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Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Pastitsio..an awsome greek pasta bake!

When I was growing up, my mum along with the rest of the greek nation treated Pastitsio as a Saturday or Sunday food, very special, and it was well appreciated when she made it for us. The main smell when that pasta was baking was..nutmeg! Funnily enough Pastitsio is a bit nouveaux, was created after the 2nd WW. And unlike old fashioned greek dishes, its origin is nearer to the Italian cuisine. The recipe I use is my mum's and has a few improved points by me; eg more cheese!
I can guarantee that a large percentage of people actually trying this would absolutely love it!

Am feeling a bit 'possesive' here, in actually keeping this only for myself!!I just hope you are having as much fun as me in this yummy blog!

Pastitsio is a unique dish, although it would come under the chapter of the well known and generally viewed 'pasta bakes'! It takes a while to make it but believe me its worth all the effort! Make sure you make a large tray of Pastitsio as you can put large squares of it in separate plastics and put in the freezer, to be warmed up in a microwave next time you fancy it!

Oriste!

500gr penne pasta (dried)
400gr grated cheese
500gr mince meat
A tin of tomatoes
Breadcrumbs
An onion

Bechamel sauce

In a large pot boil the pasta in water as per instructions. Drain and lather it with loads of butter and leave it on the side. Meanwhile cook a grated onion on olive oil in a large pan.add the mince and cook till it gets brown but not burned. Add the can of chopped tomatoes and pour some water in and cook at med heat till the sauce looks thick. Layer a large tray with half the cooked pasta. Sprinkle lots of cheese on top and layer the mince sauce on top. Add grated cheese again and spread out the rest of the pasta on top. Pour the bechamel sauce on top of the last layer of pasta. Sprinkle lots of cheeseand breadcrumbs and splash of water. Bake in a hot oven for about 45 mins or till the top looks brown and cooked.

It goes very well with greek salad or feta cheese on its own. Kali orexi!

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