Makaronia Pastitsio Greek Creamed Macaroni And Cheese Food

MAKARONIA PASTITSIO (GREEK CREAMED MACARONI AND CHEESE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large pot, bring water and salt to a rapid boil; add macaroni.
• Stir a few times with a fork; boil macaroni until al dente according to package directions (7-9 minutes).
• Drain macaroni well and return to pot.
• Mix oregano, garlic powder and flour into melted butter.
• Stir butter into pasta, cover, and keep warm.
• Beat eggs until frothy.
• Add pepper, cinnamon, and milk, and beat until well mixed.
• Place half of the macaroni in a 9x12-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
• Cover macaroni with 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Add another layer of macaroni.
• Gently pour egg/milk mixture over macaroni, making sure macaroni is well covered.
• On top of this add a thick layer of cheese.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is bubbly and light brown.

GREEK MEAT PASTA (MAKARONIA ME KIMA)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir ground beef until browned, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, onion, water, tomato paste, cinnamon, sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Simmer meat sauce over medium-low heat until flavors combine, 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pour meat sauce over rotini; mix well. Pour half the pasta mixture into a casserole dish; sprinkle with half the Mizithra cheese and half the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle remaining Mizithra cheese and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 40 minutes.

PASTITSO (MACARONI AND MEAT)

Steps:

• Brown onion in the butter then add the meat. Keep stirring until the meat is browned.
• Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, tomato paste and water. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the water is absorbed.
• Remove from the heat and allow this to cool.
• Beat 1 egg very well and add it to the meat mixture.
• Macaroni:.
• Cook the macaroni as per the package directions. Then rinse under hot water, drain and put into a large bowl.
• Toss the macaroni with the 3 beaten eggs and the 1 3/4°C grated Romano cheese.
• White Sauce:.
• Melt the butter and add the flour, mix well. This should be done on med-low heat, so you don't burn the butter.
• Gradually add the cold milk, stirring well. Cook this until it's thick, stirring often. Be patient, it needs to thicken up! Remove from heat.
• After about 5 minutes, while sauce is cooling, beat the 5 egg yolks very well and blend into the sauce. Add the cheese and mix.
• Butter a 10" x 14" pan. Put 1/2 of macaroni mix in pan. put meat mixture over the macaroni, spreading evenly. Put the rest of the macaroni mixture on top, also spreading evenly.
• Put white sauce all over the top.
• Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 45 minutes or until golden brown (you might need to tent it with alum. foil towards the end of cooking).

PASTITSIO - GREEK MACARONI

Steps:

• For Meat Layer.
• Saute onions in butter till soft.
• Add meat breaking up with spoon & cook till no pink remains.
• Drain off fat in a strainer & return meat in pan.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes.
• For Cream Sauce.
• Melt butter in large pot.
• Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
• Lower heat and add cream and stock till smooth.
• Cook stirring constantly till sauce is thick & bubbly.
• Stir in cheese,salt and pepper and stir till cheese is melted & blended into sauce.
• Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
• Cook pasta according to directions on box.
• Beat eggs, 1/2 Cup cheese and Soft butter.
• Add to pasta, blending well.
• Assembly:.
• Spoon 1/2 of pasta into buttered 13X9X2 dish.
• Pour 1 Cup Sauce over pasta.
• Spoon on all of the meat mixture.
• Pour another 1 Cup sauce over meat.
• Add other 1/2 of pasta.
• Pour rest of sauce.
• Sprinkle 1/4 C cheese on top.
• Bake uncovered 350 F for 35 minutes.

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.

STEWED CHICKEN AND MACARONI ( KOTOPOULO ME MAKARONIA)

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the chicken pieces. Salt and pepper them well.
• In a large sauce pan, heat the oil. Brown the chicken, onions and garlic together.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaves and spices. Stew the chicken over a slow heat until tender.
• Serve over the pasta of your choice with lots of grated cheese.