Cheddar pasticcio

A Greek recipe with an Italian name and English cheese, a truly international mix! It's basically two layers of pasta covered in cheesy bechamel sauce with meat in the middle, baked in the oven. It's probably best the day after, reheated, but it's hard to resist it till then.

You'll need: (a portion for around 6 ppl)
500g of mince beef
a packet of penne rigate (the exact proportions depend on the size of the casserole dish ;))
100g of chopped canned tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
a sip of red wine
3 spoons of tomato cocentrate
1 egg
basil
50g of butter
4 spoons of flour
milk
300g of cheddar
nutmeg
pepper cayenne (optional)
oil for frying

cheesy bechamel

1. Chop the garlic and fry swiftly on a hot pan with oil. Be careful not to burn it as it will become bitter. Add basil and mince beef. Add salt and pepper for taste and a little bit of water. 

2. Once the meat turns brown, add some wine and, shortly afterwards, chopped tomatoes. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the tomato concentrate and allow to simmer for a few more minutes.

3. In the meantime prepare the sauce for the pasta. Start by melting butter in a pot. Then add flour and milk, just like with standard bechamel sauce, the only difference being that it's supposed to be slightly more runny. Then add 250g of crumbled or grated cheddar and allow it to melt into a smooth mixture. Add nutmeg and pepper cayenne.

4. Boil the pasta al dente and mix it with the sauce.

5. Allow the meat filling to cool down a little and add the egg.

6. Spread half of the pasta on the den of a casserole dish, put the meat on top of it and then cover with another layer of pasta on top. 

7. Grate the rest of the cheese and sprinkle on top.

8. Put in the oven set to around 200 degrees for 15 minutes, et voila!

 

straight from the oven

Bon appétit!