Recipe :: Pastitso

filling

• 500g (1lb) long macaroni
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 3 eggs lightly beaten

meat sauce

• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 2 tbsp butter
• 750g (1 1/2 lbs) ground beef
• 1/4 tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red or white wine
• 1/2 cup stock
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper

cream sauce

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg lightly beaten

instructions

1. Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and return to pan

2. Melt butter until golden brown and pour over macaroni. Add 1/2 cup cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Leave until cool, add eggs and toss again. Keep aside

3. Make meat sauce. Gently fry onion and garlic in butter until onion is soft, increase heat and add ground beef. Stir well and cook until meat begins to brown

4. Add remaining meat sauce ingredients, cover and simmer over gentle heat for 20 minutes

5. Make cream sauce. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 minute

6. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and cool a little before adding egg

7. Add 1/2 cup of this sauce to the cooked meat sauce

8. To assemble pastitso, butter a 13x9x3 inch oven dish. Spoon half of the prepared macaroni evenly across the base and top with meat sauce. Cover with remaining macaroni, leveling top

9. Pour on cream sauce and spread to completely cover macaroni. Sprinkly remaining cheese on top and cook in oven at 180C (350F) for 50 minutes until golden brown

10. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve and enjoy

serves 6-8, cooking time 1 1/2 hours

source: unknown