Greek Pastitsio Recipe – Layered Pasta with Ground Beef and Cheese Sauce

For the Pasta

1. Cook the pasta till al ‘dente in salted boiling water.
2. It will take approximately 15 minutes. Meanwhile, proceed with steps for the filling.
3. Drain the cooked pasta. Add butter to prevent stickiness. Set aside.

For the filling:

1. Heat Butter in a deep wide pan. Don’t allow to brown.
2. Saute onion and garlic till translucent.
3. Add minced beef.
4. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes. The liquids will be released from the mince.
5. Allow these liquids to evaporate and the beef to change color.
6. When the liquid has evaporated, add all remaining ingredients for the filling except egg white. (Canned tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley, apple juice, salt, pepper, allspice).
7. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, till all the liquid evaporates again.
8. Allow cooling. Then add egg whites.
9. Stir till meat mixture is glossy. Set aside
10. Preheat the oven now to 180°c/350F. If using a European setting, have heat elements from top and bottom switched on, while preheating.

For the Sauce (Bechamel):

1. Melt butter. Add the flour.
2. Stir quickly, till all the flour is mixed. Allow this ‘roux’ to cook briefly without going brown.
3. Add milk, a little at a time. Stir to remove lumps. Use a whisk for this.
4. The milk will be absorbed and the mixture will thicken.
5. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to suit your taste. Stir again till smooth. You can add a small amount of milk, little by little if it seems too thick.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in the eggs, yolks, and cheese. Stir till smoothly incorporated.

To Assemble:

1. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish with butter. Use a dish that is large enough to hold all the layers.
2. Make the first layer with half of the cooked pasta.
3. Sprinkle some cheese over this.
4. Add one layer consisting of all the cooked mincemeat sauce.
5. Add the remaining pasta.
6. Sprinkle cheese over this layer too.
7. Spread the béchamel sauce over the top to seal the dish.
8. Sprinkle some more cheese over the top.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°c/350F on the lower rack. When the dish is put in, I like to turn off the top heating element so that cooking is done from the bottom only.
10. Bake for 30 minutes in total.
11. For the last 7 minutes, I like to switch on the top element and turn off the bottom heating element.
12. Watch carefully for the last few minutes, you want a nice golden top with cheese that is melted and not burnt.