then you pour either the wine or cognac. If kids are sharing this dish, then you can skip the alcohol. Then in go the passata and spices. You reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until you get a thick sauce with some juice left.
- In a baking tray, you place half of the pasta with some grated cheese and a scoop of the white sauce whle mixing everything evenly. Then you pour on top of the pasta mix, all the minced meat sauce with a scoop of the white sauce. Finally, you place the remaining pasta with some grated cheese ontop of the previous layers. At the end, you pour the remaining white sauce and grated cheese on top of the final pasta layer. You bake for 20- 30 minutes in a pre- heated oven (at 180oC) or until the top layer becomes golden (I know mine looks more brown :-) ).
Ten years ago I was researching pasta bake recipes for a friend who was about to give birth when I came across a list of pasta bakes from around the world. Pastitsio is Greek comfort food, pasta layered with meat, cheese and béchamel sauce. Come to think of it, I think the whole family likes it. A simple authentic recipe for Pastitsio- a baked Greek pasta dish with a rich flavorful lamb (or beef) bolognese infused with Greek spices and flavors. A friend introduced Pastitsio to me a couple of years ago and I was instantly smitten.
So that’s going to wrap this up for this special food pastitsio (greek pasta bake) recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I am confident you can make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food at home recipes coming up. Don’t forget to save this page in your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!
