Pastitsio

Παστίτσιο · Pastítsio

Ingredients14

• tubular pasta such as bucatini500 g
• ground beef500 g
• onion1
• olive oil3 tbsp
• tomato paste2 tbsp
• crushed tomatoes400 g
• ground cinnamon1 tsp
• butter80 g
• all-purpose flour80 g
• milk750 ml
• eggs2
• kefalotyri or hard sheep cheese100 g
• salt1 tsp
• black pepper1/2 tsp

Method

1. Boil the pasta in salted water until just tender, drain, and set aside.
2. Sauté the finely chopped onion in olive oil, add the beef, and cook until browned.
3. Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; simmer until thick, about 20 minutes.
4. Melt the butter, whisk in the flour, then gradually add warm milk to make a smooth béchamel; cook until thickened and season lightly.
5. Beat the eggs, temper with a little hot sauce, then stir back in with most of the grated cheese.
6. Layer half the pasta in a greased baking dish, spread all the meat sauce, then the remaining pasta, and cover with béchamel and leftover cheese.
7. Bake at 180°C until the top is golden, about 40 minutes, then rest 15 minutes before cutting into squares.