Every year I go to a local Greek festival, where I watch the dancers, browse the souvenir table, and above all, eat the ethnic foods that are offered. One of my favorites is pastitso, which is a sort of Greek lasagna. I obtained the recipe from my friend Daphne Kasanzakis while we were having lunch together at—of all places—a Chinese restaurant! The dish is a bit complicated, but it's fairly easy to make if you have some patience and take one step at a time. You will need: I pound ground beef (the Greeks use lamb—if you can afford it, go for it) 1 medium onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ cup chopped parsley 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ cup dry white wine salt and pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, such as rigatoni or other long tubular macaroni 3 eggs, beaten 1 8-ounce stick of butter 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 cups of Greek Bechamel sauce (more about that later)
First make the meat mixture by frying up the ground meat, onion and garlic in a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. When it is brown add the tomato sauce, nutmeg, cinnamon, parsley and wine,stir and simmer for thirty minutes. While this is simmering, boil the pasta according to package directions. When done, drain and pour into a large bowl. While the pasta is hot, add the stick of butter and ½ cup of grated cheese, and mix well. When slightly cooled, add the eggs and mix all together. You don't want to add the eggs while the pasta is hot, or they will cook.
Butter a large casserole (9x13x2 inches). Pour in half the macaroni mixture and spread it evenly on the bottom of the casserole. Add the meat, and cover with the remaining pasta mixture, spreading it evenly over the top.
Now for the Bechamel sauce! In a large pan, melt ½ pound (2 sticks) of butter over low heat. Add ½ cup of white flour and whisk together to make a roux. To this add 4 cups of whole milk and whisk until thickened and smooth. Keep the heat low--don't let the sauce burn! Finally add a few dashes of ground nutmeg, depending on how strong a flavor you desire.
When ready, pour the Bechamel sauce over the pasta and meat. The sauce will drip through the little spaces between the pasta mixture and fill the casserole. Top the casserole evenly with the remaining ½ cup of cheese. Sprinkle some more nutmeg sparingly over the surface of the casserole. Place it into a 350 degree oven for one hour, until the top is slightly browned. Let it cool slightly, then cut the casserole into large squares and serve.
Gallantio--well sure you can have cold beer with it if you so desire. Personally I prefer diet Coke. But as gar as what ideally would go with pastitsio, when white wine or retsina is the perfect marriage.
Gallantio--A white wine goes well with it, because even though it's red meat there is white wine in the base. More authentically, a good Greek retsina goes perfectly with it. Just remember, retsina is an acquired taste and at first tastes a trifle bitter because it is made with resin.
