Pastitsio with minced meat ,Recipes For Greek Food,Meat and Entrees,superstitions,Suise Atsaides,Village Cooking,Rhodes Greece Greek islands,translations,Kitchen Technics,Cocktails,Griechenland Rhodos ,Grecia,Rodi,Authentic Cook

Ingredients
1/2 kilo pastitsio noodles - these may be a little hard to find.Try a Greek specialty shop or use pennes.
1 egg, beaten
Meat Sauce:	Bιchamel Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil	2 tbs. butter
1 kilo ground beef or lamb	2 tbs. flour
1 large onion, chopped	1/2 liter of milk
2 crushed garlic cloves	salt and pepper
2 cups of crushed tomatoes	nutmeg (optional)
bay leaf	grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil your noodles in salted water until al-dente. Drain and let cool.

To make your meat sauce, heat the oil in a pot. Brown the ground beef with the garlic and onions. Add your tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Butter a large casserole pan, and put your noodles into it. Add the beaten egg, and toss the noodles with it. Pat them down into the pan. Pour your sauce over the noodle layer, smoothing it out. Set aside.

To make the Bιchamel Sauce, you have to make what's called a roux. Melt the butter in a pot. Add the flour and mix constantly with a wire whisk. It will look like bubbling cake batter (roux). Add some salt and pepper, and a dash of nutmeg (optional). Add the milk, and remember, you have to keep whisking constantly while cooking until the sauce thickens. Pour it over the casserole. Sprinkle with some grated cheese.

Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until the top crust has browned.