Pastitsio Me Damaskina apo tin Syro--Pastitsio with Prunes from Syros

Pastitsio is one of my favorite foods, so when I heard that the latest A Taste of the Mediterranean event hosted by Tony Tahhan and Peter Minakis was going to focus on Greece and more importantly, pastitsio, I was thrilled. I have to admit though, I was almost all pastitsio-ed out as I recently used a bit of creative energy to put together this version for the Royal Foodie Joust. But then again, I don't think I can ever get sick of pastitsio ...

Pastitsio is a rustic dish with plenty of comfort-food appeal and it's one I quickly associate with family and friends as it so often graced our table for Sunday family meals, holidays, parties, etc., growing up. Every Greek family--living abroad or in Greece--has a recipe for pastitsio similar to others but perhaps slightly different (say, with a varying herb or spice or even a slightly different technique).
My family's recipe which my mom gave to me seven years ago when I was first married, was an instant hit with my husband who was thoroughly impressed by my pastitsio-making ability--for him a tell-tale sign of a good wife ... too bad I never roll out my own phyllo dough, then maybe I'd be perfect?!

Getting back to the recipe: our original family recipe features a cinnamon-flavored meat sauce between layers of long Greek noodles topped with a rich and creamy bechamel scented with nutmeg and sprinkled with cinnamon before baking. For the ATOM event, however, I wanted to post about something a little different. So I adapted a recipe I read in Aglaia Kremezi's Foods of the Greek Islands (I know, I know; I have to stop discussing recipes from this one book) in which she features a pastitsio from the island of Syros. What's interesting is Kremezi notes she found the original recipe in a book published in 1828 in Ermoupolis, the capital of the Greek island of Syros, and written by an unknown author.

I made a few changes to Kremezi's original recipe, which itself sounds quite good and will definitely be one of my next party foods. The original recipe calls for a meat sauce of ground veal or beef flavored with bacon (she had me at bacon!), onion, bone marrow, sweet wine, cinnamon and prunes. I omitted the bone marrow and--although not included in the original--I added a couple tablespoons of tomato paste to the sauce. Kremezi then combines the meat sauce with cooked ziti, grated cheese, milk and nutmeg and packs the mixture in a casserole dish lined with puff pastry. I layered the meat sauce with long noodles and topped it with a lighter version of my family's bechamel since the meat sauce includes that ever-so yummy, but quite fatty, bacon.

Kali Orexi!

Pastitsio me Damaskina apo tin Syro/Pastitsio with Prunes & Bacon from Syros
(Adapted from a recipe in Aglaia Kremezi's Foods of the Greek Islands)
Makes a 13x9 inch pan

1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds combination of ground veal, pork and beef
1/2 cup Mavrodaphne, Marsala or Sherry
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cinnamon sticks
15 pitted prunes, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 pound of Pastitsio No. 2 Macaroni

4 1/2 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup grated Kefalotyri or Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 eggs
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling


In a large skillet, brown the bacon until crisp. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the skillet and saute until soft. Stir in the ground meat and saute, stirring, until no longer pink. Add the wine to the skillet and boil for a minute or so. Reduce the heat, add the water, tomato paste, cinnamon sticks, salt and pepper to taste, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon sticks and stir in the prunes. Set aside.

Heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan. Once the butter has melted, begin whisking the flour in a little at a time, stirring constantly. Once the bechamel has thickened, stir in the grated cheese, the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition.

Meanwhile, boil the macaroni until al dente. Drain the pasta and begin layering the pan first with macaroni, then the meat sauce, then macaroni and finally the bechamel. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden.

Note: Pastitsio is not a dish you serve immediately upon baking. In fact, bake your pastitsio as early in the day as possible, let cool completely (uncovered) and then re-heat before serving. This will ensure your pieces stay intact. (I let the pieces shown here cool for an hour before cutting, yet I think they could have used a bit more cooling as they were still very hot when sliced and the bottom layer didn't hold up as well as I would've liked.)

February Royal Foodie Joust -- Mushroom Pastitsio with a Cauliflower "Bechamel"

I was pretty excited by the selection of February's Royal Foodie Joust ingredients: cauliflower, mushrooms and noodles. There were a million different ways to go with these humble ingredients for my second entry into this friendly competition hosted by Jenn over at The Leftover Queen. If you aren't already a member, please visit Jenn's forum where you'll find a great spot to interact with fellow food bloggers, participate in giveaways, join in on the friendly Joust or simply vote for your favorite Jouster--of course, that would be me ... wink, wink!

I knew from the start that I wanted to use the cauliflower in some sort of puree as I love the silky texture you can get from this earthy vegetable. Having just made a traditional Greek Pastitsio a couple of weeks ago, I still had Pastitsio on the brain the other day when I finally decided to tackle this Joust. Now, a traditional Pastitsio (which is the only Pastitsio my family and I have made) features layers of long noodles and cinnamon-scented ground meat topped with a decadent bechamel. To create a dish for the Joust, I decided to change up a traditional bechamel, make it a bit healthier if you will--my mom's Pastitsio recipe features a bechamel of 1/2 a gallon of milk, a stick of butter, 12 tablespoons of flour, a cup of grated cheese and a whopping 6 eggs--by using pureed cauliflower to replace much of the milk, flour and butter. This yummy cauliflower "bechamel" topped off earthy portobello and button mushrooms squeezed between layers of Greek Pastitsio noodles to make this light, entirely nontraditional Pastitsio.

Kali Orexi!

Mushroom Pastitsio with Cauliflower "Bechamel"

Makes a 13x9 casserole

Filling:
8 oz. pancetta or bacon, thinly sliced

3 shallots, chopped

2 lbs. mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed and sliced thick (I used portobello and button mushrooms)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Thyme leaves stripped from 3 or 4 sprigs

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 package Misko No. 2 Pastitsio Noodles

Cauliflower "Bechamel":

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into large florets, steamed until tender and drained well

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup half & half

1 cup milk
3/4 cup grated Kefalotyri (easily substituted by grated Parmesan)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, render the pancetta or bacon until crisp. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and into a separate bowl. Add the shallots to the skillet and saute until translucent. Stir in the mushrooms along with the garlic, salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are tender and cooked through (add the olive oil as the mushrooms are browning if they seem too dry). Sprinkle with the thyme and adjust the seasonings. Combine with the pancetta or bacon and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Boil the noodles according to the package directions. Drain well and begin layering in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Layer the noodles first, followed by the mushroom mixture and then another layer of noodles. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, mash the cauliflower well until fairly smooth. Over medium heat, stir in the butter until melted then add the half & half and milk (stir the milk in gradually depending on how thick the mixture looks). Add the Kefalotyri, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. (If at this point the sauce does not seem thick enough, briskly whisk in a tablespoon or so of flour.)

Remove the pot from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, stirring briskly after each addition. Adjust the seasonings if necessary then pour the cauliflower "bechamel" over the noodles in the baking dish. Sprinkle with some grated cheese and bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes until slightly golden on top.

Let cool at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving. (Letting the dish cool before cutting and serving is crucial as pieces will fall apart upon cutting without first cooling slightly.)