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Papou's Pastitsio (Grecian Baked Pasta)


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Ingredients

10 portion(s)

Meat Sauce

  • 750 grams minced veal, beef or lamb
  • 2 brown onions
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 800 grams tomatoes, fresh or tinned crushed
  • 175 grams white wine, 2/3 cup
  • 60 grams olive oil
  • 4 heaped tablespoons fresh oregano
  • 1 level teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 level teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 level teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
  • 1 level teaspoon mixed spice, nutmeg and ginger, or a mixture of allspice, nutmeg and ginger
  • 4 heaped tablespoons fresh parsley
  • 2 level teaspoons mixed herbs, fresh, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary

Pasta Mixture

  • 500 grams Greek No.2 pasta, or if you cannot get it, Bucatini, or Ziti, tubular spaghetti, No 2 macaroni, or penne
  • 40 grams olive oil
  • 4 egg whites, Lightly beaten
  • 90 grams grated Roma cheese, or kefaloteri, about a 1/4 cup

Greek Bechamel Sauce

  • 90 grams Butter
  • 250 grams plain flour, sifted
  • 750 grams Milk, or 3 cups
  • 4 egg yolks, beaten, lightly beaten
  • 180 grams Roma cheese, grated, or kefaloteri
  • 1/2 level teaspoon nutmeg, grated
  • 1/2 level teaspoon white pepper
  • 6
    1h 30min
    Preparation 45min
    Baking/Cooking
  • 7
    medium
    Preparation
  • 8
    • Appliance TM 31 image
      Recipe is created for
      TM 31
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Recipe's preparation

    Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Oil a deep glass rectangular baking dish, approximately 2.5 quart size. 

  2. Grate the cheese: Place the cheese in the TM bowl  7 secs/speed 7. Set aside.

  3. Tomato juice: If using fresh tomatoes, place them in the TM bowl 30 secs/speed 9. Strain & discard the seeds & residues & set aside the juice 

  4. Making the Meat Sauce and the Bechamel Sauce
  5. Making the Greek Bechamel Sauce: Place all the ingredients in the TM bowl & cook 7 minutes/90C/speed 4. Set aside.

  6. The Meat Sauce: Place olive oil and onions in TM bowl. Saute 3 minutes/100C/speed 5.

  7. Browning the meat: Add the meat to TM bowl. Cook 5 minutes/100/counter-clockwise operation/speed Gentle stir setting.

  8. Add herbs, spices, wine & the reserved tomato juice, and wine. Cook 10 minutes//100C/counter-clockwise operation/speed Gentle stir setting, allowing the liquid to be absorbed. Set aside & clean the TM bowl.

  9. Making the Pasta Mixture
  10. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the pasta and salt to the water and parboil it until soft but not fully cooked (about 3/4 of the suggested cooking time on the package).

  11. Drain the water completely from the pasta pot, and quickly add the two tablespoons of olive oil to the pasta and mix well to ensure a thorough coating of oil so the pasta does not get sticky. 

  12. Let stand for a few minutes to cool, and then add the egg whites to the pasta, along with the ¼ cup of grated cheese and mix well, then set aside momentarily.

  13. Assembling the Pastitsio
  14. Add about two-thirds of the pasta to the baking dish to form a bottom layer. Make sure to spread the pasta evenly in order to completely cover the bottom of the dish, make sure not to leave any empty spaces.

  15. Spread the meat sauce over the top of the bottom pasta layer, ensuring to distribute it evenly and right to the edges of the casserole. The meat layer must be of uniform thickness and must not have any gaps.

  16. Add the remaining pasta over the top of the meat layer, distributing it evenly.

  17. Pour the béchamel sauce over of the final pasta layer, make sure to cover the entire surface area of the dish. The bechamel will partially infiltrate the pastitsio layers, but it should also make a nice, thick, creamy top layer.

  18. Baking the Pastitsio
  19. Place the uncovered pastitsio dish in the pre-heated oven and bake for approximately 30-45 minutes, or until the bechamel sauce is well browned on top.

  20. Remove the pastitsio from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, cut into squares, and note that if cut too soon, the layers may fall apart.


     


    This dish is actually best the day after cooking, and also good cold. Simply refrigerate, and heat well before ccooking and serving.

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Tip

Pastitsio, pronounced pa-STEE-tsee-o, is a brilliant meal for family events. 

It is traditional to use kefalotyri, a hard, salty, Greek sheep or goat's cheese, but we use Roma cheese as my husband's Papou used Roma cheese in Australia. Substitutes can be a similar sheeps milk cheese called kefalotyri, KefalogravieraRoma, or a mixture of Gruyere & Parmesan cheese.

 


This recipe was provided to you by a Thermomix ® customer and has not been tested by Vorwerk Thermomix ® or The Mix Australia Pty Ltd and The Mix New Zealand Ltd.
Vorwerk Thermomix ® and The Mix Australia Pty Ltd and The Mix New Zealand Ltd assume no liability, particularly in terms of ingredient quantities used and success of the recipes.
Please observe the safety instructions in the Thermomix ® instruction manual at all times.

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Comments

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  • Yum! I used penne next time i want to use a...

    Submitted by amandaell76 on 24. July 2018 - 19:58.

    Yum! I used penne next time i want to use a smaller pasta though as i didn't use all my sauce worried it would spill over! I am now on the hunt for the greek pasta no:2! flavours were great. Thank you for sharing such an authentic recipe. Smile

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