Conference turris::cooks

Jeff Smith's (Frugal Gourmet) Pastitso:

2 pounds hamburger
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I use more, since I love cinnamon--dbr)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound lasagne noodles
1/4 pound butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups Bechamel Sauce for Pastitso (recipe follows--dbr)

Saute the hamburger along with the onion in the oil.
When the onions are clear, add the parsley, garlic, cinnamon,
tomato sauce, and white wine. Let this cook together gently for
30 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the lasagne noodles until not quite tender.
Drain, and soak in cold water.

When the sauce is done, drain the cold noodles, and place in a
large bowl. Add the butter, 3 eggs, and a handful of Parmesan
cheese. Toss the noodles, and place half the mixture in a buttered
baking dish. Add the meat sauce. Place the rest of the noodles on
top, and cover with the Bechamel Sauce for pastitso. Top with
more grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until
the top is bubbly.

Bechamel Sauce for Pastitso:

4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch or two of cinnamon

Heat the milk. Melt the butter, and stir in the flour.
Stir the flour and butter into the hot milk, and continue
stirring, until thick. Add the salt, pepper and cinnamon.

    The suspense has been killing me over the ingredients of this recipe.
     I can't wait to try it.
    
    I don't know what you mean by 'hamburger' I assume mince meat is
    the same so that's what I'll be using.
    
    Regards
    
    Janice
    U.K.

    Janice,
    
    Hamburger is Ground Beef, boy do we take a lot for granted over
    here. We say we speak "English", I guess not. In "American" English,
    hamburger is one of the most commonly spoken words, especially when
    the kids want to go to a fast food restaurant. 
    
    Second is probably french fries (better known to you as chips).
    
    Don

    Sorry I'm late but Jeff Smith's recipe is basically like my mom's.
    Except she uses large elbow noodles and when she can get it, greek
    kefalatori cheese instead of the parmesan.  When she can't get that,
    she uses fresh grated romano cheese.  When I was a kid, I couldn't
    stand the taste of wine so she substituted chicken broth and it
    was still delicious.  Believe it or not, I could pick out the taste
    of wine in any dish she used it with.
    
    Hope you enjoy it, it's delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    

    This is late but I kept forgetting to bring in my cookbook. I went
    to Greece last May and while in Athens, I bought a cookbook called
    Traditional Greek Cooking. After reading through it, I realized
    it had been translated from Greek into English literally. Some of
    the directions take some deciphering to figure out what they mean,
    but the recipes are about as authentic as you'll get. Here's the
    one for Pastizio (Meat and Macaroni Pie).
    
    

    
    1 lb. (1/2 kilo) thick macaroni (elbow)
    1 lb. 10 oz (3/4 kilo) ground meat
    8.5 oz. (240 g.) grated kefalo or Parmesan cheese
    2 eggs
    1 cup of butter or margarine
    1/2 c. white wine
    1 med. onion, chopped
    1 lb. 10 oz. (3/4 kilo) ripe tomatos or 1 tbsp. tomato paste
    1 pinch cinammon
    salt,pepper
    crushed bread crumbs
    1 portion Bechamel sauce
    
    Partially cook the macaroni in salted water. Put in a baking dish
    and pour half of the hot butter over the macaroni. Beat egg whites.
    The yolks will be used later to make the bechamel sauce. Mix the
    beaten egg whites with the macaroni. Sprinkle with half the cheese.
    With the rest of the butter, saute the ground meat and the onion.
    Hold a little of the butter until later. add the wine, strained
    tomatoes or the tomato paste, diluted in 1 cup water, salt, pepper
    and cinammon then let simmer to absorb the liquid. Remove from the
    fire and add the remaining cheese and 1/2 cup of the crushed bread
    crumbs. Stir all well. Prepare one portion of bechamel sauce. Butter
    a baking dish. Sprinkle it with crushed bread crumbs and lay half
    the macaroni in the pan. Spread evenly with the ground meat mixture.
    Lay the rest of the macaroni on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over
    all and sprinkle with grated cheese, then the crushed rbead crumbs
    and melted butter, held back from earlier. Bake in a medium over
    for 30 minutes until golden brown.
    
    
    Unfortunately, the didn't include the bechamel sauce recipe so I've
    included one here from another cookbook, but it doesn't call for
    eggs.....
    
    3 tbsp. butter
    3 tbsp. flour
    2 cups milk
    1 tsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. white pepper
    
    Melt the butter over moderate heat in a small heavy saucepan. Remove
    from heat and stir in the flour, using a whisk or wooden spoon until
    well-blended. Return to heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
    Don't let it brown. Remove form heat and slowly stir in the milk.
    When blended, return to heat once more and stir until sauce comes
    to boil. Boil 1/2 minute and add salt and pepper. Makes 2 cups.

    
    
    Good luck!
    

                
    Hi,
    
    	Here is the recipe I finally used.  It is a combination of
    	the one from the Frugal Gormet, and two others gotten from
    	friends cookbooks.  I took the best of each and the results
    	were delicious.  It didn't exactly resemble the one I had
    	in Florida, but until I get that recipe, this one will do
    	just fine!   My boyfriend liked it but suggested I leave out
    	the Cinamon next time.  What a dummy!  The Cinamon was EXACTLY
    	what made the recipe taste so good!  I refused, then he went
    	back for seconds, and even ate the leftovers the next day.
    	Men!!
    
    	Thanks for all the input!
    
    	Karen
             
    
    
		 Pasticcio

1/2 lb Rigatoni or large Ziti, cooked till soft but firm
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

Filling :

1 lbs ground meat
1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4+ tsp cinnamon
1/4 C white or red wine
1 large tomato, peeled and diced
1 can (8 oz) tomatos
1 egg whites

Bechamel Sauce :

1/4 C butter
1/4 C four
2 C hot milk
salt
pepper
nutmeg
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 eggs
1 egg yolks

Brown meat, onion, and garlic.  Add salt, pepper, oregano, cinnamon to taste.
Add wine, diced tomatoes, and canned tomatoes.  Break up tomatoes with spoon.
Cover and cook over medium heat.  Cool.  Add egg whites.

Melt butter.  Add flour.  Add milk and stir till smooth.  Add salt, pepper,
and nutmeg to taste.  Cook, stiring constantly till thick.  Remove from heat 
and stir in cheese, eggs and egg yolks.

Butter 5X7X2 pan and put in 1/2 Noodles.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cheese.  Cover
with meat filling.  Top with remaining noodles.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese
and cover with sauce.  Sprinkle with rest of cheese.  Cook at 375 for 30-45
minutes or till golden brown.  Leave 20 minutes.  Cut and server.  Serves 8. 
    

    would anyone happen to know what would happen if either the hamburger
    or bechamel were left out?  we don't mix meat and cheese/dairy,
    and ordinarily i just leave out the meat parts of lasagnes etc.
    or substitute a vegetable for the meat, in order to keep some sort
    of subtance to the dish.  might there be something that couod be
    substituted?  from what i've read, it seems tht the cinnamon and
    the sauce are thekey to this dish -- would the ground beef deletion
    be a real loss?

    
    thanks.
    
    
    sandy

    Although you could use soy milk in the bechamel, you'd really change
    the flavor without the parmesan, so I'd look to substitute for the
    beef.  Is it kosher to mix poultry and dairy?  If so, ground turkey
    would work very well.  If you need a vegetable, I'd use
    eggplant--either chopped, and sauteed with onion, or sliced and
    broiled.
    
    Susan

    I made this Greek dish using green noodles in place of the macaroni
    and soy mince (textured soy protein) in place of the ground meat
    and it was delicious! 
    
    I often serve lasagnes and such up to my meat eating friends that
    I have substituted the meat with TVP and they NEVER know the
    difference.. you get all the taste and texture with reduced calories,
    reduced fat and it is meat free.
    
    You are right.. I found the sauce, cinnamon and tomatoes were the
    secret to this dish!
    
    gailann

    
    RE: eggplant
    
    If you make this dish with eggplant you have Mousakka (sp?),
    another excellent greek dish.  I would recommend you try
    the eggplant.... and call it Mousakka, instead of Pasticcio.
    
    Karen

    no, technically speaking poultry is in the same category as meat,
    so i wouldn't be able to substitute turkey for the beef.  the soy
    mince [whatever that is] gives me an idea, though -- maybe i could
    use tofu instead of the meat.  
    
    thanks, all.
    
    sandy

    Yup, you could use tofu.  Hint:  If you freeze tofu and then thaw
    it, it will have a crumbly more "meaty" texture.  The flavor will
    not be changed much - still needs spices and sauces to taste good,
    but it will no longer have that jello texture.
    
    --Louise

RE:

>               <<< Note 1582.21 by MYVAX::LUBY "DTN 287-3204" >>>
>                                     -< y >-
>
>    
>    RE: eggplant
>    
>    If you make this dish with eggplant you have Mousakka (sp?),
>    another excellent greek dish.  I would recommend you try
>    the eggplant.... and call it Mousakka, instead of Pasticcio.
>    
>    Karen

Close, but not exactly.  If you were to substitute the noodles in pastichio
with slices of eggplant, *then* you would have moussaka.  There is no pasta
and there is meat in moussaka.

B