Pastichio (also spelled "pastitsio") is like lasagne, but a big difference is using long tubes of macaroni, maccheroncelli, instead of flat layers of pasta, with a milk/cheese sauce.
The ingredients:
-2 pounds ground beef
-1 pound maccheroncelli
-1 small chopped onion,
-1 clove of garlic minced
-3 medium tomatoes chopped
-Chopped parsley
-Whites of two eggs
-About a stick of butter
-3/4 cup white wine (my mom used white zinfandel)
-Grated kefalograviera cheese (substitute parmesan or romano if you don't have it)
Sauce ingredients:
-More grated kefalograviera cheese (or substitute cheese)
-1/2 cup butter,
-3/4 cup flour
-4 cups heated milk
-1 stick butter
-Salt
-Pepper
-Nutmeg
-2 eggs with 2 additional egg yolks from the egg whites above (for four egg yolks total in this part)
Method-
Chop the ingredients listed above. Separate two egg yokes from the whites. Put the two egg whites in one bowl and the two yokes in another bowl that also has two whole eggs.
Boil a pound of the maccheroncelli pasta and add salt in it. Turn the heat to about medium on a large pot. Melt about half a stick of butter in the pan and add the chopped onions. Stir them and let it cook for a few minutes. Crumble 2 pounds of ground beef and add it to the pan and stir it (Trader Joe's ground beef is my favorite). Add the minced garlic clove to the pan. Add pepper, salt, and keep stirring.
Drain the maccheroncelli and put it back in the pot. Put about 1/3 of a stick of butter in the pot with the maccheroncelli. Add tomatoes, parsley, and white wine to ground beef once it's brown and stir. Let it cook for 45 minutes on a medium-low flame. Add a little salt to the pasta if you like and stir.
In a large pan, turn on the heat and melt one stick of butter in it. Gradually add 3/4 cup of flour to the pan and stir it thoroughly. Pour in the 4 cups of milk and stir it until it's thick, but do not let it boil.
Add pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg to the milk and stir.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees to bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off heat to the ground beef after 45 minutes. Turn off heat to milk sauce when it's thick.
Put some grated kefalograviera cheese into the milk and stir it. After it's cooled down a little, beat the 4 eggs and add it to the sauce and stir. Add egg whites to ground beef mixture after it has cooled somewhat and stir it.
Put a layer of the pasta on the bottom of a baking pan like lasagna, then spread grated kefalograviera. Pour all the meat mixture onto the pasta and even it out. Put a layer of pasta on top of the meat and spread more grated kefalograviera cheese evenly. Then pour the milk sauce on the entire thing and spread the cheese evenly on top of the sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour (my mom did one hour). Let it cool for at least 30 minutes. And you're done!
You may also like What is Greek Cuisine?
Source- Flying over Trout
