Making Παστιτσιο (Pastitsio)

I got my mom to come over this week end and I wanted to try my hand at something that I haven't made in eons, and I wanted to make it healthier than usual. So I attempted to make a lower fat version of the Greek Traditional dinner called Pastitsio.

It's also important for the reader to know that when working from a Greek moms recipe there aren't any real measurements so I will try to add them as we go.

First things first.

You'll need to start boiling water in in your favorite Pasta Pot, and you'll also need to preheat your oven to 350 F. I don't know what size casserole dish you'll need but a medium sized one is what I used. You'll need to grease the casserole dish before you add your pasta and meat to it.

Olive oil in a large pot. Chop 2 whole onions and 2 garlic cloves and saute them together. I usually use high heat for this. (I love this smell.)

Once the onions and garlic look translucent then add one pound of extra lean ground beef.

Not every one likes to add vegetables to this dish but I love mushrooms, so in they go. :D I try to add them when the beef is browned so they don't break up too much and are barely noticeable in the dish later.

After you've added the mushrooms you can turn the heat down to about half the temp. You will need to add 2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste.

Mix in the tomato paste and add 1 1/2 cups water. At this point turn the heat down low and let the pot simmer for a while. I'm sure that the water for the pasta has come to a boil by now. You'll need to add 1 package of whole wheat spaghetti to the water. I know it's not the traditional big fat white spaghetti but these are our options.

You'll need a small bowl, and 4 eggs. Crack the eggs and add them to the bowl (whites & yolks) and beat them together. You'll need them for the pasta.

Once the Pasta has boiled, and been strained add two tablespoons of grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese and two tablespoons of butter or margarine.

Mix the pasta butter and cheese together.

Add the beaten eggs and mix into the pasta.

add half your pasta to the casserole dish, and spread it evenly through out. Once you've spread out the pasta add all your ground beef and spread it evenly through out the dish.

The next step is adding the remainder of your pasta to the casserole dish. Again spread it evenly on top of the ground beef mixture.

Now to make the cream topping. For this you'll need 3 cups of milk. I used 1% a small mixing bowl and a small sauce pan. Add 2 cups of the milk to the sauce pan and place on high heat you'll need to bring the milk almost to its boiling point.

In the small mixing bowl add 4 heaping tablespoons of Yiotis cream powder mix, and one cup of milk. Whisk the two together, when the milk in the sauce pan is close to boiling add the mixture to it while whisking the milk in the pan. once the two are combined take it off the heat and slowly stir until it's thinkened.

This is now going to to constitute your last layer of the pastitsio. Pour it ontop of the last layer of pasta and spread it out evenly with a spoon.

Sprinkle some Grated Romano or Parmesan on top.

Now to bake. You'll need to place it in the oven for 1 hour, if the top hasn't browned then leave it just a little longer.

A nice side dish for this is a typical, light & easy greek salad ... sans Feta and Olives.
Sliced Tomato, Cucumber, and onion. Olive Oil, Salt, Basil, and Oregano. Simple and tasty. Some might add a touch of Balsamic vinegar. (the seasoning is to taste add ass you like.)

TADA the finished Product.

Next week I am going to attempt Mousaka.

This post is as much for me as it is for any one else. As you all know I have problems remembering things so I will be able to refer to this in the future when I decide to make it again.

If you don't want to do the low fat version, then use the big fat white noodles that are typical in pasticho and go for the thick layer of cream on top and add as much cheese as you like to pasta and eggs and butter. Some people even add the cream to the past too. :D