This has been a big bummer of a day. I could list all the
reasons I’m feeling gloomy – starting with today’s news and heading straight on
through to the weather forecast – but that would only make things worse so instead
I’m going to tell you about the most wonderful comfort food in the face of the
earth.
Pastitsio is sometimes described as the Greek version of
macaroni and cheese – which is kind of fair, because it contains both macaroni
and cheese – but it’s so much more than that. There’s lamb (yay!) and tomatoes
(yay!) and cinnamon (yay!), which are all delicious and make me happy. It’s
substantial enough to fend off the winter blahs and light enough that you can
easily justify eating more of it than is strictly good for you. It can sit in
the middle of the table after dinner while you sip at your wine and chat with
friends and pick at the edges, and once you put it in the fridge it practically
begs to be eaten cold from the pan while you and your fork hide behind the
refrigerator door so you don’t get yelled at. It’s a great big pan of I Love
You So Much and I Promise Things Are Going To Get Better and You Are Totally
Worth Dirtying Up Every Pan in the House.
While I personally think that we should eat it every week,
it admittedly is a bit of bother (see aforementioned dirtying of pans) and
while there’s no problem in substituting gluten-free pasta, I haven’t found a
dairy-free alternative to heavy cream that doesn’t alter the flavor. And there’s
just no getting around the fact that a tomato is a tomato. So this isn’t one
that David is going to be eating anytime soon. I try not to get caught up in
being a food purist, especially given that substitutions are a bit of a way of
life around here, but this is one dish that I’m not willing to compromise on. Diner
versions invariably fall short – this is for home cooking.
 |
| The messy original |
This recipe appeared in the Detroit News sometime in the
late 80s or early 90s and comes to me via my mom. It traveled around in my
recipe file for a good long while before I worked up the nerve to make it, and
it’s been rewritten several times after being splashed, splattered, and
generally subjected to the fallout from cooking it. It’s currently in a sheet
protector, written in red ink that’s been smeared into near-illegibility. I’m
reluctant to rewrite it yet again because that smeared page is a reminder of
all the times it’s been just the comfort I needed, served up in a big bowl with
a blanket and a chick flick; all the times it’s been a company-worthy treat
dished out onto the good china; all the times I’ve made it for someone’s
birthday or breakup or when they needed to feel loved. If Food Is Love,
pastitsio is the hug that makes you believe things really will get better.
Pastitsio
1 lb macaroni
4 eggs, separated
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 5 tablespoons
butter, softened
½ lb freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14-oz can Italian-style tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 medium fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Pinch of sugar
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 ¼ - 1 ½ lbs cooked ground lamb
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups hot chicken stock
½ cup heavy or whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted water until just
al dente. Rinse under cold water and transfer to a large bowl.
While the macaroni is cooking, beat the egg whites until
stiff but not dry.
Pour the melted butter over the macaroni and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with ½ cup cheese and toss again. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Set
aside.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the remaining butter with the olive
oil. Add the onion and cook 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Stir
in the tomatoes and sugar and add the cinnamon stick. Stir in the lamb and
mustard and cook 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is mostly evaporated. Cool
slightly and remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in ½ cup of cheese and ¼ cup bread
crumbs and mix thoroughly.
Melt the remaining butter, then whisk in the flour to make a
roux. Add the chicken stock and heat to boiling. Add the cream and nutmeg and
cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
Lightly beat the egg yolks and whisk in ¼ cup of the sauce.
Whisk the tempered egg back into the sauce.
Butter a large lasagna pan. Sprinkle the dish with 2
tablespoons bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon cheese. Spoon half the macaroni
evenly into the dish. Top with the lamb mixture, then the rest of the macaroni.
Pour the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and bread
crumbs.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
