BAKED**Michael Symon's Pastitsio

By Unblond1

01/01/13 - Everybody loved this.
26/12/18 - On further reflection, I don't know that I'd make this again. The sauce is good enough but I like my Italian sauce recipes better I think and the end result here is not as good as it could be.

Ingredients

• For the Pasta:
• 1/2 pound Penne
• Olive oil
• Top:
• 2 tbsp. parsley (chopped)
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan or Kasseri cheese (grated)
• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
• For the Meat Sauce:
• Olive oil
• 2 cups Eggplant or Zucchini (medium diced), optional
• 1 cup Onion (small diced)
• 1 cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1 pound Ground Sirloin (or half beef, half veal)
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 1/2 cups San Marzano Tomatoes (crushed)
• 1 sprig Thyme (leaves only)
• For the Bechamel:
• 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/8 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Parmesan or Kasseri Cheese - I used a pecorino romano because I couldn't get Kasseri

Preparation

Step 1

* Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente and set aside.
* Meat Sauce: Place a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add a film of olive oil and the eggplant. Cook the eggplant till it begins to brown and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate and set aside.

* To the same pan add some more olive oil and the onions and garlic with a large pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the beef to this mixture, breaking it up as it cooks. Season with some more salt and freshly ground black pepper.
* When the meat has browned, add the cinnamon, oregano, and thyme. Next add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Check for seasoning at this point, adding more if necessary. Add the eggplant or zucchini, if using and set aside.
* Béchamel: Place a sauce pot over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, whisk in the flour. Next whisk in the milk and cream along with the cayenne, salt and pepper. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and begins to boil slightly. Turn the heat off and whisk in the parmesan, then set aside.

* To Assemble: In a deep, square pan start to assemble the pastitsio. Using a third of the meat sauce, spread an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Put half of the pasta on top of this. Add another third of the meat sauce, then the rest of the pasta, topping with the rest of the meat sauce. Pour the béchamel over the top in an even layer. While the béchamel is soaking into the pasta, make the topping.

* To Top: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, Greek yogurt and parmesan, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Pour this over the top of the pasta, spreading it into an even layer.

* Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbly. Cover loosely with foil after 25 minutes to prevent the yogurt topping from turning black (still tasty but unattractive). Remove from the oven and let set for 5 minutes, and then serve immediately!