Last month, I attended a Les Dames d'Escoffier South Florida fund-raising event inspired by the "Aegean Secrets" Greek dinner that several of our members participated in at the James Beard House in New York. It got me thinking about my favorite Greek dish, pastitsio, the hearty casserole of layered pasta, ground lamb or beef in tomato sauce, and a bechamel sauce topping that bakes up browned and crispy.
It is often called "Greek lasagna." This is a favorite main dish served at weddings and during the holidays in Greece and Cyprus, although versions of pastitsio can be found in Malta and Egypt.
The typical Greek version is made with tubular pasta, like penne or ziti, and is enriched with feta cheese, which provides a sharp distinctive taste. The dish owes its rich flavor to aromatic spices and herbs like cinnamon, sumac, oregano and mint.
A vegetarian pastitsio made with sauteed cubes of eggplant in place of the meat is just as delicious as the traditional kind. This dish requires some assembly work _ layering the meat sauce, pasta, bechamel. But once the components are made, the rest is easy.
For the perfect texture, cook the pasta 2-3 minutes less than the package instructs so it doesn't get mushy after baking. Pastitsio may be prepared in advance _ just assemble the ingredients in your baking dish, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two days or freeze for up to three months. If frozen, thaw before baking. For even slices, let the pastitsio cool down before cutting into squares.
