Pastitsio

I was going to make chili today but found that I did not have all the ingredients in my house and I didn't want to leave to go get them. So I got out my trusty self-made cook-binders, consisting of recipes I have torn from the pages of some of my favorite foodie magazines. I came upon Pastitsio, a Greek beef and pasta casserole recipe, that I had pulled from the December/January issue of Taste of Home. The only differences in my rendition are that I used shells instead of macaroni and I made my own tomato sauce from the tomatoes I had cooked down and frozen over the summer.

For the tomato sauce I added a dash of salt and ground pepper and a Tbsp of honey and pureed them until smooth.  I find that the tomatoes are a bit bitter for my taste without the honey. I am going to research a sweeter variety to grow next summer as I am hoping to can some of my own tomato sauce this year.

This recipe is a keeper in my book. It is creamy and rich in flavor, yet I found it to be on the lighter side. Not as heavy as a lasagna can tend to be. The most difficult part is the roux (rue). I find that if you add the milk all at once you are likely to have a lumpy roux. If you add it slowly and whisk it together as you add it, you will get a creamy, smooth roux. Mine turned out wonderfully creamy and rich. It was also the first time I had ever added an egg to a roux.

Shells, Meat mixture, and Parmesan Cheese

Butter, Flour, Milk and Egg

Ready for the oven

I baked mine for 35 minutes. This is as golden brown as it got.

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