Monday's Greek Recipe - Pastitsio - Baked Bucatini with Bechamel

Pastitsio is an all-time classic for the Greeks and often far more popular than moussaka.. There's hardly a Greek family that won't include this delicious dish in their diet, at least once a month. I've been looking for the perfect pastitsio recipe for a long time now and have come across various recipes. Finally, I've come up with my very own version of the traditional Greek pastitsio which turned out great. It's a little time-consuming to prepare but it's well worth a try.

INGREDIENTS

• 450 gr bucatini or any kind of thick macaroni
• 750 gr beef mince
• 6 tbs olive oil
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups grated cheese
• a pinch of cinnamon
• salt and pepper

The Bechamel Sauce

• 4 cups warm milk
• 60 gr butter
• 7 tbs flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup grated cheese

DIRECTIONS

• Heat the olive oil and cook the beef mince over moderate heat, stirring occasionally.
• When the meat is lightly brown, add the onion and the tomato sauce.
• Cook the mixture over low heat till all the liquids have been absorbed.
• Add the parsley, the cinnamon, the cheese, salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• Boil the bucatini al dente and drain. Then add the butter and mix.
• Prepare the bechamel: heat the butter and stir in the flour, gradually pour in the milk stirring constantly, add the eggs and the cheese and stir to make a smooth sauce.
• Add 2 tbs of bechamel to the bucatini and mix.
• In a pyrex dish, spread half the bucatini and evenly cover with the beef mince mixture.
• Lay the remaining bucatini and top with the rest of bechamel. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes or till golden brown.

Comments

[Colleen Christine]

Yummy! This is my husband's favorite recipe. I make mine just this way, except I use the long tube pasta and lay it out in rows. I toss the drained, cooled pasta with a beaten egg before I layer it into the pan, it helps hold the dish together. Once when we were visiting Cyprus, (we were on the way to Egypt) we were in Larnica, staying at the old Four Lanterns Hotel, (it's now condos I think). We ate at a restaurant right on the shore, and of course, Gus ordered pastitso. We were surprised when it came, to find it was flavored with mint! I love lots of cinnamon in pastitso, but I don't like mint! The waiter told us that "everyone" in Cyprus makes it with mint, I am glad to see that this is not true. Please keep posting these wonderful recipes, Anastasia, I always enjoy them. Love from Colleen

[Stefania]

I've never used tomato sauce or cinnamon in my pastitsio. I use dry mint instead. I also use grated halloumi which goes well with mint. I'll try your recipe next time. Sounds like an interesting alternative.

[Anastasia]

Colleen, thanks for stopping by. In Cyprus there's a different version of pastitsio which doesn't include tomato sauce and is flavoured with mint instead of cinnamon. But just like you, I like the good old traditional Greek pastitsio. I also like lots of cinnamon but Alkis doesn't, so I use just a pinch. It was such a pity that the Four Lanterns Hotel - one of the oldest and most traditional hotels in Cyprus - had to close down. The restaurant Hobos is next door. Unfortunately, the Four Lanterns was demolished to make room for a modern block of flats.

[Anastasia]

Having read many different recipes of pastitsio, I finally came up with mine which is nearer the traditional pastitsio. Hope you will enjoy it! My mum also uses mint and halloumi and no tomato sauce at all. I find it too dry and a bit blunt.

[Lisa A]

My favorite recipe with bucatini is bucatini all'amatriciana. This is with pancetta strips, olive oil, red pepper and grated pecorino romano cheese. But I must to tell you that your greek recipe of bucatini sound so delicious. And because in Italy we love pasta, I am going to try your pastitsio - is so easy to say in Italian! :-) Pastitsio will be on my table for Sunday lunch and I hope that my family will love it. I will tell you how it was and send pics. Only one question: is it possible to put mint and cinamon?? I love them both so much!

[Alexia M]

I know this is one of Greece's most popular dishes although I've never tried it as I am a vegetarian. I replace the meat with spinach and cheeses and, believe me, it isn't bad, although it's not the real pastitso.

[Lakis Ioannou]

Pastitsio or macaronia tou fournou as we call it in Cyprus is one of my most favourite dishes, but for starters. After a lot of hard work, Susan has finally learnt how to make a decent Greek pastitsio. :-) She has become an expert! Sunday is usually "souvla" day. We start lunch with Susan's pastitsio for starters and then lamb on the spit, jacket potatoes and a rich village salad - that's my share of Sunday's cooking.

[Anastasia]

Lisa, I wouldn't mix mint with cinnamon. Can't wait to get your photos!

[Anastasia]

I've also tried the vegetarian version of pastitsio and loved it. Right,spinach and cheeses are great but you can also use any other vegetables you like, such as mushrooms, leeks or carrots.

[Anastasia]

Oh my! Just one portion of pastitsio is a main course for me!

[What Matters Most Now]

I can't wait to try this recipe Anastasia! Thanks for sharing! I made a version with chicken once but this sounds amazing!

[Anastasia]

Well, this is my very own traditional version of the Greek pastitsio. It's worth trying it. I'm sure you'll love it!