The best pastitsio ever!

[bif]

http://cookingwiththemark.blogspot.com

Pastitsio
2 pounds ground lamb
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 14 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 c red wine
butter
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 eggs beaten
grated parmesan

Bechamel sauce
4 c hot milk
4 T flour
1/4 c butter
pepper

Directions
Saute ground lamb with onion and garlic until golden brown. Drain as much fat as possible. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, wine, tomato sauce and pepper and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. When done, drain and rinse and place in a large bowl. add some butter, eggs and some parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Spread 1/2 of the macaroni on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Spread meat sauce over it, sprinkle with parmesan. Add the remaining macaroni, pour Bechamel sauce over it, sprinkle parmesan cheese and bake in a 350° oven for an hour and 15 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

To make the Bechamel sauce, melt the butter over low heat in a sauce pan. Whisk in the flour, Then slowly add milk while whisking constantly until it thickens. Pour immediately over the assembled pastitsio. If you let it sit for a while, it won't penetrate the pastitsio.

[intheflow]

1. That sounds quite yummy!

I've never heard of pastitsio before. Where does it hail from? It feels reminiscent of Turkish or Moroccan food.

[bif]

2. It's a Greek dish.

It's sort of like a Greek version of lasagna. It's pretty incredible.