Dean cooks Pastitsio

For Greek Easter, Dean is making his mom's Pastitsio - Village-style Greek lasagna. (printable recipe below)

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. #43 Penne pasta  (any similar penne, ziti or even whole macaroni will work.  Smaller pennes allow flavors to sneak in )
•  
• Meat Mixture: 
• 1 lb. ground beef  (80/20 mix) 
• 1 lb. ground lamb   (if you don't like lamb,  use an additional pound of ground beef)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup red wine such as merlot
• 2 shots, cognac 
• 1 cup, water 
• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp. tomato paste 
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil. 
• 2 dried bay leaves (whole, not crushed) 
• 1 tsp. oregano 
• 1 tsp. dried mint (or 3 tsp. fresh mint)   
• ¾ tsp ground allspice 
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. each, salt and pepper 
• pinch of sugar

Bechamel:  

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt, more if you like
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 cups whole, warmed milk
• 3 large eggs, beaten. 
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese.  (do not buy pre-grated)

Toppings: 

• 2 cups,  seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 cups, grated parmesan cheese  (do not buy pre-grated)  
• 1 stick unsalted butter,  cut into ½ Tbsp. pieces  

Directions: 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.    

Prepare the pasta:

In a pot of water,  cook the penne to slightly "under" al dente.  

Do not overcook.  It will finish cooking when it's baking.  

Drain, return to pan,  add the olive oil to lightly coat. 

Set aside.   

Prepare the meat sauce: 

In a large pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. 

Sauté the onions until transparent.  

Add lean beef (lamb) and garlic. Season with salt.  

Cook until meat is fully browned, tossing regularly and breaking up the meat with your wooden spoon (about 8 to 10 minutes.) 

Drain excess fat.  Return pan to heat. 

Add wine, cognac, crushed tomato, tomato paste, mint,  allspice, cinnamon, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and pinch of sugar. 

Mix to combine.  

Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then lower heat and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or so. to cook down the liquds.  

Discard bay leaves. 

Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Set aside.   

Prepare the bechamel: 

In a saucepan, melt the butter.  

Mix together the flour, nutmeg and salt.  Add to the butter and mix until combined.   

Slowly stir in the milk, stirring well after each addition so that no lumps form.

Cook and stir on medium high until cream sauce starts to thicken; stir for one minute more, then remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of the hot bechamel mixture with the eggs in a small bowl. 

Then return it all to the pan with the remaining bechamel mixture. 

Stir briskly.

Blend in the 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.

Set aside.  

Assemble all 3 mixtures: 

In a separate bowl, combine the pasta and meat mixture thoroughly.

Layer 1/3 of the pasta/meat mixture in a well-buttered 9 ½ x 13 casserole or baking dish.   

Top evenly with grated parmesan cheese. 

Repeat with a 2nd and 3rd layer of mixture.

Evenly, pour the bechamel sauce over top of it all.  

Carefully stir the bechamel sauce into the pasta/meat/cheese layers.    

Gently shake or pound cthe dish on the counter to even the layers out.  

Add one more layer of parmesan.

Spread an even layer of breadcrumbs over the top.  

Dot evenly with butter pieces.

Bake, uncovered, at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until hot and lightly browned.

Let stand for at least 10 minutes before cutting into square servings.  

You can see the video of Dean cooking with his mom in the video player below.