Pastitsio — Greek Baked Pasta

Greece's other great casserole — layered long pasta, spiced meat sauce, and béchamel. Similar to
moussaka in architecture but with pasta as the foundation. Every Greek grandmother has her own
version; the disputes are about how much cinnamon.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (beef, butter, milk, eggs, cheese)

SERVINGS: 10
TIME: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS:
For the pasta:
- 500 g bucatini or thick ziti (true pastitsio pasta is #2 Greek macaroni — bucatini is the best substitute)
- 4 tablespoons butter, cubed
- 100 g kefalotyri or Parmesan, grated
- 2 egg whites

For the meat sauce:
- 800 g ground beef
- 2 large onions, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (400 g) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 150 ml dry red wine
- 1.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon (yes, this much)
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves (pinch only)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper

For the béchamel:
- 120 g butter
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 1.2 litres whole milk, warmed
- 4 egg yolks, whisked
- 120 g kefalotyri or Parmesan, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt and white pepper

METHOD:
1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until just al dente (shy of package time by 2 minutes). Drain. Toss immediately with butter until melted. When cool enough to handle, stir in 100 g grated cheese and 2 egg whites.
2. Make meat sauce: heat oil in a skillet. Sauté onions 7 minutes. Add beef; brown, breaking up. Add garlic, cinnamon, allspice, cloves. Cook 1 minute.
3. Add tomato paste, wine, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes until thickened. Remove bay leaves. Season generously.
4. Make béchamel: melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt, white pepper, nutmeg. Off heat, temper in egg yolks. Stir in cheese.
5. Assemble: grease a deep 23×33 cm baking dish. Spread half the pasta on the bottom and press down firmly. Spread all the meat sauce evenly. Top with remaining pasta, pressing again. Pour béchamel over, reaching all corners. Smooth the top with a spatula.
6. Sprinkle extra cheese on top if desired.
7. Bake at 180C (350F) for 45-55 minutes until deeply golden on top.
8. REST 30 minutes before cutting. Pastitsio cut hot falls into a mess; rested, it slices cleanly into squares.

NOTES:
- Pastitsio uses the same long, straight, hollow pasta as its base: Greek #2 pasta (pastitsio noodles). Bucatini is the best widely-available substitute — its hollow centre catches the sauce properly.
- Lots of cinnamon is correct. Greek cooks are serious about the cinnamon in their pastitsio. Do not reduce.
- Some regional recipes add a thin layer of grated cheese between each layer. An excellent upgrade.
- Leftovers heat beautifully. Cut into squares, wrap individually, freeze — Greek lunchbox food at its finest.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 680 | Protein: 32 g | Carbohydrates: 52 g | Fat: 38 g | Fibre: 3 g