The Greek answer to lasagne. I’m genuinely not sure which I like best. Maybe both…
Top 3 pastitsio facts : 1) it uses lamb rather than beef 2) it features the most unwieldy pasta in the known universe and 3) you beat eggs into the white sauce so it sets gently in a layer on top of the savoury concoction below. The pasta is like 30cm-long tubes of macaroni, apparently used for nothing except this dish. If you can’t find it, just substitute with regular macaroni. Feeds 6-8 and takes a couple of hours, from start to finished dish
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500g lamb mince
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of allspice
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 250ml red wine
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 lamb stock cube
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 400ml milk
- 200g halloumi, grated
- 200g cheddar, grated
- 2 eggs
- Nutmeg
- 300g pastitsio macaroni
- Salt and pepper
- Heat the oil in a large thick-bottomed saucepan over a high heat
- Brown the lamb mince, breaking it up with the spoon, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil behind
- Drop in the onion and garlic and saute for around 8 mins until soft
- Add tomato puree, crumbled lamb stock cube and wine. Cook, stirring, for 5 mins
- Add chopped tomatoes, herbs, spices, half a tin of water, sugar, salt and pepper
- Simmer over a low heat for 45 mins, stirring every now and again to make sure it doesn’t stick. Add a bit more liquid if needed as it cooks
- In the meantime, make a roux with butter and flour (melt the butter and whisk in the flour, cooking for a couple of mins)
- Pour in the milk, whisking it as it warms to make smooth white sauce
- Over a low heat, add the grated cheddar and halloumi
- Grate over a few grates of nutmeg and season well
- Take off the heat and beat in the 2 eggs
- Preheat oven to 180C fan (200C)
- Cook the pasta for 8 mins in salted boiling water
- In a deep ceramic oven dish (rectangular will be simplest because the pasta wants to lie in straight lines), layer the meat sauce and pasta – keeping the pasta tubes all lying in the same direction
- Pour the cheese sauce over the top, sprinkling with a bit more grated cheddar
- Bake for 30 mins until golden and bubbling on top
To serve, cut slices across the pasta so the cross-section shows all the hollow tubes like a honeycomb. Serve a crispy, lemony salad alongside
Sophie cooks 