Pastitsio, Greek Baked Pasta

Start pastitsio by preparing the meat ragù. Peel the onion and chop into small cubes, then crush the garlic or finely chop it.

In a deep pan or wide pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the garlic, stir, and after 30 seconds add the ground beef. Break it up with a spoon into small pieces and cook until the meat loses its pink colour and most of the liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for a minute, then pour in the red wine. Allow the wine to reduce by half, about 2 minutes.

Add the passata, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook uncovered on low heat for about 20 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Remove the bay leaf and allspice.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the penne according to the packet instructions, but reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes, the pasta will continue to cook in the oven and must not be soft.

Drain the cooked pasta and let it cool slightly so it does not cook the eggs in the béchamel.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, add all the flour at once, and cook the roux while stirring constantly with a whisk for about 2 minutes until it smells nutty but has not browned.

Gradually pour in the milk in small batches, whisking thoroughly after each addition to avoid lumps. Cook the sauce while stirring for 5-7 minutes until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat, season with salt, add a pinch of nutmeg, and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the eggs one at a time, incorporate each one fully before adding the next. Finally, stir in the grated kefalotiri.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat). Grease a baking dish (approximately 25 × 35 cm) with butter.

Spread half the cooked pasta in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Spoon the entire meat ragù evenly over it and smooth the surface.

Cover with the remaining half of the pasta and press down gently so the layers hold together.

Pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the top and smooth it with a spatula or spoon so it covers the entire surface.

Sprinkle with the grated kefalotiri and place in the preheated oven on the middle rack.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is a deep golden colour and the béchamel is bubbling at the edges. If it browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminium foil.

After removing from the oven, let the pastitsio rest for at least 15 minutes, the layers will firm up and cutting will be much easier. Cut into squares and serve.