Grecian Pasta Food

GREEK PASTITSIO RECIPE (GREEK LASAGNA WITH BéCHAMEL)

Steps:

• To prepare this traditional pastitsio recipe (pastichio), start with the meat sauce. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, the chopped onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and the beef. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes. Pour in the red wine and wait to evaporate. Add the canned tomatoes, the sugar, cinnamon, clove, the bay leaf and season. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated. (After the meat is cooked, discard the bay leaf, the clove and the cinnamon)
• Prepare the bechamel sauce for the pastitsio. Melt the butter in a large pan over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add warmed milk in small batches, whisking continuously in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat whilst continuing to stir. Remove the pan from the stove and add the egg yolks, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and the grated cheese (50g/ 1.7oz.). Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning an omelette! Season with salt to taste.
• Cook the pasta for the pastitsio 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, so that they don't get mushy after turning out of the oven later. Drain the pasta and stir in the egg whites and the feta cheese (smashed with a fork) and mix gently with a spatula.
• For this pastitsio recipe you will need a large baking dish, approx. 25*35 cm / 10*14 inch. Butter the bottom and sides of a pan and assemble the pastitsio. Layer the pasta, top with the meat sauce and even out. Top the pastitsio with the bechamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
• Sprinkle the pastichio with grated cheese and bake in preheated oven at 180C (350F) Fan for about 40 minutes, until crust turns a light golden brown. Let the pastitsio cool down for a while before serving.

MAKARONIA ME KIMA RECIPE (GREEK STYLE SPAGHETTI IN MEAT SAUCE/BOLOGNESE)

Steps:

• To prepare this Greek style spaghetti with meat sauce recipe (Makaronia me kima), begin by preparing the meat sauce. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions and carrot and sauté, until softened and slightly coloured. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste and the mince breaking it up with a wooden spoon and sauté, until caramelized. Pour in the red wine and deglaze (wait to evaporate). Add the tinned tomatoes, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated.
• Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain the pasta in a collander and stir in 2tsp of olive oil.
• Tip over the drained pasta in the meat sauce pan and mix it so the sauce is evenly spread.
• Serve with grated cheese and a nice refreshing Greek feta salad and enjoy over a glass of wine!

GRECIAN PASTA & CHICKEN SKILLET

Steps:

• In a large skillet, combine the first 6 ingredients; add spaghetti. Bring to a boil. Cook until chicken is no longer pink and spaghetti is tender, 5-7 minutes., Stir in artichoke hearts, spinach, red pepper, olives, green onion, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil and pepper. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, 2-3 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with cheese.

GRECIAN PASTA

Steps:

• The sauce for this recipe is to be cooked quickly over a high flame so it is recommended that you have all ingredients preped and ready when you begin.
• Start by placing the olive sauce ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Place pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water. (Penne generally takes 10-12 minutes to cook al dente).
• When pasta is about 3-4 minutes from done, melt the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the garlic. Add the olive sauce and let it simmer until pasta is ready.
• Drain pasta well, return it to the pot and stir in 2/3 of the sauce. Place the pasta onto a serving plate and pour the rest of the sauce over top. Sprinkle with feta cheese and fresh basil.

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until tender yet firm to the bit, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; add artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano, and cooked pasta. Cook and stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges.