Beef & Lamb Pastitsio
(with spiced tomato sauce & yogurt béchamel)
1 square Pastitsio
4 ounces tomato sauce
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Place Pastitsio in a sauté pan with vegetable stock and into oven to heat through.
When hot place in center of large yellow plate, ladle hot sauce around & over Pastitsio and garnish with parsley.
For Pastitsio:
2 lbs. of ground chuck
1 lb. ground lamb
3 cups diced onion
3 T. chopped garlic
¾ cup virgin olive oil
2 cinnamon sticks
1 t. ground allspice
1 T. ground coriander
2 t. hot paprika
1 cup red wine
4 cups house tomato sauce
2 T. tomato paste
2 lbs. macaroni #2 blanched for 5 minutes, tossed with a little olive oil and cooled
Yogurt béchamel
In large stainless steel pot lightly brown beef & lamb in olive oil, add onion and garlic and cook until soft.
Add cinnamon, allspice, allspice and paprika; cook 2 minutes.
Add wine, reduce by 3/4‘s, add tomato sauce and tomato paste cook until mixture becomes thick but not dry.
Cool in walk-in.
Mix with pasta, 1 cup of béchamel and check seasoning.
Transfer to a hotel pan, spread evenly into pan and top with béchamel; may make more than you need but can be used for next batch or half a batch.
Bake in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown and completely chill before cutting and using; best chilled overnight.
For Béchamel:
12 ounces butter
12 ounces flour
64 ounces milk
2 ounces egg yolks
½ cup grated kefalotiri cheese
1 cup yogurt
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
In stainless steel pot cook butter until foam begins to subside, stir in flour and cook for 6 minutes.
Off heat slowly whisk in flour to avoid lumps, place back over heat and cook until mixture begins to boil.
Remove form heat, whisk together yogurt, egg yolks, nutmeg and cheese.
Add about half a cup of béchamel to yogurt mix to temper, stir into béchamel and season.
