Pastitsio

Prep Time: 1 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours,
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds of bucatini pasta (or other tubular pasta like penne, ziti #2 etc.)
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/4 cup of chopped onions
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
• 2 1/2 cups of peeled, chopped plum tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 6 whole cloves
• sea salt
• 20 or more ground peppercorns (to taste)
• 1 1/4 cups of grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino)
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
• béchamel sauce with cheese or basic béchamel

Preparation:

Make the Meat Sauce
Sauté the onions until translucent in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add meat and continue to stir until lightly brown. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir well to combine. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, about 30-35 minutes. This is very important - the meat mixture should be as dry as possible without sticking to the bottom of the pan. Set meat mixture aside, uncovered, and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350F (160C). Lightly grease a baking or roasting pan approximately 11 X 14 X 3 inches high.
Prepare the Pasta
While the meat is simmering, prepare the pasta. Cook until slightly underdone, drain, toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.
Make the béchamel sauce with cheese.
Spread the breadcrumbs evenly on the bottom of an 11x15x3-inch baking pan. Use 1/2 the pasta for the first layer and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Remove cloves from the sauce, add the meat sauce evenly over the pasta, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Add the remaining pasta on top. Carefully pour the béchamel over the top and use a spatula to spread evenly.
Bake at 350F (160C) for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese on top, and continue to bake for another 15 to 30 minutes until the sauce rises and turns golden brown.
Remove pan from oven and allow to cool before serving (Pastitsio is served warm, not hot).
Yield: serves 6-8
Notes: This dish can be prepared the day before, all the way to the béchamel sauce, refrigerated overnight, and cooked the next day after adding the sauce.