Athens is my favourite European city and last time I was there, a very good friends’ mum made me this delicious traditional Greek dish that I go back to time and time again. It’s the essence of comfort food and just what I feel like eating as we transition into deep, dark winter. It’s basically a Greek lasagne and is just as simple to make! I hope you love it just as much as I do. This recipe makes six individual 500ml ramekins.
6 Servings
Prep 30
Cook 1 Hour
Ingredients
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1kg lamb mince
- 800g diced tin tomatoes
- lamb OXO cube
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 20g fresh oregano
- 300g shell pasta
- panko to sprinkle
- nutmeg to garnish
For the béchamel
- 50g butter
- 40g plain flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
Method
- Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softened, add mince and cook until brown. Sprinkle in crushed OXO cube and add tomatoes and fresh herbs, bring to a simmer then turn down and cook for an hour. If you notice the pan getting a little dry, add some more water.
- For the béchamel, melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and beat until smooth. Cook out the flour for a further two minutes, then add the milk and cook until thickened. Add a little salt to taste and set aside.
- Cook pasta until al dente. It will be cooked again in the oven so ensure not to take it any further or it will become much too soft!
- Build your individual pastitsio. First cover the base with pasta, add a layer of meat and finish with the béchamel. Finely grate the nutmeg over and finish with a generous sprinkle of panko. Cook in a 180 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden and serve!