You've probably eaten pastitsio while on holiday in Greece - You'll find it on almost every menu along with the more familiar moussaka, the boss of Greek food!
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Sometimes spelt pastichio, it’s basically like lasagne—a layer of pasta topped with a rich meat sauce and finished with béchamel (white sauce).
For pastitsio and moussaka, though, the béchamel includes egg yolks, which makes it set into a slightly wobbly texture when baked, unlike the smoother sauce on lasagna. If you’ve never tried them, you definitely should—they’re both delicious.
The main difference is that the Moussaka recipe contains potatoes and aubergines (eggplant).
You can definitely prepare Pastitsio ahead of time. Just assemble it in your casserole dish without baking, cover it tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes first. And whatever you do, don’t skip the allspice—taste the meat sauce before adding it, and you’ll understand why; it really makes all the difference.
It tastes okay but nothing to write home about. Once you add the allspice, you will notice it becomes a thing of true deliciousness!
Derived from the dried, unripe berries of the pimento tree, allspice delivers the flavours of many different spices including cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper.
Before being crushed down, allspice seeds resemble dark brown peppercorns.
The warm and earthy aroma of ground allspice makes it a key ingredient in many sweet and savoury dishes.
The flavour of allspice brings to mind cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper.
You can make allspice at home and, to make 1 teaspoon: combine ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves and ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
But don't forget that this recipe only requires just ½ a teaspoon.
You will need a large Pyrex dish - mine is 24 cm x 20 cm
Pastitsio is surprisingly easy to make - start by making the meat sauce. Put a large pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and the chopped onions.
Cook whilst stirring for about 8 minutes until they are soft but not coloured.
Add the garlic and tomato puree and cook for another minute before adding the beef.
Be sure to break up the meat well - a wooden spoon works best, and brown it for about 5 minutes.
Pour in the red wine and wait for it to evaporate almost completely - otherwise, your finished sauce will taste bitter.
Add the tin of tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon, oregano, and bay leaf, then season to taste.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Once the meat sauce is ready, remove the bay leaf and prepare the béchamel sauce.
Cook the bucatini in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package suggests, so it stays firm after baking. Layer half of the pasta in your dish, then add the meat sauce.
Next, layer the remaining pasta over the meat sauce.
Prepare the béchamel sauce, and once it’s ready, pour it over the top and finish with a sprinkle of nutmeg
Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes of cooking. Then remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or so until the top is lovely and light golden brown.
To keep your pastitsio looking great for presentation, let it cool for about 25 minutes before slicing. For the best results, allow it to cool completely, then slice and reheat in the microwave when ready to serve—making it an ideal dinner party dish.
As with moussaka, a nice Greek salad is perfect, like the one in my moussaka recipe.
Have you tried this recipe?
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