One of the most famous greek specialties! Three essential components make up this dish - pasta, meat filling, and a creamy bechamel sauce which are layered in a pan and baked to a golden brown.

Who can resist this very special dish? It is easy to make and you can find anything you need in your local supermarket, except the bechamel, (you can ask your mom to send you one from Greece) which you could make yourself. You can always though find "Besciamella", a ready to cook bechamel in most supermarkets. It is not the same but easier!

Main Ingredients

-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 whole cloves
- 500g ground beef
- Tomato juice & tomato puree
- 1 package of Ziti or pennes
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for topping
- Bechamel Sauce, recipe follows or ready bechamel

For the Béchamel Sauce

- 4 cups (1 litre) of scalded milk
- 1 cup (250 ml.) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (180 ml.) grated Kefalotyri (or Parmesan cheese if you really cannot find the Greek cheese)
- ½ cup (125 ml.) of salted butter
- 3 egg yolks, well beaten
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preparing & making Pastitsio

In a large pan over medium heat, we add the olive oil, onion, garlic, black pepper, the cloves and the ground beef and saute for a few minutes. We are stirring continuously, until all the meat is cooked and browned.

We add salt, the tomato juice and the tomato puree and keep stirring for another 20 minutes. If we want we can give an extra taste by adding cinnamon - a little bit.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the pasta to the water and boil it until soft but not fully cooked (about 3/4 of the suggested cooking time on the package).

While the pasta is cooking, make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a deep saucepan over a medium heat, then, using a whisk slowly incorporate the flour by adding it to the melted butter in. Once the flour has been fully incorporated, slowly add the hot milk while continuing to constantly stir the butter and flour paste to ensure a smooth consistency.

When the milk has been added, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated cheese, the pepper and the egg yolks and stir.

When you are ready with everything, put olive oil to a big pan (for the oven) and put half of the pasta at the bottom. Then put the mix with the meat, then again pasta and for the top you pour the bechamel to cover all the surface of the pan.

You bake for 45 minutes in medium temperature. We advise you to eat it with fresh bread, feta cheese and good friends! Enjoy!

Photos by: diekatrin