Orexa pastitsio

Ingredients

For ground meat
750 g ground beef
2 onions, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
100 ml red wine
fresh thyme
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil, for the onion
2 tablespoons olive oil, for the ground
meat
2 bay leaves
½ bunch of parsley, finely chopped

For béchamel sauce
100 g gruyere cheese, grated
1 liter milk
100 g butter
3 egg yolks
100 g all-purpose flour
½ tablespoon ground nutmeg
salt
pepper

For pasta
300 g OREXA pastitsio pasta
2 eggs
200 g feta cheese, crumbled
½ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
30 ml olive oil
a generous amount of fresh thyme

For the ground meat
Place a pan over high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the finely chopped onions, 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar and finely chopped thyme.
Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onions caramelize nicely.
Add the garlic and continue to sauté.
Add the tomato paste and sauté for at least 2 minutes. It is important to sauté
the tomato paste to give it a more intense flavor.
Add the ground meat. Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5
minutes. At this point you may need to add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
Add the canned tomatoes, cinnamon, sugar, bouillon cubes and bay leaves.
Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the sauce
reduces and the ground meat is cooked.
When ready, remove from heat. Discard the bay leaves and set aside until
needed.

For the béchamel sauce
Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat. As soon as it melts (do not let it
burn), add the flour. Beat with a hand whisk and sauté the flour for a few
minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the pot to release any flour, so it doesn’t burn.
Add the milk, in small batches, whisking continuously so that no lumps form
in the mixture.
The mixture will be quite thick at first. You need to be persistent and patient.
As you add more and more of the milk, you will see how the béchamel
sauce will start to become nice and creamy.
When the béchamel sauce starts to thicken, you have to be very careful not
to let it burn on the bottom. Whisk continuously to avoid this.
When ready, remove from heat and add salt, pepper, nutmeg and all of the grated gruyere, apart from 1 tablespoon which will be added at the end of the recipe.
To complete, add the 3 egg yolks and whisk to incorporate.
Set aside until needed.

For the pasta
Add the pasta to a pot full of salted water. Boil 1-2 minutes less than the
instructions on the box. They need to be al dente because they will cook
further in the oven, so do not overcook.
Brush a baking pan with olive oil.
When the pasta is ready, drain and spread in the baking pan.
Add the 2 eggs, lightly beaten, a generous amount of thyme, parsley and
crumbled feta cheese.
Season to taste and set aside until needed.
To assemble
Preheat oven to 180* C (350* F) Fan.
Bring back the baking pan containing the pasta mixture.
To the ground meat, add a ladleful of the béchamel sauce. Mix until
completely incorporated.
The béchamel sauce will make the ground meat mixture hold together better
when serving.
Spread the ground meat mixture over the pasta in the baking pan.
Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over the ground meat.
Last, sprinkle the reserved grated gruyere over the top. You can also add
some small cubes of butter.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the béchamel turns golden brown.