Pastitsio

Directions

  1. 1Unwrap the ground beef.
  2. 2Place a pot on the stove and add small portions of ground beef to brown.
  3. 3Stir and break up the meat until it's evenly browned.
  4. 4Remove the cooked ground beef from the pot and set aside.
  5. 5Add olive oil to the same pot, utilizing the rendered fat and browned bits for flavor.
  6. 6Chop the onion into small pieces.
  7. 7Dice the carrots into small cubes.
  8. 8Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the pot.
  9. 9Season with salt and pepper.
  10. 10Stir the vegetables until softened.
  11. 11Add sliced garlic to the pot and mix.
  12. 12Return the cooked ground beef to the pot with the vegetables and stir.
  13. 13Add tomato paste and mix well to coat the meat and vegetables.
  14. 14Pour red wine into the pot and simmer.
  15. 15Add milk and stir to combine.
  16. 16Pour in beef broth.
  17. 17Add a cinnamon stick, sprigs of thyme, and rosemary.
  18. 18Cover the pot and let it simmer.
  19. 19Once simmering, remove the thyme and rosemary sprigs.
  20. 20Add bay leaves and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.
  21. 21Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick once the sauce has thickened.
  22. 22Transfer the meat sauce to a separate bowl.
  23. 23In a clean pot, melt butter for the bechamel sauce.
  24. 24Add flour and whisk continuously to create a roux.
  25. 25Gradually whisk in milk until the sauce is smooth and thick.
  26. 26Add Kefalotyri cheese and whisk until melted and incorporated.
  27. 27Season with pepper and grated nutmeg.
  28. 28Whisk in eggs to the béchamel sauce.
  29. 29Boil water in a pot, add salt and pastitsio pasta.
  30. 30Stir the pasta gently to prevent sticking.
  31. 31Grease a baking pan with olive oil.
  32. 32Arrange the cooked pasta in a single layer at the bottom of the pan.
  33. 33Sprinkle grated cheese over the pasta.
  34. 34Spread a layer of meat sauce over the cheese and pasta.
  35. 35Add another layer of pasta on top of the meat sauce.
  36. 36Pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the top layer of pasta.
  37. 37Smooth the béchamel sauce with a spatula.
  38. 38Grate cheese over the béchamel sauce.
  39. 39Bake the pastitsio in the oven until golden brown.
  40. 40Remove the baked pastitsio from the oven.
  41. 41Cut a slice of pastitsio using a knife and spatula.
  42. 42Carefully transfer the slice to a plate.
  43. 43Garnish with fresh parsley.
  44. 44Serve and enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg ground beef
  • 30 ml olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 30 g tomato paste
  • 150 ml red wine
  • 150 ml milk
  • 300 ml beef broth
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 113 g butter
  • 0.5 cup flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 0.5 cup Kefalotyri cheese
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 3 eggs
  • 500 g pastitsio pasta
  • 0.5 cup grated cheese

Equipment

cutting boardknifepotwooden spoonbowlwhiskgraterbaking panspatulaovenplatefork