Greek Recipes | RecipeTin Eats

Haloumi fries

Nagi — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0000

The best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – French fries, but better. The outsides are crunchier (thanks panko!) and the insides are warm, salty haloumi cheese. Guaranteed crowd pleaser for a party or as a starter. Fry, bake or air-fry!

It started as a salad.

I found myself in a typical situation of having an excess stash of something (haloumi in this case) because it was steeply discounted and I couldn’t resist. Let’s make a gorgeous haloumi salad! I declared enthusiastically, channelling the virtuous side of me.

There were several iterations. And they were all delicious……but then someone had the genius idea to try haloumi fries and all of a sudden, the salads were long forgotten.

So yes, these haloumi fries evolved from salads. You can connect the dots, right? 😂

( I did share a haloumi salad recipe once – it’s here.)

The garlic yogurt dipping sauce is literally the perfect match!

Just briefly, on Haloumi Fries (& haloumi)

Named as such because they look like fries except made with haloumi, Haloumi Fries are not a new thing. They have been on the menu of Mediterranean and plenty of non-Mediterranean restaurants/bars/bistros for years, and there’s loads of recipes on the internet.

Haloumi is a cheese from Cyprus that’s firm, salty and briny. It’s a bit like Greek feta. However, feta crumbles whereas halloumi does not crumble as well, halloumi goes golden brown when pan fried whereas feta does not, and feta semi-melts when heated whereas halloumi does not. Which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

Haloumi cut into “fries”

Crumbing

What you need for Haloumi Fries

Here’s what you need to make Haloumi Fries:

Haloumi – or halloumi. A firm briny cheese from Cyrus, feels like Greek feta. Find it vac-packed in the cheese section. Has an excellent long shelf life so I stock up when discounted!
Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.
Spices – For seasoning the flour coating. Adds extra flavour. Not essential…but why skip it?? The Italian herbs is just the generic store bought pre-mix sold in every grocery store. I use it regularly in my recipes, like the One Pot Beef Pasta I shared recently!
Egg and flour – The glue, to make the panko stick to the haloumi.
Oil for shallow frying – Canola, vegetable or any other neutral flavoured oil. Even olive oil (but don’t waste your money using pricier extra virgin olive oil!).

Garlic yogurt sauce

We’re making a quick garlic dipping sauce today using yogurt as the base. The cool tangy creaminess with lovely hit of garlic goes so well with the haloumi fries, so don’t skip it!

Plain yogurt – Not sweetened. Preferable Greek. If you use low-fat, it won’t have the same mouthfeel because it’s not as thick and creamy, but it will work just fine!
Garlic – Finely grated using a microplane or grater so it disappears into the yogurt.
Lemon – Just a touch, for extra freshness. Substitute with vinegar.
Extra virgin olive oil – To add a bit of richness to the sauce. We only use a tiny amount.
Salt – For seasoning. Again, just a tiny amount!

How to make haloumi fries

It’s actually relatively fast because they only take 90 seconds to fry. I can do a batch in 20 minutes from start to finish. I also like that it’s more shallow-fried rather than deep fried. Just – less splatter, less oil to deal with, etc etc. (I’m a selective deep frier. ie I only fry when it’s really worth it!).

Cut the haloumi into sticks around 1.5cm / 0/6″ thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.
This is me cutting the slice in half to form a fry.

Garlic dipping sauce – Probably should have put this first because I do it first! Just mix the ingredients together then set aside while you make the haloumi fries. It needs at least 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse and meld.
Crumbing – OK, crumbing time! Flour first….then shake off excess.
Then egg – hold it up to let the excess drip off.
Than the panko. Press to adhere well and make sure there’s no naked patches!

Crumbing tips

Use bowls large enough to fit the haloumi.
Use the same hand for the flour and egg, the the other hand for the panko. Less finger-mess.
Pro level – crumb two at a time! Use a finger to keep the fries separated as you dredge.
Olympic level – Rather than turning or pinching/sprinkling the breadcrumbs on, TOSS the bowl to coat in breadcrumbs! Optimum mess free! 🙌🏻 You’ll see me demonstrate this in the recipe video below.

Fry the halmoui sticks for just 90 seconds until golden and crisp in oil pre-heated to 180°C/350°F.
Oil temperature testing – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. It should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.
Drain the cooked fries on a paper towel lined tray. Then continue cooking.
Because haloumi fries only take 90 seconds to cook, you don’t need to worry about keeping cooked ones warm in the oven.
Once they’re all cooked, serve with the garlic dipping sauce!

Baking and air-fryer options

Whenever I share a deep fried recipe, the most common question is – can I bake this? And hot on it’s heels these days is – can I make this in my air fryer?

So today, we’ve tested it out and happy to report that you can!

Baked haloumi fries

Air-fryer haloumi fries

The baked option is best made using my panko pre-toasting technique where the breadcrumbs are baked in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes to make them golden and crunchy before using. Otherwise, they will come out pale with brown spots rather than a beautiful even golden brown like when fried. It’s not a big deal – spread on the same tray you’ll be baking the haloumi fries. Tried and proven technique that readers love in recipes such as Crunchy Chicken Tenders, Baked Filet-O-Fish and Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu! Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy.

The air fryer option works a treat! Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Difference to fried version (honest option) – The baked version is about 80% as good as the fried version. You lose some moisture from inside the haloumi because it takes longer to get the crunchy coating in the oven (even with pre-toasting). The air-fryer version, however, is excellent!

The crumbing on both the air fryer and baked versions split a wee bit simply because they take longer to cook than in the oil which is a super fast 90 seconds.

For clarity, this is the original fried version!

How to serve haloumi fries

Haloumi fries typically appear on menus as a starter or a small-dish tapas option. It’s a food for nibbling, something completely different from your usual chips ‘n dips. Not that I have anything against chips ‘n dips, being the snack monster that I am (proof – my full dip recipe collection here!).

But, sometimes it’s nice to have something different to the usual that will impress the pants off your family and friends. The combination of the warm, softy, salty halloumi insides and the golden crunchy crumb with the cooling garlicky yogurt dip is every snack monsters’ dream come true. I really hope you try this one day! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Haloumi fries

Recipe video above. These can be baked, air-fried or shallow fried (best, most golden and crunchy and fastest). It's the best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – french fries, but a whole lot more interesting and faster to make. Super crunchy outside (thanks panko!) and warm, salty haloumi cheese insides.

Excellent snack, starter for a Mediterranean menu or passing around at parties.

PS The garlic dipping sauce is the perfect dunking sauce.

Course Appetizer, Snack, Starter

Cuisine Greek, Western

Keyword haloumi fries, haloumi recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 403cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

360g / 12oz haloumi cheese blocks , 2 x 180g/6 oz blocks (Note 1)
2 cups canola oil (or other natural oil)
2 large eggs , whisked

Flour dredge:

1/2 cup plain/all purpose flour
1 tbsp Italian herbs (Note 2)
1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
1 tsp ground white pepper (sub black pepper)

Crumbing:

1 cup panko breadcrumbs – or ordinary breadcrumbs (Note 3)
1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Yoghurt garlic dipping sauce:

1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove , finely grated using a microplane
1/2 tsp lemon juice (sub white vinegar)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Garlic dipping sauce – Mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes to let the flavours develop.
Cut the haloumi into fries around 1.5cm / 0/6" thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.
Dry – Pat halloumi mostly dry using tea towels.
Prep – Using 3 bowls large enough to toss the halloumi, put the eggs in one bowl, mix Flour Dredge in another and mix Crumbing ingredients in a third.
Crumb – Dip a haloumi fry in flour, shake off excess. Dip in egg, allow excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere, then place on tray. PRO: Do 2 at a time. 🙌🏻 Toss haloumi in breadcrumbs (by tossing the bowl) so you don't have to touch. 🙌🏻
Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over high heat until it reaches 180°C/350°F (Note 4).
Fry 5 haloumi sticks at a time for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined tray. Repeat with remaining haloumi.
Air fry and baking – see Note 5.
Serve hot with yoghurt garlic dipping sauce!

Notes

1. Halloumi – A firm white salty, briny Greek cheese usually sold in vac packs. It doesn’t melt into ooze when cooked which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

2. Italian herbs – Store bought mix you can find in any grocery store. Substitute with any mix of dried oregano, basil, parsley.

3. Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.

4. Oil test – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. For 180C/350F, it should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.

5. Air fry option (excellent!) – Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Baking (haloumi dries out a little more than frying) – Spread breadcrumbs on tray, spray generously with oil then at bake 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the tray halfway, until the breadcrumb is golden. (If you don’t do this, your fries will end up pale and splotchy not an even golden colour). Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy.

6. Leftovers reheat quite well! 10 minutes in a 180C/350F oven. It’s 90% as good. If making for a crowd, I’d happily serve reheated haloumi fries!

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. I made an estimation of oil that actually ends up on each piece and factored in leftover flour and breadcrumbs.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Reviewing today’s recipe video with me. (And drooling all over the keyboard in the process – but can we blame him? Absolutely not!)

The post Haloumi fries appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

One-pot Greek chicken risoni (orzo)

Nagi — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 02:00:00 +0000

This is a great quick recipe that’s got everything you need for a complete dinner, all cooked in one pot. Plenty of vegetables, with risoni/orzo and chicken. Tastes like risotto – loaded with tasty lemon-garlic Greek flavours!

One-pot Greek chicken risoni

Patience has never been my greatest virtue, so I shared many personal favourite recipes back in the early days when I first started this website in 2014. Every now and then, I like to revisit these older recipes and bring them to the forefront with sparkling new photos (that are in focus, wow!) and recipe videos where the chicken doesn’t have a weird green-ish/yellow tinge.

I have no embarrassment about my photos and videos from the early days because it reminds me how far I’ve come. But I do think it’s nice to spruce up these old recipes for your viewing pleasure – and hopefully convince you to try them. Like today’s new-old recipe: Greek chicken risoni! Complete dinner made in one pot, nice and quick to make, loaded with tasty Greek flavours.

This recipe starts on the stove to brown the chicken and sauté aromatics, then the risoni is cooked in the oven (which means no stirring, yay!).

What you need

Here’s what you need to make this Greek risoni recipe.

1. The risoni / orzo

Risoni is actually a pasta that is shaped like long grains of rice. Also known as “orzo”, find it in the pasta aisle. It costs around the same as spaghetti etc.

Risoni / orzo – See notes above the photo.
Chicken stock / broth and canned tomato – These are the liquids used to cook the risoni. Better than water because the risoni absorbs the flavour as it cooks!
Tomato paste – This adds a little boost of tomato flavour to the sauce, as well as thickening the sauce slightly so you end up with that really lovely oozy texture in the finished dish. Not the end of the world if you don’t have it.
Vegetables – I use zucchini / courgette and capsicum / bell pepper. Feel free to substitute with other sauté-able vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, fennel, corn, celery, frozen veg mix).
Also, if someone could arrange for the global standardisation of food words, that would be super helpful. Thanks! 😂
Onion and garlic – Flavour base aromatics.
Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – I like to scatter across the surface before popping the dish in the oven. Love the juicy pops of tomato that burst in your mouth!

2. Lemon garlic chicken

A brief marinade of the chicken with classic Greek flavours makes the chicken that much tastier! Here’s what you need:

3. Garnishes (semi-optional)

I say it’s “semi-optional” because while you can skip the fresh oregano, the feta is highly, highly recommended!

How to make one-pot Greek chicken risoni

This recipe starts on the stove and is finished in the oven. I like this technique because it’s safer/easier – no need to stir – and the surface gets caramelised which means extra flavour. Anyone who’s made the fan-favourite One Pot Greek Chicken with Lemon Rice will know this method works well!

Marinade chicken in the lemon, olive oil, garlic and oregano. Just 20 minutes adds decent flavour into the chicken flesh.
If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the marinade, there’s plenty of flavour in the overall dish and the chicken will absorb flavour as it braises with the risoni. If you want to get ahead, you can marinade the chicken overnight – or even freeze the chicken in the marinade. So many options!
Brown chicken – Use a large ovenproof skillet / frying pan, or large pot. The one I’m using is a 30cm / 12″ non-stick frying pan.
Cook the chicken, just to seal the outside and lightly brown it. It will only take about 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t cook the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking with the risoni.
Sauté aromatics and vegetables – Once the chicken is browned, remove it from the pan. Then sauté the garlic and onion, followed by the zucchini and capsicum.
Add everything else – Add the risoni and stir to coat in the tasty flavours. Then add everything else – canned tomato, tomato paste, chicken stock, salt and pepper – and stir to combine.
Top with chicken and cherry tomatoes but don’t stir them in.
Oven 15 minutes – As soon as the liquid starts to bubble, transfer the pan to the oven (no lid) and cook for 15 minutes or until the risoni is tender.
Garnish and serve – Remove the pan from the oven. There should still be small pools of liquid on the surface. This is what we want – the dish should be oozy and saucy, not dry and stodgy!
Drizzle the dish with lemon juice, crumble over the not-optional-feta then sprinkle with the optional-fresh-oregano. Then serve!

LOOK how juicy and irresistibly oozy it looks. It’s calling your name!

Spoon into bowls, and marvel how it looks just like your favourite risotto. Except, well, you know. You haven’t been slaving over a hot stove for 40 minutes, ladling in stock and stirring, stirring, stirring.

Leftovers, should there be any, will keep for 3 days but won’t be as oozy as pictured because the pasta will absorb the liquid. A little splash of water before you microwave goes a long way to salvage it, as does a fresh sprinkle of feta and spritz of lemon juice (I find lemon juice flavour fades with time).

Hope these sparkling new photos and in-focus-video convinces you to make this!! – Nagi x

PS The Ingredients list in the recipe below looks deceptively long. But actually, there are quite a few double ups because of the way I write the recipe. So don’t be put off!

Watch how to make it

One Pot Chicken Risoni

Recipe video above. A great one-pot meal for midweek, tastes like risotto but so much easier to make! Lemon garlic chicken, surprising amount of hidden vegetables, oozy tomato risoni (orzo), loaded with Greek flavours! The list of ingredients is looks long, but there's actually a lot of repeat ingredients.

Course Dinner, One Pot

Cuisine Greek(ish)

Keyword One Pot Dinner, orzo recipe, quick dinner, risoni

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings – 5

Calories 575cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Lemon Garlic Chicken

1 lb / 500g chicken thighs , boneless skinless (or breast), cut into 2 cm / 1" pieces
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Orzo/Risoni

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , minced
1 small onion , finely chopped
2 zucchini (medium, or 1 large) , cut into 1cm / 1/3" cubes (Note 1)
1 red bell pepper/capsicum , cut into 1cm / 1/3" cubes (Note 1)
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock , low sodium
14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups orzo/risoni (Note 2)
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 Australian punnet)
1 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Garnish (semi-optional)

2 tbsp lemon juice , drizzling at end
1/2 cup (100g) Greek feta cheese , crumbled (not optional)
Fresh oregano leaves (optional)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Marinade chicken – Combine Marinated Chicken ingredients in a bowl and set aside for marinate for 20 minutes. (Skip if in hurry, can also do overnight)
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
Brown chicken (raw inside) – Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a a large oven proof skillet or pot over high heat (Note 3). Cook chicken until lightly browned but still pink inside. Remove from skillet.
Sauté vegetables – Add 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic and onion. Saute for 1 minute, then add zucchini and bell peppers/capsicum. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add everything else – Add risoni, oregano, chicken broth, tomato, tomato paste, salt and pepper.
Scatter chicken and cherry tomatoes across the surface (don't stir in).
Bake 15 minutes – Once the liquid comes to a simmer, transfer to the oven (no lid) and bake for 15 minutes (or until risoni is just cooked, tender but still firm). There may be liquid on the surface still – that's good!
Drizzle with lemon – Remove from oven, drizzle with lemon juice. Garnish with feta and fresh oregano leaves, if desired, then serve.

Notes

1. Veg – Any saute-able veg will work great here. Beans, carrots, celery, small bits of cauliflower or broccoli, even diced frozen veg.

2. Risoni, also known as orzo – Rice shaped small pasta sold in the pasta aisle, same price as spaghetti etc. Tastes like risotto, but much faster to cook!

3. Cooking vessel – Pictured skillet is a 30cm/12″ non stick skillet. 28cm/11″ deep skillet ok too, any smaller and you’ll need to be careful re: liquid overflow when transferring to oven. Else, use a large pot!

3. Risoni cooks very quickly! So transfer it to the oven as soon as it starts simmering on the stove, otherwise it will overcook by the time the bake time is finished (it cooks faster on the stove than the oven).

Check it after 15 minutes see if the orzo / risoni is done. Don’t worry if it’s done and it’s still quite saucy – that’s a GOOD thing! The liquid evaporates quite quickly while serving. It was slightly wetter when I took it out of the oven.

4. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge though it won’t be as oozy as the risoni absorbs the sauce. Resurrect with a splash of water, and microwave.

Nutrition assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Originally published January 2016. Spruced up with brand new photos and recipe video in February 2021 with minor recipe improvements (mainly process and writing). But most importantly, Life of Dozer section has been added!

More risoni / orzo recipes

I do love risoni! So quick to cook, tastes like risotto.

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot)

Baked Creamy Feta Risoni

One Pot Orzo / Risoni Bolognaise

Creamy Salmon Risoni / Orzo (15 Minute Meal)

One Pot Italian Chicken & Orzo / Risoni Pasta

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

Quick Chicken & Vegetable Risoni recipe (Orzo)

Life of Dozer

NO, he’s not being adorable, cuddling up to me. He’s trying to get to my toast on the other side.

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The post One-pot Greek chicken risoni (orzo) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Nagi — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 07:45:00 +0000

Spanakopita: the iconic traditional Greek Spinach Pie encased in layers upon layers of golden, buttery and flaky filo pastry. For the best Spanakopita of your life, use raw rather than cooked spinach, and bind the phyllo pastry layers using a little finely shredded Greek cheese so they stay together rather than flying everywhere when you cut it!

Spanakopita

If I were to compile the Greatest Hits of dishes I’ve served to friends in recent years, this one shoots straight to the list. It made an appearance at a recent gathering, and to say it was the most popular dish of the night would be an understatement.

It was the first thing to go. There were rave reviews around the table. We were picking at the leftover shards of filo pastry long after the last piece had disappeared.

But the biggest compliment? Silence. To say my group of friends are chatty is a bit of an understatement. So when something renders them totally silent at the table? It’s a serious compliment!! 😂

Ingredients in Spanakopita

Here’s what you need to make this traditional Greek Spinach Pie.

Fresh spinach

Skip the frozen spinach and convenience bags of baby spinach. For the best flavour, the best filling texture, and to ensure the pie base stays crispy, you cannot beat fresh spinach. Sorry folks! You know I always offer convenient alternatives if I think I can get away with it, but in this case, I can’t!

You will need 2 big bunches weighing around 600g/ 1.2lb in total in order to get ~300g/10oz of spinach leaves, once they’re trimmed from the stems.

Other Ingredients

In addition to spinach, here are the other ingredients you need for the Spanakopita filling:

Feta – The other key filling ingredient along with spinach. A combination that’s as Greek as it gets!
Dill and mint – The fresh herb flavours bring an unmissable taste to Spanakopita. Don’t skip it!
Greek yogurt – Or other unsweetened plain yogurt. This is a wet ingredient that makes the filling nice and juicy, but not so wet that it makes the pastry base soggy;
Greek kefalotyri cheese – A traditional Greek hard cheese made from sheep or goat’s milk. It tastes somewhat like parmesan but is different and not as salty or sharp. This is used between the filo sheet layers that form the the top of the Spanakopita so they stick together rather than flying everywhere when you cut – neat trick!
It’s sold at Woolworths and Coles in Australia, or European/Greek delis. Don’t fret if you can’t find it, readily-available cheeses like parmesan, pecorino or romano make excellent substitute! Use leftover kefalotyri cheese for Pastitsio, the traditional Greek Pasta Bake;
Egg – This is what binds the filling together. Egg is, after all, the best food glue known to mankind!
Garlic – Because rarely will you see a Greek dish without garlic (usually much more than just one clove!);
Nutmeg – This is the signature spice used in Spanakopita fillings;
Cayenne pepper – Just a touch, not to make it spicy, but to provide a hint of warmth. It brings an extra little something-something to this Spanakopita!
Lemon – Some zest and juice for brightness;
Green onion – For sweetness and its onion-y taste in the filling;
Butter – Plenty here, for brushing on each and every layer of the filo pastry! It adds flavour plus keeps each layer separated so you get the signature flakiness. Want to up your Spanakopita game? Use clarified butter instead – the buttery flavour is even more intense!
Sesame seeds – To sprinkle on the surface. Using both white and black is a lovely signature look, but you could just double up on one or the other!

Filo pastry for Spanakopita (aka phyllo pastry)

Spanakopita is encased with filo pastry on the base and top. Also known as phyllo pastry, this is a very thin, parchment-like pastry. It is used to make both savoury and sweet pastries and pies in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, such as Baklava. It comes frozen or fresh, in the fridge section of grocery stores.

Tips for handling filo pastry

I know some people are a bit intimidated by the thought of working with filo pastry. It can be prone to breaking if not handled correctly. But if you follow a few simple steps, there’s nothing tricky about it at all!

Fridge (ie. fresh) filo pastry is easier to handle – It’s more pliable than frozen-then-thawed, so you don’t need to be as careful handling it. Find it in the fridge section of grocery stores, usually alongside fresh pasta;
If using frozen filo pastry – Thaw overnight in the fridge. Never try to speed up thawing by placing in a warm environment. It dries the pastry out and makes it brittle so it tends to shatter;
Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand – Whether using frozen thawed or fresh. Bringing it to room temperature makes it more pliable and therefore easier to handle;
Keep the phyllo pastry covered with a slightly damp tea towel to ensure it doesn’t dry out; and
Handle like tissue paper, ie. with fairy fingers. Don’t manhandle it like a slice of ham!

How to make Spanakopita

It does take time to layer and butter the filo pastry sheets one by one. But a little effort aside, I think you’ll be surprise how straightforward Spanakopita is to make!

Part 1: Filling

The key to the filling is to remove as much water from the spinach as you can so it doesn’t make the pastry base soggy. We do not cook the spinach – the filling flavour is better made with raw rather than cooked spinach. A little tip I picked up from one of the best Greek restaurants in Sydney, Alpha Restaurant!

Sweat spinach with salt to remove water – Sprinkle chopped spinach with a little salt, then leave for 10 minutes. The salt will draw moisture out of the spinach which makes it easier to squeeze out the water;
Wring out water – Put a handful of spinach on a clean tea towel. Bundle it up and twist firmly to squeeze out the water. It’s easiest to work with a handful at a time so you can do this step properly. I usually do it in 3 batches;
Filling – Place spinach with the remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl; and
Mix well – Mix filling well until it’s combined. It should be moist and juicy, but you should not see any water leaching out of the spinach into the base of the bowl.

Part 2: Assembling

You sometimes see Spanakopita baked in a pie dish. I prefer it freeform, baked on a tray, because the filo pastry is crispier – the base and sides.

As noted above, I recommend using refrigerated rather than frozen filo pastry because it’s easier to work with. It’s more pliable, and there’s no need to plan ahead and thaw overnight.

Trim filo pastry – Take the filo pastry out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to bring it to room temperature. This makes it more pliable and less prone to breaking. Then cut 16 sheets to size: 32 x 25cm / 13 x 10″ (rectangle shapes, pictured) or 26cm / 10.5″ squares.
This makes a Spanakopita pie which is 3.5 – 4cm / 1.4 – 1.6″ thick which I think is the perfect thickness for a good filling to pastry ratio. Any thicker, and there’s too much filling. Any thinner, and there’s too much pastry!
The pie base: 8 filo sheets, buttered – Lay a sheet of filo pastry on a baking paper-lined tray, then brush with melted butter. The butter not only adds flavour, it also causes each base layer to separate so you get the signature flakiness;
Repeat – After brushing with butter, top with another sheet of filo pastry and continue repeating until you have used 8 sheets in total;
Filling – Spread the filling in the middle of the pastry base, leaving a 2.5cm/1″ border. Make the surface as level as possible, pressing down lightly to compact the filling;
Brush with butter – Brush the borders of the pastry with butter;
The pie top: 5 filo sheets, butter + cheese – Cover the filling with a sheet of filo pastry. Brush with butter then sprinkle with kefalotyri cheese. Cover with another sheet of filo pastry and repeat. Do filo → butter → kefalotyri cheese for the first 5 sheets of filo pastry;
Grating kefalotyri cheese – You can either grate the cheese then sprinkle it on with your hand, or measure out the amount of cheese required then grate it straight onto the filo pastry (you get more even coverage this way);
The pie top (final sheets): 3 sheets filo, butter only – For filo pastry sheets # 6, #7 and #8, just use butter in between each layer. We skip the cheese for visual reasons; you can see the golden brown bits of cheese under the top layers of the filo otherwise. It also encourages more puffiness for these layers. However it’s really not a big deal if you forget!

Part 3: Finishing

The crimping you see in these steps is optional. It is perfectly acceptable just to press down and seal the edges flat against the tray!

Crimp edges – Fold up the edges then use your fingers to crimp them to create little ruffles. See recipe video below for visual demo;
Pinch corners firmly to tuck in the surplus filo pastry;
Trim the filo pastry all around using scissors so it is around 2cm / 4/5″ high. We don’t want it sticking up too much higher otherwise the ends might become too browned or burn;
Butter and sesame seeds – Brush the surface with melted butter, then sprinkle with sesame seeds;
Bake 25 minutes in a 220°C/430°F oven. A hot oven is key here to make the pastry beautifully golden and crisp on top and on the base without overcooking the spinach filling!
Voila! Set your masterpiece on its serving stage and be prepared for the incredible eating experience about to take place!

And oh my word … the smell that wafts out from the filling when you cut it open is 100% incredible! The perfume of fresh dill and mint, the fresh spinach, the cheesy goodness of the feta, the subtle notes of nutmeg and garlic … it sends everyone within nose-shot into a salivating stupor!

You can see in the photo above how the filo pastry topping is still ultra-flaky but is still (happily) sitting comfortably atop the Filling. This is thanks to the little trick of layering the filo pastry with a bit of cheese which makes them stick together (while simultaneously still allowing for good, flaky, puffing action) rather than flying everywhere.

Because while we do love that spinach filling, let’s face it: Spanakopita wouldn’t be Spanakopita without that flaky, crispy, buttery and wafer-thin pastry. We love it, and we want lots of it. So if it all fell off when we started cutting up the pie, it would just make us sad wouldn’t it?

Sure, we’d scramble and salvage every little pastry shard we could find off the tray / table / plate. But it really is so much more satisfying when all those layers of filo pastry actually stay ON the Spana, leaving the perfect eating experience intact! Right? – Nagi x

PS. It was a wonderful discovery at my “New Years’ Eve (Take 2)” party I held a couple of weeks ago that Spanakopita can be assembled earlier in the day and baked in the evening, and you’d be none the wiser. I was concerned the base might get soggy, but I was wrong. However I’m not convinced you could get as good a result if it’s left in the fridge overnight or frozen (unbaked). I would love to be proven wrong on these points, so please do share your findings in the comment section if you try it!

Watch how to make it

Spanakopita

Recipe video above. Spanakopita – the iconic traditional Greek Spinach Pie with layers upon layers of golden buttery flaky filo pastry. For the best Spanakopita of your life, use raw rather than cooked spinach, and layer the phyllo pastry with finely shredded Greek cheese so it sticks together rather than flying everywhere when you cut it!

This pie is a perfect thickness with a good ratio of Spinach Feta filling to pastry. It will serve 4 to 5 people as a main dish.

Course Mains

Cuisine Greek

Keyword filo pastry, greek pie, Spanakopita, Spinach pie

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 25

Servings – 5 as a main

Calories 672cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Spinach:

300g/10oz English spinach leaves , trimmed from thick stems, thoroughly washed, dried, then chopped into 2.5cm/1" pieces (Note 1)
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:

175g/6oz Greek feta , crumbled
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
2 green onions / scallions , finely sliced
1 egg
2 tbsp mint , finely chopped
1 tbsp dill , finely chopped
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
1/2 tsp nutmeg , freshly grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Filo pastry:

16 sheets filo pastry (Note 2)
120g/ 8 tbsp butter , melted
60g / 2/3 cup Greek Kefalotyri cheese , finely grated (sub parmesan, Note 3)
1/2 tsp white sesame seeds (or more black)
1/2 tsp black sesame seeds (or more white)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan). Line a tray with baking paper / parchment paper.

Filling:

Sweat spinach: Place spinach in a large colander or bowl. Sprinkle with salt, toss through. Leave for 10 minutes to sweat.
Wring out water: Place a handful of spinach in a tea towel, then wring out tightly to remove excess water.
Filling: Place spinach in a bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix well to combine.

Assembly:

Trim filo: Cut 16 sheets of filo pastry into 32 x 25cm / 13 x 10" (pictured) or 26cm / 10.5" square.
8 base layers: Layer 8 sheets of filo pastry on the tray, brushing each layer with melted butter.
Filling: Spread filling on filo pastry. Smooth surface and leave a 2.5cm / 1" border.
8 Filo topping layers (Note 4): Cover spinach with a sheet of filo pastry. Brush with butter, sprinkle with Kefalotyri. Repeat for Sheets #2 to #5. Then cover with filo sheets #6 to #8, brushing with butter in between, but do NOT sprinkle with cheese (neater finish).
Seal: Press edges down to seal. Crimp and trim if desired (see process steps in post or video) or just leave the edges flat on the tray.
Sesame seeds: Brush the top with butter, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake: Bake 25 minutes, or until golden brown on the surface.
Serve! Serve immediately! It is at its absolute prime fresh out of the oven, though still good as long as its hot (~15 min or so). The base does lose crispiness as it cools.

Notes

1. Spinach – This recipe is best made using bunches of fresh true spinach (not chard / silverbeet), known as English Spinach.

You will need ~2 large bunches weighing 600g/ 1.2lb in total in order to get ~300g/10oz of spinach leaves once trimmed from the stems.

Pick off the leaves, weigh out 300g/10oz. Wash thoroughly (spinach leaves are notoriously dirty!). Then dry and chop. I dry using a salad spinner, in batches, or spread out on tea towels and leave to air dry.

2. Filo pastry (aka phyllo pastry) – Paper thin pastry sheets used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. It’s easier to use refrigerated filo pastry if you can, as it’s more pliable than frozen thawed and thus easier to handle. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes prior. Once you take it out of the package, keep it covered with a slightly damp tea towel so it doesn’t dry out.

Australia: I recommend Antoniou brand filo pastry sold in the fridge section. You will need 1 x 375g packs which has 18 to 22 sheets in each pack (we need 16 for this recipe). See below for usage ideas for leftovers, including trimmings. If you use the frozen packs, you’ll need 1 pack but they often only have 15 sheets so you’ll need to assemble the offcuts to do one of the layers.

US: I understand the standard size is 1 lb packs which has 40 sheets so you’ll have a fair amount of leftovers. Make 2 Spanakopita, hey?!!!

Frozen phyllo pastry – Thaw overnight in the fridge. Don’t try to rush the thawing by placing it in a warm place. It makes the pastry brittle. Handle with care, as it is less pliable than refrigerated pastry.

Puff pastry alternative – Though not the same, you could use puff pastry instead of filo pastry. The bake time will be closer to 40 minutes.

3. Kefalotyri Greek cheese – This is a hard Greek sheep or goat’s milk cheese, similar to parmesan but not as salty. Best substitutes in order of preference: Kefalograviera, pecorino, parmesan or romano cheese.

4. Top layers – The cheese makes the top layers of filo pastry stick together so it doesn’t fly everywhere when you cut it. A neat trick! However, we also skip the cheese on the final 2 layers so you do’t see dark brown bits of cheese under the surface (ie. for visual reasons; it doesn’t look as nice if you can see golden brown cheese under the top layers of filo).

5. Make ahead: As long as you extract the excess liquid out of the spinach very well, it can be assembled early in the day then baked that evening which I have done successfully. I am not sure about leaving overnight. I don’t recommend freezing a raw Spanakopita because I think the filling will become watery as it thaws which will make the base soggy. Will update it if I try it out!

6. Storage and reheating – Spanakopita will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s best reheated in the oven – around 15 – 20 mins at 180C until hot in the centre (check internal temperature with a metal skewer or paring knife touched to the lip, else a temperature probe). It won’t be quite as crispy as fresh, but still delicious! Microwave if you must but the pastry will not be crisp. Spanakopita is also perfectly tasty at room temperature!

7. Nutrition – For one serving, based on 4 servings total.

Nutrition

More Greek classics

Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

Greek Salad

Baklava

Pastitsio (Greek beef pasta bake)

Moussaka (Greek Beef and Eggplant Lasagna)

One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice – best chicken and rice ever!

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Greek Chicken Gyros recipe

Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

Greek Recipes

Life of Dozer

Typical scene from a road trip up north – Dozer sprawled across the entire back seat. Me, trying to get some work done in the front (passenger 🙂) seat!

The post Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Pastitsio (Greek beef pasta bake)

Nagi — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 07:09:22 +0000

Pastitsio – with layers of pasta, a rich cinnamon-spiked red wine meat sauce, topped with a thick layer of cheese sauce, this is Greece’s answer to Italian Lasagna. Let the fun begin!

Pastitsio – Greek pasta bake

Pastitsio is so much more than just another pasta bake. A step up from Baked Spaghetti and – dare I say it – even America’s famed Baked Ziti (which regular readers know I hold in high esteem!), this is Greece’s version of classic Italian Lasagna.

We love how it slices neatly with the layers clearly visible, and the striking tubular Greek bucatini-style pasta.

We love how the rich red wine, tomato and meat sauce is spiked with cinnamon and cloves, giving it uniquely Greek personality rather than “just another meat sauce”.

And we (Cheese Monsters in particular) love the extra thick, cheesy Béchamel sauce topping. The Greek’s have not skimped on any element here. It’s all about abundance!

What you need for Pastitsio

There are 3 parts to Pastitsio:

Feta-tossed pasta;
Greek meat sauce – Like Bolognese sauce, but thicker and scented with cinnamon and cloves which you also see in Greek Moussaka; and
Greek Béchamel Sauce – Thickly laid and thicker set than you traditionally see in things like Italian Lasagna.

Feta toss pasta

Greek meat sauce

Thick Greek Béchamel

1. Feta-tossed pasta – Thick bucatini

The unique thing about the pasta layer of Pastitsio is the feta cheese tossed through it (yum!) and the addition of egg whites. Feta adds flavour while the egg binds the pasta together so you can cut neat slices, as pictured above.

1.1 Ingredients for the Pastitsio pasta layer

Here’s what you need for the pasta layer:

Greek bucatini

The pasta traditionally used in Pastitsio is a thick bucatini-style pasta called “Pastitsio pasta No. 2”, pictured below. It’s a tubular pasta – like a really thick spaghetti with a hole running through it. However it’s thicker than Italian bucatini , such as bucatini used in this Zucchini pasta.

Where to find Greek bucatini-style Pastitsio pasta No. 2

You’ll find Greek Pastitsio Pasta No. 2 at European delis and grocers around Sydney. I found the Misko brand (pictured) at a fruit & veg store in Top Ryde (Sydney) which has a good stock of European goods.

Can’t find Pastitsio pasta?

Honestly, don’t get too hung up about it. Use ziti or penne instead if you want it to look similar when you cut it. Otherwise, ordinary Italian bucatini – sold in the pasta aisle of everyday supermarkets these days – or really, any pasta is just fine. It won’t alter flavour, just how it looks!

2. Pastitsio meat sauce

Making the meat sauce is really no different to making your favourite Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s very straight forward! But there’s two important differences:

Cinnamon and clove – As used in traditional Greek Moussaka, a subtle perfume from these spices is what makes the meat sauce Greek, rather than a generic Bolognese; and
Thicker meat sauce – The sauce is much thicker than Bolognese Sauce. This is intentional so it sits comfortably above the pasta layer, rather than trickling down through it. This is how you get the neat layers!

Here’s what you need for the meat sauce layer:

No boat-rockers amongst the above ingredients. Red onion is often preferred in Greek cooking rather than the typical brown/yellow onions.

And as noted above, the added spices that make this a Pastitsio meat sauce rather than an Italian-style one are cinnamon and cloves.

2.2 How to make Pastitsio meat sauce

As for making it, just pretend you’re making Bolognese! Unlike Bolognese however where a long and slow cooking can be optional, the Pastitsio meat sauce needs to be simmered for a good hour to reduce the sauce so it’s really thick.

This makes the meat sauce sit on the pasta, rather than mixing through the pasta layer, so you get distinct and tidy layers. The added bonus is that the longer simmering time makes the beef super-tender and really intensifies the sauce flavours.

Tip: Cool meat sauce before use

If time permits, let the meat sauce cool before layering over the pasta. It thickens and holds together even more when cooled first, providing even better visual definition between the pasta and meat sauce layers when you slice it, as pictured in the photos in this post.

In fact, if you can make it the day before and leave it overnight in the fridge, the flavour also gets even better!

3. Greek Béchamel Sauce

The Greek Béchamel sauce used in Pastitsio differs from the typical white sauce you see on things like Lasagna:

Thicker layer – About twice the volume used in typical Lasagna. No complaints over here, I’m personally a big fan of lots of cheese white sauce!
More set – It’s set almost like a custard that you can cut through, as opposed to being creamy like Béchamel typically is. It’s thickened using a combination of a slightly higher flour-to-liquid ratio, as well as the use of egg yolks (which also enriches the sauce beautifully!)

3.1 What goes in Pastitsio Béchamel sauce

Here’s what you need to make the Pastitsio Béchamel sauce:

Butter, flour and milk – All the usual suspects you need to make a basic Béchamel / white sauce;
Kefalotyri Cheese – A traditional Greek cheese made from sheep or goat’s milk. It tastes somewhat like parmesan but is not as salty or sharp. More on Kefalotyri below. Sold at Woolworths and Coles in Australia, or European/Greek delis. But don’t go out of your way to hunt it down. Readily-available cheeses like Parmesan or Romano make perfectly acceptable substitutes (*she ducks as 10 million Greeks throw rotten tomatoes at her*);
Nutmeg – A classic inclusion with Béchamel, but not the end of the world if you don’t have it. Freshly ground best, if you have it; and
Egg yolks – This helps the Béchamel Sauce set better so the thick layer holds its shape when you cut slices.
The egg whites are used separately for the pasta, acting as a “glue” to hold the pasta together when you slice it. Full visual effect!

Kefalotyri Greek cheese

Grates like parmesan

This is a firm, traditional Greek cheese made from sheep or goat’s milk. It’s used to top the Pastitsio to give it a delicious golden crust as well as stirring through the Béchamel Sauce to give it flavour.

Kefalotyri cheese is a hard cheese with a salty, savoury and piquant taste, similar to Parmesan. However it’s not as salty as parmesan.

Believe it or not, these days it’s available at Woolworths and Coles in Australia! 🙌🏻 Pictured below.

Best substitutes (in order): Kefalograviera (a related, hard Greek cheese), pecorino, Parmesan, Romano.

Use leftover Kefalotyri to make Saganaki!

What to do with your leftover Kefalotyri? Make saganaki, a popular melted cheese Greek appetiser! Cut leftover Kefalotyri into 1.5cm / 1/2″ slices, dust with flour then pan fry in olive oil until golden on the outside, melted inside. Squeeze over a bit of lemon, serve with bread for. It’s AMAZING. You can thank me later…!! 😉

3.2 How to make Pastitsio Béchamel sauce

Here’s how to make the Pastitsio white sauce:

Make a roux – Melt butter, then add the flour and cook it out for a minute. Slowly add the milk in while stirring – this is how you can make a lump-free Béchamel sauce without having to use a whisk! The trick is to make a “paste” first, then add the rest of the milk that the paste easily dissolves into.
Lumpy sauce? Don’t worry! Just give it a good whisk and it will smoothen out.
Cook until thickened – Stir over a medium heat until the sauce thickens, and won’t thicken any further. The thickness test: The sauce should fully coat the back of a spoon and when you draw a path across with your finger it doesn’t disappear;
Flavourings – Stir in cheese and nutmeg. The cheese will also thicken the sauce slightly more;
Egg yolks – Remove sauce from the stove and let it cool for a few minutes. Then whisk the egg yolks in. Make sure you mix straight away once you add the yolks otherwise they may scramble in the sauce!!
Done! While warm, the sauce should be pourable but quite thick, like pictured. Cover with a lid and keep warm until required. If it goes cold, it will get too thick to pour. If that happens just reheat it over a low heat until it becomes pourable again.

4. Assembly!

You need a BIG casserole dish for Pastitsio! A typical 9 x 13″ pan won’t cut it, it’s not deep enough. My baking dish is 33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75″.

The next steps, along with some tips I figured out through trial and error:

Pasta direction – Lay out the pasta so they are (mostly) in one direction if you want the visual effect of the pasta holes when you cut it, as pictured in the photos in this post;
Cool meat sauce – A cool meat sauce will make the layers more distinct. Because it’s thicker and more emulsified, it sits on top of the pasta rather than seeping down through it. It also provides a firmer bed onto which the Pastitsio white sauce is poured, helping that layer also stay distinct;
White Sauce – Pour over and spread. If your white sauce cooled down and is too thick to pour, just reheat gently on a low stove until it’s pourable;
Grate over Kefalotyri (or parmesan if you can’t find it) – then bake until the top is golden; and
Rest for 15 minutes before cutting to serve. The longer it stands, the better it will hold its shape when cut. If you want really neat slices, make it the day before – reheat in the baking dish then cut!

What to serve with Pastitsio

I can’t think of anything more appropriate than a big, fat juicy Greek Salad on the side! This traditional salad is a lovely, refreshing contrast to the richness of Pastitsio.

But here are a few more side salads that I think will also go really well with Pastitsio:

Tomato Salad with Olive Tapenade (very French!)

Cucumber Salad with Herb Garlic Vinaigrette

Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil

Fennel Salad

Green Bean Salad

Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan

Everyday Cabbage Salad

All Vegetable & Salad Sides

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Pastitsio (Greek Pasta Bake)

Recipe video above. Greece's answer to Italian Lasagna! This traditional Greek dish is made with layers of pasta topped with a rich meat sauce perfumed with a hint of cinnamon and clove, topped with a thick layer of cheese sauce.

For the neat layers pictured, arrange the pasta so they're all going in one direction, and rest the baked Pastitsio for 15 minutes before slicing. Excellent for making ahead (keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge) and freezes very well!

Course Main

Cuisine Greek

Keyword greek dish, greek main dish, greek pasta bake, pastitsio

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2

Servings – 10 people

Calories 597cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
2 red onions , finely chopped (sub yellow or brown onions)
1 kg / 2 lb beef mince (ground beef)
3/4 cup red wine , dry (Note 1)
800g / 28 oz canned crushed tomato
2 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled (stock cubes)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp white sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 cinnamon stick (or extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Greek Bechamel:

100g / 7 tbsp butter , unsalted
3/4 cup flour , plain/all purpose
1 litre / 4 cups milk , whole/full fat best but low fat ok
1/8 tsp nutmeg , preferably freshly grated
1/2 tsp salt
100g / 3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub Parmesan or Romano) , finely shredded (Note 2)
2 egg yolks (egg whites are used in the pasta)

Pasta:

400g / 14 oz Pastitsio No. 2 pasta / Greek bucatini (sub small ziti, penne or normal bucatini, Note 3)
120g / 4 oz feta , crumbled
2 egg whites (yolks used in Béchamel)

Topping:

75g / 3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub parmesan or Romano) , finely grated (Note 2)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Meat Sauce:

Heat in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 – 3 minutes until onion is softened. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.
Add wine and and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated – about 3 minutes.
Add remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Stir well, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium / medium low so it's simmering gently. Cook for 45 min to 1 hour until liquid is mostly gone, stirring every now and then. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid, not saucy like Spaghetti Bolognese (Note 4).
Remove from stove and cool. Preferably to room temperature, otherwise for at least 30 minutes before assembling (lid off).

Greek Béchamel (Note 5):

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
While stirring, slowly pour half the milk in. It should turn into a wet paste. Then again, while stirring, pour in remaining milk – the paste should easily dissolve so it's lump-free. If not, just whisk vigorously.
Cook, stirring so the base doesn't catch, for 5 minutes or until thick enough so it coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg yolks quickly. Place lid on and set aside. If sauce cools and gets too thick to pour, just reheat on a low stove until pourable.

Pasta (Note 6):

When you're ready to assemble, cook the pasta per packet instructions, minus 1 minute.
Drain, then return to the pot. Leave to cool for 3 minutes, then stir through egg whites. Gently stir through crumbled feta.

Assemble and bake:

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75"), arranging them so they are all going in the same direction as best you can (for visual effect when sliced). Make the surface as level as you can.
Top with Meat Sauce, then smooth the surface.
Pour over Béchamel Sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.
Bake 30 min or until crust turns golden.
Cool for at least 10 minutes so you can cut neat slices with the layers neatly visible. Serve!

Notes

1. Red wine – any dry red wine is fine here. If you can’t consume alcohol, substitute with liquid beef or chicken stock/broth.

2. Kefalotyri Greek cheese – a Greek sheep or goat’s milk cheese, similar to Parmesan but not as salty. Substitute with Parmesan or Romano cheese.

3. Pasta for Pastitsio – the traditional pasta is a thick tubular pasta called “Pastitsio No 2 pasta”, sometimes also referred to as Greek bucatini. It is thicker than Italian bucatini (tubular pasta). See in post for close-up photos. Find it at European/Greek delis. Substitute with small penne or ziti, or normal Italian bucatini for a similar look. Otherwise, any pasta is fine!

4. Thickness of meat sauce – you want it very thick with barely any sauce in order to achieve the neat layers that you see pictured in post. If it’s too loose, it will run down into the pasta and discolour it, as well as making the pasta slippery so it doesn’t hold together when you slice it. But even if your slices don’t cut as neatly as pictured, it doesn’t affect flavour!

5. Greek Béchamel – thicker than the cheese sauce used to top Italian lasagna both in consistency and thickness of the layer. The egg yolks help it set more when baked so it doesn’t ooze when you cut a slice.

6. Tossing pasta with egg whites – the purpose of the egg whites is to help the pasta set better so you can cut neat slices with distinct layers. Do this just before assembling so the egg whites don’t dry out before baking.

7. Storage and make ahead – cooked Pastitsio keeps perfectly in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or freezer for 3 months (thaw then reheat covered in oven).

8. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 (big!) servings.

Nutrition

10 more delicious Greek recipes

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice – best chicken and rice ever!

Greek Salad

Moussaka (Greek Beef and Eggplant Lasagna)

Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

Baklava

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Greek Chicken Gyros recipe

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Greek Lemon Rice

Greek Recipes

Life of Dozer

A familiar vision – rear view of Dozer’s rump bounding into the water.

The post Pastitsio (Greek beef pasta bake) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.