Big Ole Bills Greek Pastitsio Food

GREEK PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas mark 4.
• Cook the macaroni as pack instructions until tender. Drain.
• Meanwhile, fry the minced beef and onions until brown. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs and seasonings. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• To prepare the topping, melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Blend in the milk and bring to the boil, still stirring. As soon as it thickens remove from the heat. Be careful not to burn it. Stir in 100g of the cheese, the yoghurt and the beaten egg.
• Combine the macaroni and minced beef mixture and put into an ovenproof dish. Pour over the topping and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Stand for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the topping to firm up.

BIG OLE BILL'S GREEK PASTITSIO

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Boil the Penne Pasta until it is al dente (11 minutes). Drain. Toss with 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and set aside.
• 3. In a skillet, cook the hamburger and onion until the hamburger is no longer pink. Drain the grease. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and cinnamon. Stir for 2 minutes until well combined.
• 4. Layer one half of the pasta into a greased 9 X 13 baking dish. Cover with half of the meat mixture and 1/2 a cup of the parmesan cheese. Repeat these layers a second time.
• 5. In a medium sauce pan, melt the 1/2 cup of butter on medium low heat. Stir in the salt, pepper and flour. Mix until it is smooth. Slowly add in the milk while stirring. Bring to a low boil and stir until it thickens, about 1 to 3 minutes.
• 6. Put the eggs in a small bowl and temper them by whisking a small amount of the hot sauce into the eggs for a few seconds. Add the eggs to the sauce mixture in the medium pan and whisk constantly while it cooks for 2 more minutes.
• 7. Pour the sauce over the layers of pasta and meat. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
• 8. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Take the cover off and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes until the top is a light golden brown.

GREEK PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Cook penne according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water to eliminate sticking, and set aside.
• Lamb mixture:.
• Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Brown lamb in two batches, seasoning with salt and pepper. Set lamb aside and pour off excess grease.
• Reduce heat to medium and add onion. Cook until translucent, about 5minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, oregano, and nutmeg. Cook another minute. Add wine and deglaze pan.
• Reduce wine to about 1 tablespoon. Stir in tomatoes, including liquid, and lamb. Season with additional salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in Haloumi cheese and cook another 5 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Sauce:.
• Heat milk in the microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for four minutes.
• Slowly pour in hot milk, whisking steadily, and cook until thickened. Slowly whisk in egg yolks. Whisk in kefalotiri (Haloumi or parmegiano) cheese, cooking until melted and thick. Stir in salt and pepper.
• Assemble:.
• Toss pasta with shredded Haloumi or mozzarella cheese. Layer 3/4 of pasta in the bottom of 9 x 13 casserole dish. Layer meat mixture on top of pasta.
• Distribute remaining pasta over meat. Pour sauce evenly over pasta. Place casserole in middle of oven and cook for 35 - 45 minutes or until top is a golden brown.
• Serve with fresh crusty bread and a salad.

MY BIG FAT GREEK PASTITSIO

Steps:

• In a nonstick skillet sprayed with nonstick spray, saute the onion over medium-high heat until translucent, 2-3 minutes or so.
• Add meat to the pan and cook over medium heat until browned all the way through; drain fat.
• Add tomato sauce, garlic,just 1 tsp of the cinnamon, and some salt to taste.
• Simmer on low heat 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
• Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour, whisking until blended.
• Remove pan from heat and whisk in the milk slowly until blended.
• Return pan to heat and let simmer over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring often,or until thick and smooth.
• Remove sauce from heat and let cool slightly.
• In a bowl, beat eggs and then add small portion of the cream sauce, whisking quickly as you do.
• Whisk in a bit more of the sauce, then add all the rest and whisk well until smooth.
• (You can to be careful not to add too much at first or you will cook the eggs.) Season sauce with some salt& pepper and a dash of nutmeg to taste, mixing well.
• Grease a 9x13" casserole with deep sides well and place hot macaroni in it.
• Top with meat sauce, then sprinkle meat sauce with remaining 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Pour cream sauce over all to cover.
• You may need to shake the pan a little to make everything settle in (not too hard- you don't want sauce flying everywhere).
• You may have a little extra cream sauce left over, depending on how deep your pan is.
• Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for approximately 40 minutes or until custard is firm (no jiggling).
• Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ground beef, and cook until crumbly and no longer pink. Pour in the water and tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon; cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, adjust salt to taste, then refrigerate until cold. Once cold, remove any congealed fat, and thoroughly mix with 2 beaten eggs, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and rinse under cold water to cool. Mix the macaroni in 2 beaten eggs until well coated.
• Evenly spread half of the macaroni mixture into a 11x14x2 inch baking pan, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated parmesan cheese, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of melted butter. Spread the meat mixture overtop, then finish with the remaining macaroni. Sprinkle the macaroni with another 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of melted butter.
• Whisk together 4 beaten eggs with the half-and-half, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, flour, and salt; whisk until well blended. Pour the cream mixture evenly over top of the pastitsio, and sprinkle with nutmeg.
• Cover the pan with foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake until the top has turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Parboil the pasta. Drain and put in the baking pan. You should toss it around in some butter, oil, or margarine to keep it from sticking. Then add a generous amount of grated cheese and toss. You also have the option of placing half the pasta in the dish, filling the middle layer with meat sauce, and adding more pasta on top. You also have another option of tossing the pasta and the meat sauce together and leaving it like that. Do whatever your heart desires. You may also toss in some egg whites. Beat them a bit with a fork, and then toss them around with your hands into the pasta mixture. They just do this so they don't waste the eggs. It really doesn't make it tastier or anything.
• For the meat sauce in a large pot, sauté the onion, garlic, and parsley in the oil until the onions turn translucent. Then add tomato paste (optional) and stir for a few seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add chopped meat. Stir, let it release some juice. You could, at this point, add a splash of red wine for change in taste but it's really not necessary.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, cloves, and cinnamon, and let the tomatoes release some juice. Stir.
• Add the tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and stir. Taste for salt.
• Add a cup or two of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer on low for an hour and a half or until there is no water left in the pot.
• Now, as I said before, you have the option of layering the meat sauce, or mixing it in with the pasta.
• For the béchamel, in a saucepan on low heat, melt one stick and a half of butter.
• Gradually add flour and whisk until the roux forms a gunky ball and you can't stir anymore.
• Gradually add 6 cups of milk and the bouillon (if you want it). I'd say even 5 and 1/2, because I like my sauce really thick. Stir occasionally and make sure you whisk away the flour caught around the edges with a rubber spatula and whisk again. Once the sauce thickens, remove from heat. Add grated cheese, the egg yolks (slowly so they don't curdle while whisking very fast), the nutmeg. Add a pinch of salt (if necessary)and pepper. If you like creamy sauce, make it with the full six cups of milk.
• Make sure your pasta and meat sauce are at an even level in the pan, and then pour in the béchamel on top. Even it out with a spatula.
• You may top with more grated cheese, nutmeg, cinnamon, or even breadcrumbs.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
• Lastly and most importantly, let the pastitsio rest for an hour or two before eating. The béchamel has to set and solidify a little bit. If you don't wait, the sauce will gush out.