-L wrote:
> A Greek friend of mine made an awesome dish with it once - maybe it
> wasn't bucatini but the Greek equivalent. I'm not sure what the dish
> was - it had a veal/beef sauce which contained (among othe rthings)
> cinnamon, and was topped with a fluffy white-sauce-like cheesish layer.
> It was great!
Maybe you're talking about pastitsio? Here's a recipe chosen at random from
Google:
(Posted by Jeanette in response to Damsel, October 2002)
Prep time: 30 min. Bake time: 35 or so min. Oven: 350°
8 oz. corkscrew pasta (or elbow type)
Cook, following pkg directions, till slightly al dente. Drain ell,
return to pan & toss with 2-3 T oleo
Meat Sauce:
1/2# lean ground beef
1 sm onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t crushed fennel
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t allspice or cloves
1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c water, or slightly more
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 c parmesan cheese (fresh)
In medium skillet, cook ground beef and seasonings till meat is no
longer pink. DRAIN FAT. Add tomato sauce and water. Simmer about 20
min. till thickened. Removefrom burner. Add the parmesan cheese and
stir well.
White Sauce:
4 T oleo/butter
4 T flour
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t salt
2 c milk (use whole, or whatever)
2 slightly beaten eggs
1/4 to 1/2 c feta cheese,crumbled
1/4 t nutmeg
Melt oleo in medium saucepan; blend in flour, salt & pepper. Whisk in
milk till all is well blended and cook till thickened and bubbly.
Gradually whisk part of the hot sauce into lightly beaten eggs. Return
all to pan, whisking togther till blended. Stir in feta cheese &
nutmeg.
Layer half of pasta in 2 qt. square baking dish (9 x 9) sprayed with
Pam. Spread meat mixture over pasta. Spread remaining pasta on top of
meat mixture.
Evenly spread white sauce mixture on top. Shake pan to distribue evenly.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (May be prepared in advance to this
point and frozen.) Bake uncovered in 350° oven about 35 min. or till
set. Let stand for 10 min.
TO FREEZE: Place in freeze-to-oven baking dish. Wrap with foil and
freez up to one month. To serve, place in 350° oven for 1-1/2 hours.
Uncover during last 20 min. of baking time.
(Double batch takes about 1-1/2 hours.)
To accompany it:
Greek Salad - serves 12
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
3 T lemon juice
2 T chopped oregano (or about 1 T dried)
1 T chopped mint (or dried)
Salt & pepper
4 romaine hearts, torn
6 medium tomatoes, cored & cut into wedges
6 Kirby cucumbers, peeled & sliced 1/2 in.
thick (or plain cucumbers)
1/2 # feta cheese, crumbled (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 c kalamata olives, pitted (6 oz.)
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and
mint. Season with salt & pepper. In a large bowl, combine the romaine,
tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese and olives. Toss and serve at once.
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