Pastitsio

Boil macaroni for 5 minutes.  Drain.  Whisk 3 egg whites until foamy.  Add 1/4 grated parmesan.  Toss pasta with egg whites and parmesan until completely covered.

I used the bechamel sauce that we made yesterday.  (Recipe for the creamed spinach).  I heated it up slowly, then turned off the heat and added 3/4 cup grated parmesan and 3 egg yolks.  Stir until well combined.

The meat sauce.  Saute 2 chopped onions and 2 chopped bell peppers.  Cook about until soft.  Remove.  Brown one pound ground beef (may use ground lamb or pork) and some of the sausage made earlier this month.  The recipes called for dry aged chorizo (3 oz) chopped, but I had sausage thawed and no chorizo.  Add 2 cups crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup red wine, the onions, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer about 15 minutes.

In a casserole dish, layer half of the macaroni, then all of the beef (remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick), then the rest of the macaroni.  Pour the bechamel over the top and spread to cover.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Pastitsio

Tomatoes and feta

This recipe was adapted from:  http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Greek-Lasagne-Pastitsio