Pastitsio from Greece

Ingredients
1 kilo  thick macaroni
½ kilo  minced meat
2 medium-sized chopped onions
3-4 cloves of  garlic
1 bay leaf
2-3 ripe diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1/4 litre olive oil
150 g Kefalotyri (Greek type of cheese) or Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
 
Bechamel Sauce
1.5  litre hot milk
1 egg yolk
100g plain flour
100g butter
150 g Kefalotyri (Greek type of cheese) or grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper


Directions
1. Sauté the onions in a teacup of oil, until golden.  Add the minced meat and sauté with the onions stirring constantly until browned.

2. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaf,  salt, pepper and some water. Let everything cook gently for  30 minutes.

3. Half cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water, cool and drain and pour over enough oil to coat the pasta (not too much that it makes it really greasy).

4. In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce. Heat the butter in a pan just before it starts to turn golden in colour,  add the flour stirring constantly so that it does not turn lumpy. Slowly add the hot milk stirring constantly with a whisk to make sure that no lumps form.

5. Take the pan off the heat and add the egg yolk, the pinch of nutmeg, the cheese, the salt and pepper stirring constantly. Set aside once ready.
 
6. In a ovenware dish lay out the layer of macaroni and sprinkle  with cheese and cover with the minced meat mix, you have already prepared.  Mix up the pasta, mincemeat and cheese so that they are evenly spread.
 
7. Spread the remaining minced meat over the pasta mix, sprinkle again with cheese and cover with the béchamel sauce.

8. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and add a little nutmeg, cayenne pepper and ground black pepper.
 
9. Bake in at 180 c oven for c. 20 minutes until golden brown on-top. Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Cut into square pieces.  Serve with a green salad, good bread, a little tzatziki and a bottle of light red wine. 

Taverna Sebastian's