Pastitsio - Medditerranean version of Lasagne - Spaghetti with Bechamel Sauce and Ground Beef
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Bechamel Sauce
2 tbsp salted butter
3 tbsp plain flour
1 litre of milk, heated
2 bay leafs
1-2 tsp salt
ΒΌ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
Pasta
750g Fresh or dry pasta (spaghetti, penne, rigatoni etc), cooked
Beef Filling
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
400g Ground beef
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, ground
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp all spice
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leafs
½ cup tomato passata (pureed tomato)
Instructions
Prepare the beef filling
In a saucepan, sautee the onions in olive oil for around 3-4 minutes on a medium heat
Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
Add the beef and fry on a high heat for 2-3 minutes (break the beef apart so that it does not clump together)
Add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, bay leafs and tomato puree. Fry for another 2-3 minutes
Add the passata and stir
(add a little water or chicken stock if it looks dry)
Stir and continue to cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes
Taste for seasoning then set aside to cool
Cook the pasta
If you have not already done so you should cook the pasta according to pack instruction
When cooled set aside and add a little bit of olive oil to stop it from sticking (ideally the pasta should be ready the same time the bechamel is ready so you can mix it immediately)
Prepare the bechamel
Melt the butter in a sauce pan
Add the flour
Cook out for 1-2 minutes until the flour smells nutty.
Then begin adding the warmed milk while stirring well. Add approx 2-3 tbsp at a time, combine the flour, then add more.
Continue doing this until a white sauce comes together. Continue adding the milk and stirring to avoid lumps.
Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg and 2 bay leafs (remember to remove these later)
To finish the sauce turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly for 1 minute
Add the egg yolks and whist quickly to combine and make sure the eggs dont scramble!
Turn on the heat and heat through for 1-2 minutes more then turn off the heat
You should have a large quantity of bechamel sauce now
Taste and set aside.
Combine the dish
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Pour over approximately ½ of the behcamle sauce over the cooked pasta. Combine until the pasta is well coated.
Butter the bottom of your baking dish
Pour ½ of the pasta and cover the bottom of the dish
Next add a layer of the beef (about 1 cm)
Then add the rest of the pasta to cover the top
Finally pour over the remainder of the bechamel sauce
Bake for around 25 minutes then your Pastitsio is ready to serve
Recipe by MongolianKitchen.com at https://mongoliankitchen.com/pasta-bechamel-bake/