Casserole Friday: Ina Garten's Pastitsio
My friends in Vermont, Zachary and Clark, make hot dish casseroles every Friday during the winter months. They've shared their California Casserole, their Sherry Chicken Casserole, and now their latest find, Ina Garten's Pastitiso.
We recently saw Ina Garten make Pastitsio, her version of "Greek lasagna," on the Food Network. Several reviewers wrote in castigating her for not making "real" Greek lasagna, but since we're not Greek, we can't comment on that. We were, however, dismayed to note that even more reviewers wrote in pointing out major discrepancies between the on-air recipe and the on-line recipe.
Thanks to all of them, our attempt at Pastitsio came out brilliantly. It is a delicious version of the classic basic casserole that combines pasta, ground meat, tomatoes, and spices. When we try it again we may see what it's like with all ground lamb, instead of half lamb and half beef. But already this is definitely a keeper and will be enrolled in the pantheon for Casserole Fridays.
A final note on cinnamon. Ina's original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. We added half that amount, following the suggestion of several reviewers. But a critical variable is what kind of cinnamon you use. Penzey's, where we buy all our spices, offers four different cinnamons, plus their own blend. We used a strong Chinese Cassia. But if you used a softer, milder cinnamon, you probably could use a full tablespoon. As it was, our version had a subtle but noticeable cinnamon flavor, with a wonderful light aftertaste.
PASTITSIO (Adapted from Ina Garten's Greek Lasagna recipe shown on the Food Network)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup red wine
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1-1/2 teaspoon strong ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 can crushed tomatoes in their juice (28 ounces)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan, divided in half
2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt
2 eggs
3/4 pound pasta (macaroni-style, not spaghetti-style)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat; add onion and saute for 5 minutes; reduce heat to medium, add meat, and cook for 10 minutes; add wine, cook for 2 minutes; add garlic, cinnamon, oregano, and thyme, cooking for another 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper; bring just to simmer; cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes; set aside.
2. Heat milk and cream over medium-low heat until just simmering.
3. In separate pan, melt butter, then whisk in flour; cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly; add hot milk and cream; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until smooth and thick; remove from heat and add nutmeg, salt, pepper, half the Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of meat sauce; let cool for 5-10 minutes, then whisk in yogurt and eggs
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions5. Combine drained pasta with meat sauce, add to large casserole dish; pour cheese sauce evenly over top; sprinkle with remaining half of Parmesan.
6. Bake for 1 hour, then let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pastitsio, Ina Garten, Food Network, 2009
--Tracy Schneider
CABAL RMT on February 11, 2011 at 11:59 PM
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