Loni’s Pastitsio (The Ultimate Greek Mac and Cheese)

Cheap Eats, Fit for a Crowd, Family Meal, Great Leftovers, Rewarms Well

I first encountered pastitsio many years ago at a Greek festival put on by a local Greek Orthodox church. The wonderful aromas drew me immediately to the stall where huge squares of baked pasta were being cut from a large hotel pan. One bite, and I knew I was eating the “ultimate” mac and cheese. The recipe comes from my
mentor and good friend Loni Kuhn. Loni ran a cooking school in her San Francisco home for more than twenty years, and she generously supplied me with many of her best recipes. Loni passed away in 1997, but her enthusiasm and love of good, simple food lives on in her recipes.

Serves 6, with leftovers

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1½ cups finely chopped onions
• 3–4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds lean ground lamb (85% lean)
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (I use Greek)
• 1 4-inch cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshy ground black pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups freshly grated kefalotiri or pecorino cheese
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup panko or homemade dried bread crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and lamb, breaking up any lumps with a heavy spoon. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, cinnamon, bay leaves, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly less than al dente. Drain in a colander. Rinse well with cold water, then drain again and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly until the mixture bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes. Rapidly stir in the milk and nutmeg and cook until the sauce comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese until well blended. Remove from the heat and set the sauce aside to cool slightly.
5. Break the eggs into a bowl, whisk well, and stir in a couple of spoonfuls of the warm sauce to temper them. Rapidly beat the egg mixture into the rest of the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. To assemble the pastitsio, place half of the macaroni in a buttered 9-×-13-inch baking pan and sprinkle with ½ cup of the cheese. Top with the meat sauce. Top the meat sauce with the remaining macaroni, then the remaining ½ cup cheese. Spoon the cheese sauce over the whole pan, then sprinkle on the bread crumbs. (The pastitsio can be assembled a day ahead, refrigerated, then baked when you are ready; add 20 minutes to the cooking time.)
7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 20 minutes. Cut into 3-×-4-inch rectangles (9 rectangles total) and serve. Alternative Cuts: A mixture of ground beef and lamb or ground goat or a mixture of ground goat and ground lamb. Leftovers You can rewarm leftovers by wrapping squares in aluminum foil and heating for 20 minutes in a 375°F oven.