Pastitsio

Ingredients

• 500 g bucatini or Greek pasta no. 2
• 700 g minced beef
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 150 ml dry red wine
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 120 g butter
• 120 g plain flour
• 1.2 litres whole milk, warmed
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 3 egg yolks
• 180 g kefalotyri or pecorino, finely grated
• 2 egg whites
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Finely chop the onions and garlic
• Grate the cheese
• Separate 3 eggs, keeping 2 of the whites
• Warm the milk until steaming and set it aside
• Butter a deep 33 by 23 centimetre baking dish

Steps

1. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
2. Cook the onion for 8 minutes until soft and golden at the edges.
3. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
4. Turn the heat up, add the minced beef, and fry for 10 minutes, breaking it apart, until browned.
5. Pour in the red wine and boil for 3 minutes until it has mostly evaporated.
6. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper.
7. Simmer the sauce uncovered for 35 minutes until thick and glossy with no loose liquid.
8. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf, then set the sauce aside.
9. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
10. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil.
11. Cook the bucatini for 2 minutes less than the packet says, so it still has a firm bite.
12. Drain the pasta and tip it into a wide bowl.
13. Beat the 2 egg whites lightly with a fork and toss them through the hot pasta with a third of the grated cheese.
14. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
15. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without browning.
16. Add the warm milk a ladle at a time, whisking smooth after each addition.
17. Cook for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, until the sauce is very thick and holds a ribbon on the whisk.
18. Take the pan off the heat, then season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
19. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the egg yolks and half the remaining cheese.
20. Lay the pasta in the buttered dish, arranging the tubes so they all run in the same direction.
21. Spread the meat sauce over the pasta in an even layer.
22. Pour the bechamel on top and level it with a spatula, working it into the corners.
23. Scatter the last of the cheese over the surface.
24. Bake for 50 minutes until the top is bronzed and set.
25. Let the pastitsio stand for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.