International Night – Greece
My son requested Greece for our featured country this week, and it proved to be a bit of a challenge to find a main dish recipe. Many Greek dishes are made with lamb, and none of us really care for lamb, so those recipes were out. I finally settled on pastitsio, a pasta and meat sauce dish that is popular in Greece, particularly around Easter.
To be honest, we didn’t really care for it, but it’s only because I insisted on preparing it the authentic Greek way, with cinnamon and nutmeg as seasoning for the tomato based meat sauce. I don’t know about most readers, but in my family cinnamon and nutmeg aren’t spices we generally use with ground beef and tomatoes.
I remember one time when I was young, my dad accidentally added cinnamon to the chicken and dressing one Thanksgiving because he thought it was sage. I never really ate chicken and dressing, so it didn’t bother me, but the rest of the family gave him a hard time about that for years. I guess he would have fit in nicely as a Greek cook!
If you are willing to try new tastes, you can prepare the pastitsio the way the Greeks do. If you’re not feeling that adventurous, feel free to omit the cinnamon and nutmeg and add the familiar spice of your choice.
The Greek salad, however, was a big hit. It was very simple to make, and I’m going to do my best to approximate the measurements for the recipe since I just threw it together based on the traditional ingredients.
Greek Salad
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, sliced
1/4 c. red onion, diced
1 c. kalamata olives
8 oz. feta cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
2 T. olive oil
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve on a bed of lettuce, if desired.
Pastitsio
8 oz. penne or ziti pasta
3 T. melted butter
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 T. butter
4 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
Cook pasta; drain, and return to pan. Stir in the melted butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup milk, and the egg; set aside.
In a a skillet or large saucepan, cook ground beef and onion until meat is browned and onion is soft; drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, the 1 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper; set aside.
In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter, then mix in flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Slowly stir in the 2 cups milk, stirring well after each addition so that no lumps form. Cook and stir on medium high until cream sauce starts to thicken; stir for one minute more, then remove from heat. Beat egg in a small bowl, then pour into cream sauce, stirring briskly. Blend in the 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
Layer half the pasta mixture in a 11" x 7" (or 2 quart) baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture evenly on top, then the remaining pasta. Pour cream sauce over top, to cover completely. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for about 40 minutes, or until hot and lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Tags: Beef, Cheese, International, Meats, Pasta, Salads, Sauces, Vegetables