Name: Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta)
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 red onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 500 g minced beef; 90 ml dry red wine; 400 g canned chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 1 beef stock cube, crumbled; 0.5 tsp sugar; 1 bay leaf; 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 small cinnamon stick (about 3 cm); 1 pinch ground cloves; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 50 g butter; 45 g plain flour; 500 ml whole milk; 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated; 0.25 tsp salt; 50 g kefalotyri, or Parmesan instead, finely grated; 1 egg yolk; 200 g bucatini, ziti or penne; 1 tbsp salt (for the pasta water); 1 egg white; 60 g feta, crumbled; 40 g kefalotyri or Parmesan, finely grated (for sprinkling)

Preparation

For the meat sauce, heat the oil in a large pot and soften the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mince and brown it, breaking it up as it cooks.
Pour in the red wine and let it almost completely evaporate for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, stock cube, sugar, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper, stir and bring to the boil.
Simmer gently over medium to low heat for 45 to 60 minutes until almost no liquid is left; the sauce should be thick, not like a Bolognese. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and leave to cool.
For the béchamel, melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Pour in the milk in two batches, stirring, until no lumps remain, and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Take off the heat, stir in the nutmeg, cheese and salt, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then quickly beat in the egg yolk. Cover and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional or fan). Cook the pasta in salted water for 1 minute less than the packet says, drain, return to the pot and leave to cool for 3 minutes. Then carefully fold in the egg white and feta.
Put the pasta, lined up in one direction if possible, into a baking dish (about 20 × 25 cm) and smooth it out, spread the meat sauce on top, pour over the béchamel and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting so the layers hold together.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Agiorgitiko, Chianti or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Fresh acidity keeps the tomato sauce in balance, while soft fruit and spice round off the cheese and béchamel and pick up the cinnamon.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Pale lager · good match
Light lager or Pils, well chilled
Carbonation and light bitterness cut through the béchamel and the cheese fat.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Rosé · good match
Full-flavoured rosé from Greece or southern Italy
Red fruit and freshness suit the tomato without drowning out the cinnamon.

Preparation

For the meat sauce, heat the oil in a large pot and soften the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mince and brown it, breaking it up as it cooks.
Pour in the red wine and let it almost completely evaporate for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, stock cube, sugar, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper, stir and bring to the boil.
Simmer gently over medium to low heat for 45 to 60 minutes until almost no liquid is left; the sauce should be thick, not like a Bolognese. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and leave to cool.
For the béchamel, melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Pour in the milk in two batches, stirring, until no lumps remain, and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Take off the heat, stir in the nutmeg, cheese and salt, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then quickly beat in the egg yolk. Cover and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional or fan). Cook the pasta in salted water for 1 minute less than the packet says, drain, return to the pot and leave to cool for 3 minutes. Then carefully fold in the egg white and feta.
Put the pasta, lined up in one direction if possible, into a baking dish (about 20 × 25 cm) and smooth it out, spread the meat sauce on top, pour over the béchamel and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting so the layers hold together.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Agiorgitiko, Chianti or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Fresh acidity keeps the tomato sauce in balance, while soft fruit and spice round off the cheese and béchamel and pick up the cinnamon.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Pale lager · good match
Light lager or Pils, well chilled
Carbonation and light bitterness cut through the béchamel and the cheese fat.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Rosé · good match
Full-flavoured rosé from Greece or southern Italy
Red fruit and freshness suit the tomato without drowning out the cinnamon.

Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta)

Preparation

Drink with it

Agiorgitiko, Chianti or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Light lager or Pils, well chilled

Full-flavoured rosé from Greece or southern Italy

This pairs well too.

Albóndigas in Tomato Sauce (Spanish meatballs)

Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Beef Fillet with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Beef Rouladen

Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta)

Preparation

Drink with it

Agiorgitiko, Chianti or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Light lager or Pils, well chilled

Full-flavoured rosé from Greece or southern Italy

This pairs well too.

Albóndigas in Tomato Sauce (Spanish meatballs)

Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Beef Fillet with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Beef Rouladen