Yiayia's Pastitsio

ingredients

• 500g lean beef mince
• 250g penne pasta
• 400g can of chopped/crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of red wine
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper

Béchamel Sauce

• 3/4 cup of plain flour
• 3/4 cup of butter
• 750mL of warm milk
• 1 & 1/2 cups of Kefalograviera cheese or parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten

method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced.

Pasta

1. Boil pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until al dente.
2. After straining the pasta, add the pasta to a separate bowl with the olive oil and leave to cool.

Meat Sauce

1. Add mince to a hot non-stick pan and sauté until excess water evaporates and mince is browned. Add onion, red wine, garlic, oregano, rosemary, cloves, allspice and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and chopped tomatoes.
3. Reduce heat to low and let the meat simmer for 1 hour.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Béchamel Sauce

1. Melt butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat, add flour and stir for roughly 2 minutes.
2. Now slowly add the warm milk, stirring constantly, and keep stirring over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and thick. Remove from the heat, top with a lid and let the sauce cool for 10 minutes.
3. Add beaten eggs, nutmeg and half of the cheese to the mixture.

Assemble

1. Oil your casserole dish, layer the bottom of your dish with pasta and cheese.
2. Cover with meat sauce and then add the béchamel sauce to top.
3. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, uncovered, until golden brown. Rest for 15 minutes before slicing.