Pastitsio – with layers of pasta, a wealthy cinnamon-spiked crimson wine meat sauce, topped with a thick layer of cheese sauce, that is Greece’s reply to Italian Lasagna. Let the enjoyable start!
Pastitsio – Greek pasta bake
Pastitsio is a lot extra than simply one other pasta bake. A step up from Baked Spaghetti and – dare I say it – even America’s famed Baked Ziti (which common readers know I maintain in excessive esteem!), that is Greece’s model of basic Italian Lasagna.
We love the way it slices neatly with the layers clearly seen, and the putting tubular Greek bucatini-style pasta.
We love how the wealthy crimson wine, tomato and meat sauce is spiked with cinnamon and cloves, giving it uniquely Greek persona somewhat than “simply one other meat sauce”.
And we (Cheese Monsters specifically) love the additional thick, tacky Béchamel sauce topping. The Greek’s haven’t skimped on any factor right here. It’s all about abundance!
What you want for Pastitsio
There are 3 elements to Pastitsio:
- Feta-tossed pasta;
- Greek meat sauce – Like Bolognese sauce, however thicker and scented with cinnamon and cloves which you additionally see in Greek Moussaka; and
- Greek Béchamel Sauce – Thickly laid and thicker set than you historically see in issues like Italian Lasagna.
1. Feta-tossed pasta – Thick bucatini
The distinctive factor concerning the pasta layer of Pastitsio is the feta cheese tossed by it (yum!) and the addition of egg whites. Feta provides flavour whereas the egg binds the pasta collectively so you’ll be able to lower neat slices, as pictured above.
1.1 Substances for the Pastitsio pasta layer
Right here’s what you want for the pasta layer:
Greek bucatini
The pasta historically utilized in Pastitsio is a thick bucatini-style pasta referred to as “Pastitsio pasta No. 2”, pictured under. It’s a tubular pasta – like a extremely thick spaghetti with a gap operating by it. Nonetheless it’s thicker than Italian bucatini , similar to bucatini used on this Zucchini pasta.
The place to search out Greek bucatini-style Pastitsio pasta No. 2
You’ll discover Greek Pastitsio Pasta No. 2 at European delis and grocers round Sydney. I discovered the Misko model (pictured) at a fruit & veg retailer in High Ryde (Sydney) which has a great inventory of European items.
Can’t discover Pastitsio pasta?
Truthfully, don’t get too hung up about it. Use ziti or penne as a substitute if you need it to look comparable once you lower it. In any other case, peculiar Italian bucatini – offered within the pasta aisle of on a regular basis supermarkets lately – or actually, any pasta is simply positive. It gained’t alter flavour, simply the way it appears!
2. Pastitsio meat sauce
Making the meat sauce is de facto no totally different to creating your favorite Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s very straight ahead! However there’s two necessary variations:
- Cinnamon and clove – As utilized in conventional Greek Moussaka, a refined fragrance from these spices is what makes the meat sauce Greek, somewhat than a generic Bolognese; and
- Thicker meat sauce – The sauce is far thicker than Bolognese Sauce. That is intentional so it sits comfortably above the pasta layer, somewhat than trickling down by it. That is the way you get the neat layers!
Right here’s what you want for the meat sauce layer:
No boat-rockers amongst the above substances. Purple onion is usually most well-liked in Greek cooking somewhat than the everyday brown/yellow onions.
And as famous above, the added spices that make this a Pastitsio meat sauce somewhat than an Italian-style one are cinnamon and cloves.
2.2 Tips on how to make Pastitsio meat sauce
As for making it, simply faux you’re making Bolognese! In contrast to Bolognese nonetheless the place a protracted and gradual cooking will be optionally available, the Pastitsio meat sauce must be simmered for a great hour to cut back the sauce so it’s actually thick.
This makes the meat sauce sit on the pasta, somewhat than mixing by the pasta layer, so that you get distinct and tidy layers. The added bonus is that the longer simmering time makes the meat super-tender and actually intensifies the sauce flavours.
Tip: Cool meat sauce earlier than use
If time permits, let the meat sauce cool earlier than layering over the pasta. It thickens and holds collectively much more when cooled first, offering even higher visible definition between the pasta and meat sauce layers once you slice it, as pictured within the pictures on this publish.
In reality, if you may make it the day earlier than and go away it in a single day within the fridge, the flavour additionally will get even higher!
3. Greek Béchamel Sauce
The Greek Béchamel sauce utilized in Pastitsio differs from the everyday white sauce you see on issues like Lasagna:
- Thicker layer – About twice the amount utilized in typical Lasagna. No complaints over right here, I’m personally an enormous fan of plenty of cheese white sauce!
- Extra set – It’s set virtually like a custard you could lower by, versus being creamy like Béchamel usually is. It’s thickened utilizing a mixture of a barely increased flour-to-liquid ratio, in addition to the usage of egg yolks (which additionally enriches the sauce superbly!)
3.1 What goes in Pastitsio Béchamel sauce
Right here’s what you could make the Pastitsio Béchamel sauce:
Kefalotyri Greek cheese
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Kefalotyri Greek cheese – accessible at Coles and Woolworths (AUS) -
Seems and grates like parmesan
It is a agency, conventional Greek cheese created from sheep or goat’s milk. It’s used to prime the Pastitsio to offer it a scrumptious golden crust in addition to stirring by the Béchamel Sauce to offer it flavour.
Kefalotyri cheese is a tough cheese with a salty, savoury and piquant style, just like Parmesan. Nonetheless it’s not as salty as parmesan.
Consider it or not, lately it’s accessible at Woolworths and Coles in Australia! ?? Pictured under.
Greatest substitutes (so as): Kefalograviera (a associated, exhausting Greek cheese), pecorino, Parmesan, Romano.
Use leftover Kefalotyri to make Saganaki!
What to do together with your leftover Kefalotyri? Make saganaki, a preferred melted cheese Greek appetiser! Reduce leftover Kefalotyri into 1.5cm / 1/2″ slices, mud with flour then pan fry in olive oil till golden on the surface, melted inside. Squeeze over a little bit of lemon, serve with bread for. It’s AMAZING. You may thank me later…!! ?
3.2 Tips on how to make Pastitsio Béchamel sauce
Right here’s the best way to make the Pastitsio white sauce:
- Make a roux – Soften butter, then add the flour and cook dinner it out for a minute. Slowly add the milk in whereas stirring – that is how one can make a lump-free Béchamel sauce with out having to make use of a whisk! The trick is to make a “paste” first, then add the remainder of the milk that the paste simply dissolves into.
Lumpy sauce? Don’t fear! Simply give it a great whisk and it’ll smoothen out.
- Cook dinner till thickened – Stir over a medium warmth till the sauce thickens, and gained’t thicken any additional. The thickness take a look at: The sauce ought to totally coat the again of a spoon and once you draw a path throughout together with your finger it doesn’t disappear;
- Flavourings – Stir in cheese and nutmeg. The cheese can even thicken the sauce barely extra;
- Egg yolks – Take away sauce from the range and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Then whisk the egg yolks in. Be sure to combine right away when you add the yolks in any other case they might scramble within the sauce!!
- Executed! Whereas heat, the sauce needs to be pourable however fairly thick, like pictured. Cowl with a lid and maintain heat till required. If it goes chilly, it’s going to get too thick to pour. If that occurs simply reheat it over a low warmth till it turns into pourable once more.
4. Meeting!
You want a BIG casserole dish for Pastitsio! A typical 9 x 13″ pan gained’t lower it, it’s not deep sufficient. My baking dish is 33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75″.
The subsequent steps, together with some suggestions I discovered by trial and error:
- Pasta path – Lay out the pasta so they’re (largely) in a single path if you need the visible impact of the pasta holes once you lower it, as pictured within the pictures on this publish;
- Cool meat sauce – A cool meat sauce will make the layers extra distinct. As a result of it’s thicker and extra emulsified, it sits on prime of the pasta somewhat than seeping down by it. It additionally supplies a firmer mattress onto which the Pastitsio white sauce is poured, serving to that layer additionally keep distinct;
- White Sauce – Pour over and unfold. In case your white sauce cooled down and is just too thick to pour, simply reheat gently on a low range till it’s pourable;
- Grate over Kefalotyri (or parmesan when you can’t discover it) – then bake till the highest is golden; and
- Relaxation for quarter-hour earlier than reducing to serve. The longer it stands, the higher it’s going to maintain its form when lower. If you would like actually neat slices, make it the day earlier than – reheat within the baking dish then lower!
What to serve with Pastitsio
I can’t consider something extra acceptable than an enormous, fats juicy Greek Salad on the facet! This conventional salad is a stunning, refreshing distinction to the richness of Pastitsio.
However listed below are a couple of extra facet salads that I feel can even go very well with Pastitsio:
Get pleasure from! – Nagi x
Watch the best way to make it
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Pastitsio (Greek Pasta Bake)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook dinner: 2 hrs
Major
Greek
Servings8 – 10 individuals
Faucet or hover to scale
Directions
Meat Sauce:
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Warmth in a big pot over excessive warmth. Add garlic and onion, cook dinner for two – 3 minutes till onion is softened. Add beef and cook dinner, breaking it up as you go, till it modifications from crimson to brown.
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Add wine and and cook dinner till the wine has largely evaporated – about 3 minutes.
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Add remaining Meat Sauce substances. Stir properly, deliver to simmer, then scale back warmth to medium / medium low so it is simmering gently. Cook dinner for 45 min to 1 hour till liquid is usually gone, stirring every so often. It needs to be a thick combination with little liquid, not saucy like Spaghetti Bolognese (Observe 4).
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Take away from range and funky. Ideally to room temperature, in any other case for at the least half-hour earlier than assembling (lid off).
Greek Béchamel (Observe 5):
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Soften butter in a big saucepan over medium warmth. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
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Whereas stirring, slowly pour half the milk in. It ought to flip right into a moist paste. Then once more, whereas stirring, pour in remaining milk – the paste ought to simply dissolve so it is lump-free. If not, simply whisk vigorously.
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Cook dinner, stirring so the bottom would not catch, for five minutes or till thick sufficient so it coats the again of a picket spoon thickly and you’ll draw a path throughout it together with your finger.
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Take away from range. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
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Depart to chill for five minutes. Then whisk in egg yolks shortly. Place lid on and put aside. If sauce cools and will get too thick to pour, simply reheat on a low range till pourable.
Pasta (Observe 6):
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Once you’re able to assemble, cook dinner the pasta per packet directions, minus 1 minute.
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Drain, then return to the pot. Depart to chill for 3 minutes, then stir by egg whites. Gently stir by crumbled feta.
Assemble and bake:
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Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven sorts).
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Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75″), arranging them so they’re all moving into the identical path as finest you’ll be able to (for visible impact when sliced). Make the floor as stage as you’ll be able to.
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High with Meat Sauce, then clean the floor.
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Pour over Béchamel Sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.
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Bake 30 min or till crust turns golden.
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Cool for at the least 10 minutes so you’ll be able to lower neat slices with tdhe layers neatly seen. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
2. Kefalotyri Greek cheese – a Greek sheep or goat’s milk cheese, just like Parmesan however not as salty. Substitute with Parmesan or Romano cheese.
3. Pasta for Pastitsio – the standard pasta is a thick tubular pasta referred to as “Pastitsio No 2 pasta”, typically additionally known as Greek bucatini. It’s thicker than Italian bucatini (tubular pasta). See in publish for close-up pictures. Discover it at European/Greek delis. Substitute with small penne or ziti, or regular Italian bucatini for the same look. In any other case, any pasta is ok!
4. Thickness of meat sauce – you need it very thick with barely any sauce as a way to obtain the neat layers that you simply see pictured in publish. If it’s too unfastened, it’s going to run down into the pasta and discolour it, in addition to making the pasta slippery so it doesn’t maintain collectively once you slice it. However even when your slices don’t lower as neatly as pictured, it doesn’t have an effect on flavour!
5. Greek Béchamel – thicker than the cheese sauce used to prime Italian lasagna each in consistency and thickness of the layer. The egg yolks assist it set extra when baked so it doesn’t ooze once you lower a slice.
6. Tossing pasta with egg whites – the aim of the egg whites is to assist the pasta set higher so you’ll be able to lower neat slices with distinct layers. Do that simply earlier than assembling so the egg whites don’t dry out earlier than baking.
7. Storage and make forward – cooked Pastitsio retains completely within the fridge for 4 to five days, or freezer for 3 months (thaw then reheat coated in oven).
8. Vitamin per serving, assuming 8 (huge!) servings.
Vitamin Data:
Energy: 597cal (30%)Carbohydrates: 48g (16%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fats: 28g (43%)Saturated Fats: 13g (81%)Trans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 137mg (46%)Sodium: 1062mg (46%)Potassium: 786mg (22%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 651IU (13%)Vitamin C: 10mg (12%)Calcium: 250mg (25%)Iron: 5mg (28%)
Lifetime of Dozer
A well-known imaginative and prescient – rear view of Dozer’s rump bounding into the water.