Pastitsio – Greek macaroni casserole

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 130 g macaroni
• 1 small onion(s)
• 30 g butter
• 250 g minced meat, mixed
• 200 ml tomato(s), pureed
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 100 ml white wine
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml milk
• 2 tbsp, heaped flour
• 4 tbsp, heaped Pecorino or Parmesan
• nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

from a Greek friend

Peel and finely chop the onion. Grate the cheese. To prepare the minced meat and tomato sauce, melt 10g of butter in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the minced meat and fry until it turns gray. Mix in the passata and parsley, season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Pour in the white wine and simmer uncovered on low heat for about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and stir in 1 egg. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. To prepare the béchamel sauce, melt 20g of butter, add the flour, and stir until light brown. This takes about 5 minutes. Now carefully add the hot, but not boiling, milk, whisking gently. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly (it will burn easily). It should have the consistency of pudding. Simmering the sauce for a longer time is important, as it loses its floury flavor. Let the sauce cool slightly, stir in 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of cheese, then season with nutmeg and salt. Grease a baking dish and layer half of the pasta. Sprinkle two tablespoons of cheese on top. Spread the minced meat and tomato sauce evenly over the pasta. Layer the remaining pasta. Spread the béchamel sauce on top of the pasta. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (top/bottom heat) for about 40 minutes.