ISO recipe for Pastitsio
#11
  Re: (...)
One of the unusual things we DO have down here is the long, straight macaroni that could be used in Pastitsio, so I would love to give it a try.

Do any of you have an authentic, tried and true recipe for Pastitsio? I already searched the forum, but the only recipe I could find was for a vegetarian version, but an authentic recipe would call for ground lamb and/or beef. Also, that recipe calls for phyllo dough, and I've never seen that in any Pastitsio I've ever had.

Thanks!
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#12
  Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by labradors (One of the unusual t...)
I have one that is amazing - I'll find it in the am and post it for you. No phyllo in the recipe but it's very very good!
You only live once . . . but if you do it right once should be enough!
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#13
  Re: Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by Harborwitch (I have one that is a...)
I have a great one at home if I can find the book. (I couldn't find it yesterday). I've never seen phyllo used in it either.
Practice safe lunch. Use a condiment.
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#14
  Re: Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by Harborwitch (I have one that is a...)
Quote:

No phyllo in the recipe but it's very very good!



That's the way it should be.

Thank you, each, for looking. I look forward to the recipes and to giving them a try! This is one of my favourite Greek dishes.

Another one that I liked was from a Greek restaurant in Orlando. They called it "Chicken ala Polita," and described it as "Strips of chicken baked in a garlic wine sauce with pine nuts, fresh tomatoes, scallions & fresh mushrooms, topped with grapes & blend of cheeses, melted to perfection." I don't have an exact recipe, but was able to find out that the wine used is Chablis, and the "blend of cheeses" is Cheddar and Mozzarella. It is delicious, and intriguing, since one doesn't expect whole grapes in such a dish.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#15
  Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by labradors (One of the unusual t...)
Labradors, this recipe was given to us about 25 years ago from a friend of mine who is 100% Greek. She ended up marrying a Greek man whose mother was a phenomenonal cook (her mom cooked but only when she "had to" and really prefered not to!!!) Her MIL taught her all these fantastic Greek dishes. I also have her Baklava recipe which is to die for! Hope you enjoy this one for the Pastitsio.

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PASTISIO (Greek-style “lasagna”)

Prep time: About 1 hour
Cook time: 45 to 60 minutes (ovens vary)
Total time: 1:45 to 2 hours

YIELD: Serves 10-12

Prep note: This is NOT a labor intensive recipe, despite all the ingredients. The secret is to have everything ready to go…have the sauce and filling completely prepared, making these first and second. Prepare the pasta portion last and have all the ingredients for the pasta assembled before putting the pot of water on to boil the pasta, as this part of the recipe will go fast. Have everything ready to go, including the pan to bake it in. You will need a large pan, about 18 x 10 or two smaller ones, as this makes a lot. What is good about this is that it freezes VERY well.

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a large casserole dish (mine is quite large, about 18 x10) or grease two smaller ones (I sometimes do this, one for now and one to freeze). Grease with olive oil, butter or no-stick spray.

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SAUCE:
1/3 cup flour
6 tablespoons butter
4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if using table salt, use less)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 pound kefalotiri cheese, grated (can substitute romano or parmesan if you cannot find kefalotiri)

DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Stir in flour, briskly stirring until smooth. Continue to cook, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.
3. Gradually add the milk, stirring until thickened.
4. Lower the heat and add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Taste and adjust if necessary.
5. Remove from heat.
6. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the 3 large eggs.
7. Temper the sauce. (Slowly add some of the hot cream sauce to the eggs, stir thoroughly so eggs don't curdle, then return all back to the saucepan).



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FILLING:
2-4 tablespoons Greek olive oil, just enough to adequately coat the bottom of the sauce pan
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-1/2 cups finely chopped onions (about 2 large onions)
2 pounds ground meat – can use all beef, all lamb, combo of beef and pork, combo of beef and lamb (we prefer half beef-half lamb)
1 large can diced tomatoes (28-32 oz. can), juice and all
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped coarse
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 large bay leaf (or 2 small)
1 teaspoon dry oregano, crushed between fingers
1/2 cup red wine
1 stick of cinnamon, 4-5 inches long, broken in half

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
1. Drizzle olive oil into a large saucepot.
2. Add the onion and saute until lightly brown.
3. Add the garlic and add the meat and cook until brown, breaking the meat apart as it browns.
4. Add the remaining meat sauce ingredients abd mix well.
5. Cover and let simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Let simmer until quite thick. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf; throw them away
7. Set aside until other parts are prepared and ready for layering.


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PASTA (prepare this last!):
1 pound bucatini rigati, spaghetti rigati or other long pasta (we like the rigati’s because of the lines – they hold more sauce!), cook as directed on package but just under al dente. Do NOT fully cook!
1 stick butter (1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons), melted
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup kefalotiri, grated (can substitute romano or parmesean if kefalotiri is not available)

DIRECTIONS FOR PASTA:

1. Boil a pot of salted water and add pasta. Cook according to package instructions except undercook it, just under al dente. Do NOT fully cook the spaghetti.
2. While the pasta is cooking, assemble the remainder of the ingredients – place the butter, milk, beaten eggs and the 1/2 cup of cheese in a separate bowl. Mix all these ingredients well, making sure the eggs are well mixed into this. Make sure you do this separate so that the eggs will not curdle and the cheese will not completely melt.
3. Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl.
4. Pour the milk/egg/cheese mixture (from #2) over the pasta. Gently stir together just enough to coat the pasta and set this aside.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Make sure the oven is preheated and your casserole pan is prepared, as noted above
2. Place half of the pasta mixture over bottom of the casserole pan.
3. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over meat sauce.
4. Add the rest of the pasta mixture, spreading it evenly.
5. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the cheese over top.
6. Pour the white sauce evenly over the entire casserole.
7. Top with the remaining cheese.
8. Bake until the white sauce sets and has golden-brown patches across the top, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
9. Remove from oven and let cool at least 20 minutes before cutting into pieces for serving.

FREEZING: Once completely cooled, cut into serving size pieces and double wrap in foil and freeze. Defrost in the frig (day before). Reheat in the micro for 7-10 minutes (ovens vary so start out with the lowest time. Reheat in the regular oven for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees, again, depending on your oven. May take less or more time.
Vive Bene! Spesso L'Amore! Di Risata Molto!

Buon Appetito!

Linda
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#16
  Re: Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by MUSICMAKER (Labradors, this reci...)
The Pastitsio I make is very similar to Linda's with one exception (that I noticed) my meat sauce calls for red wine.

ooops, just reread and saw the red wine -
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#17
  Re: Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by MUSICMAKER (Labradors, this reci...)
Thanks! It will be interesting to compare all of these.

Quote:

4. Pour the milk/egg/cheese mixture (from #2) over the pasta. Gently stir together just enough to coat the pasta and set this aside.
...
2. Place half of the pasta mixture over bottom of the casserole pan.




Since the traditional Pastitsio uses long, straight macaroni, and we actually have that available here, that is what I would like to use. Thus, instead of being a mass of spaghetti, it will be carefully prepared layers of "tubular spaghetti," as seen here:
[Image: pastitsiomf9.jpg]
How should the egg mixture be handled in that case? Still toss it all together, then construct the layers using the coated macaroni, or pour some of the egg mixture onto each layer in the dish?
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#18
  Re: Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by labradors (Thanks! It will be ...)
either way Lab - tossing would maybe keep strands from any clumping.

What the heck, here's the version I like - you can never have too many options.

Pastitsio

Serving Size : 16

1 cup onions -- finely chopped
1 cup + 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 pounds ground lean lamb
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
5 cups half and half
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups flour
freshly grated nutmeg
8 large eggs
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
3/4 pound Kefalotiri cheese -- grated
1 1/2 pounds ziti -- cooked
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. For meat sauce: In a large skillet, cook onion in 3 tablespoons butter. When onion is translucent, add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add meats. Cook over high heat, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon until it is no longer red.

2. Season meat mixture with salt, pepper, tomato sauce, oregano, cinnamon, basil, bay leaf, parsley and wine. Cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. (The dish can be prepared to this point in advance and refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to use it.)

3. For cream sauce: Heat milk and 4 cups half and half just to the boil.

In another saucepan, melt 1 cup butter. Add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. When the roux is blended and smooth, pour in the hot milk and cream, stirring vigorously with the whisk to keep it from lumping. Cook until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 15 minutes.

4. Season sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off heat and let the sauce cool for 10 minutes.

5. In a bowl, beat eggs with remaining half and half. Gradually add about 2 cups of the warm cream sauce to this egg mixture, beating constantly to make sure the eggs don't curdle. Then pour the egg mixture into the cream sauce, continue to stir until everything is well blended. Finally, beat in the ricotta.

6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a LARGE baking dish-at least 15 x 9 x 4 inches.

7. Cook the ziti and put half in the dish. Sprinkle with half the Kefalotiri. Spoon in half the cream sauce, smoothing it with the back of the spoon. Spread on all the meat sauce. Now add remaining ziti, cream sauce and Kefalotiri. Sprinkle on Parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, covered, then 30 more uncovered. Let stand 30 minutes before cutting.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#19
  Re: Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by labradors (Thanks! It will be ...)
Quote:



Since the traditional Pastitsio uses long, straight macaroni, and we actually have that available here, that is what I would like to use. Thus, instead of being a mass of spaghetti, it will be carefully prepared layers of "tubular spaghetti," as seen here:




Labs, that "tubular spaghetti" you are referring to and as shown in the pix you posted IS bucatini!!! As what the recipe I posted calls for! Bucatini rigati is what is shown in the pix but along with lines running along the outside, like you would see on rigatoni or mostaccoli shapes. The lines are made on the pastas because they fill up with the sauce, whether a ragu (meat sauce) bechemel, alfredo, whatever....think of gutters!

Also, a note my friend wrote on the recipe was that some people use penne, which (as you may already know) is a smaller version of mostaccoli. Like the bucatini, the penne has about the same size "hole" but is about an inch or so in length. She said that some people find this easier to lay than to mess with the long stuff. To each their own. In the end it's all pasta, it all tastes the same, just different shapes.

Edit: Forgot to answer your question about the egg mixture: Stick to the recipe as it calls for. It will keep the pasta from sticking all over itself of which you would end up with clumps of unsauced pasta, and there is nothing worse than that!!!
Vive Bene! Spesso L'Amore! Di Risata Molto!

Buon Appetito!

Linda
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#20
  Re: Re: ISO recipe for Pastitsio by MUSICMAKER ([blockquote]Quote:[h...)
I have never heard of Pastitsio before. I had to look it up and I found a few pictures. Looks like a baked penne. Very interesting looking dish. This is one I will have to make. Perhaps with the lamb.

This looks wonderful and I love Greek food. I don't get to go anywhere, but maybe someday I can go to Greece.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
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