Recipes

[IamMrsG]

I am afraid some of you will look at this recipe and dismiss it as being, “too involved.” If you do, you will miss out on a treat. This dish is good. Yes, you will have 3 pots going simultaneously; however, if you can make macaroni and cheese, you can do this!

Another thank you to Sue-p for sharing her recipe for Old Spaghetti Factory's Spaghetti with Burnt Butter. I originally bought the Mizithra* for that dish, and chose the following one to use what was leftover.

Pastitsio

McCall’s Cooking School | Vol. 3; Pasta, Rice Pg 7

2 quarts water

2 teaspoons salt

½ lb elbow macaroni

2 Tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, chopped

1 pound ground chuck (ground veal or lamb would be in an authentic Greek version)

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups milk

3 eggs

Dash each: salt, pepper, nutmeg

In a large saucepot bring water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil over high heat. Add macaroni all at once, stirring to prevent pasta from sticking together. Cook as package directs until pasta is tender but al dente (still slightly firm to the teeth). Drain.

Heat 2 Tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet; add chopped onion and sauté slowly until it begins to turn golden brown. Add meat (breaking up lumps with the back of a wooden spoon), sautéing until meat has lost its red color.

Add tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon salt**, the garlic and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Simmer 20 minutes. Meanwhile grease a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish; add half of the macaroni. Top with meat sauce, spreading it evenly over macaroni. Add remaining macaroni.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In medium saucepan melt the remaining 3 Tablespoons butter and stir in flour. Remove from heat; slowly stir in milk. Beat with a wire whisk until smooth; simmer about 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In a medium-sized bowl beat eggs slightly with a wire whisk. Slowly add half the hot cream sauce, beating constantly. Return mixture to remaining sauce in pan, and beat until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Sprinkle top of macaroni with remaining cinnamon and pour sauce over all. Tap pan hard on counter so that sauce goes to bottom. Bake 40 minutes, or until the custard is firm. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Notes: *I added a generous layer of grated Mizithra over the meat mixture before layering on the 2nd layer of macaroni (While neither is necessary, you could also use either feta or Parmesan). Also topped the dish with a little more Mizithra before baking.

**Because I knew I would be using the cheese, I omitted the salt in the meat sauce.

Served with Caesar salads, warm Italian bread and a red wine blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (Which was probably not the best choice. Are there any oenophiles out there who could suggest a better one?).