Pastitsio (or Pastichio) is a very popular Greek dish. Below, I describe what you need and how to prepare this food in a Greek cooking style.
Pastitsio Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 kilos spaghetti (No 10)
- 1/2 kilos minced beef
- 1 onion
- 1 tin tomato juice
- 1/2 cup of grated cheese
- 2-3 spoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoonfuls of salt (one for spaghetti, one for the mince)
- some pepper (for the mince)
For the cream:
- 6-7 spoons of flour
- 2 spoons of oil
- some grated cheese
- an egg
- 5-6 cups of milk
Now let’s make the mince: In a saucepan put the onion chopped with the olive oil and the mince. Stir as long as the mixture becomes reddish. Then, put some water, the salt, the pepper and the tomato juice. Cover the saucepan and boil the mince after lowering the temperature, for half an hour or a little more. Then, put it on the boiled spaghetti, in the baking pan. If you like, you can mix the spaghetti with the mince.
Then, you have to make the white cream: Put the flour in a saucepan. Then, put the oil and the milk gently while, at the same time, you have to stir continuously having the temperature slow. Put some salt and pepper. At the end, put the egg as well. The mixture is ready when it starts to thicken and makes bubble. Then, put it on the mixed spaghetti with the mince in the baking pan. If you like, break an egg on the surface of the food, just for colour.
Bake it in the oven of 180 C and after half an hour approximately, it is ready.
Enjoy the Pastitsio dish and “Kali Oreksi”! (= bon appetite in Greek!)
© 2012