Pastitsio

Pastitsio (Macaroni Bolognese Gratin)

By Chris Safakas

C’ Class

Ingredients

A pack of macaroni no2 or penne

A kilo of minced meat

3 eggs

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Gouda cheese grated

1 onion

1 teaspoon of oregano, some pepper, some salt

some parsley chopped

some cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks

For the béchamel sauce:

4 tablespoons of olive oil, 4 tablespoons of flour, 1 egg, 1 nutmeg,1 lit of milk

Method

In a cooking pot put some oil, the grated onion and the minced meat. Let it get a little brown and after that, pour the tomato paste, the cinnamon sticks, the pepper, the salt, the cloves and some water. Let it simmer in low heat for about an hour. Take it off the heat and in a separate cooking pot boil the spaghetti in salted water for ten minutes. Drain them and put them in a bowl. Add the grated cheese, 2 eggs, some milk and pepper.

In a baking tray, put a layer of the macaroni mixture, then the Bolognese sauce and another layer of macaroni. On top we add a layer of béchamel sauce, sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven at 200C for about 45 minutes. Let it cool down for a while and cut in square pieces. Serve warm.

Béchamel sauce:  In a sauce pan on a low heat put 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of flour. Stir for 2-3 minutes and add 1 lit of warm milk. Keep on stirring until it becomes a smooth cream. Take it off the heat and add 1 whisked egg, some salt, pepper and some ground nutmeg. Pour immediately over the baking tray.