A Greek dish made with a French sauce, that employs a buttery, creamy Medium intensity olive oil. OPA!
Ingredients
1 pound dry ziti pasta
4 tablespoons Medium Intensity EVOO
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt and pepper to taste
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground lamb
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/2 cup EVOO
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and allow to cool slightly. Whisk 4 tablespoons EVOO with eggs, Parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Pour over ziti and set aside.
To make meat sauce heat olive olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions until soft and transclucent. Increase heat and add ground beef and lamb and cook until the meat browns. Add the tomatoes, wine, broth, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
To make the EVOO béchamel , heat the olive oil in saucepan and stir in flour. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Pour in milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 minute. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and cool slightly before stirring in beaten egg.
Transfer 1/2 cup of the bechamel to the meat sauce. To assemble pastitsio, grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with one tablespoon EVOO. Spoon half of the prepared ziti evenly in the bottom and top with meat sauce. Top that with remaining ziti. Pour on the remaining béchamel sauce and spread to completely cover ziti. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
Serves 8
