By Donna Erickson
Food and family — 2022 has
fortuantely been filled with both.
This Greek Pastitsio recipe re-
minds me of a special family
memory, when my mother first
met her great-grandson, Leoni-
das (Leo) Nicholas. Four genera-
tions were represented, and what
a feast it was.
Leo’s mom, Stefanie Anduri,
is first-generation Greek. “I love
to cook dishes from my mom’s
village, Zevgolatio, in the Pelo-
ponnesian peninsula,” said Ste-
fanie, while stirring the sauce
for Pastitsio, a hearty pasta dish.
“Preparing food with family is
as important as eating the meal.
Now, I want to pass the traditions
on to our son.”
Spin the globe with your kids
and land on Greece. Talk about
the Acropolis, the Olympics,
yogurt and anything else that is
Greek to you. Then, prepare Pas-
titsio and salad.
GREEK PASTITSIO
Serves 6-8
— 2 tablespoons olive oil
— 1 medium yellow onion,
chopped
— 2 cloves minced garlic
— 1 pound lean ground beef
— 4 ounces tomato sauce
— 1/4 teaspoon ground cinna-
mon
— 1/8 teaspoon allspice
— 1/8 teaspoon ground nut-
meg
— Salt and freshly ground
pepper to taste
— 1 pound elbow macaroni
— 5 tablespoons butter
— 4 tablespoons flour
— 4 cups milk
— Salt
— 3 ounces grated Romano
cheese (or substitute with Par-
mesan)
Preheat oven to 350 F. For the
meat filling, heat olive oil over
medium heat and gently sau-
te the onion and garlic until the
onion is soft, about 4 minutes.
Add ground beef and cook until
brown, crumbling it with a spoon
as it cooks. Add tomato sauce,
cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt
and pepper. Cover and simmer
for 15 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta
until al dente. Drain.
For the sauce: In a medium
saucepan on medium heat, melt
the butter. Add the flour and stir
until smooth. Cook for a few
minutes. Add the milk 1 cup at a
time and bring to a boil, whisk-
ing continuously until smooth
and thick. Season with salt.
Now, it’s time to put it all to-
gether. Spoon half of the cooked
pasta into a 9-by-13-inch baking
dish. Cover evenly with half of
the sauce, followed by the meat
mixture and the remaining pasta.
Drizzle the remaining sauce
evenly over the pasta. Top with
cheese. Cover with foil and bake
40 minutes. Remove foil and
bake an additional 10 minutes,
until lightly browned and bubbly.
Let stand a few minutes and cut
Greek Pastitsio for a Hearty Family Meal
into squares.
Serve with Horiatiki Sala-
ta, a Greek salad. Simply com-
bine grape tomatoes, cucumbers
cut into chunk shapes, chopped
green onions, Kalamata olives
and feta cheese. Douse with ol-
ive oil, fresh lemon juice, and
salt and pepper.
Kali orexi! (Bon appetit!)
***
Donna Erickson creates re-
lationships and community
through food and fun. Find more
to nourish and delight you at
www.donnaerickson.com.
