Pastitsio with En Elladi mixed minced meat

Minced meat
In a pot pour olive oil. When heated enough, we first add the mince. Our main aim is to perfectly brown the mince and remove the excess moisture. Then add the onion, garlic and after a minute the carrot and celery. Sauté the vegetables in the same oil so as to get the aroma from the meat. After that quench with wine, add the bay leaf and the spices as well as the tomato sauce. Cover your pot and cook in medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Pasta
Boil the pasta for 7 minutes without stirring and drain. Put the pasta in a tray. Add the olive oil and spices.

Béchamel
In a non-stick frying pan pour some olive oil. Then slowly add the flour so as to make a mush. Make sure that the mush texture is thin. In a second pot, heat the milk. Before the milk is completely boiled, gradually add the mush and whisk fast. If you follow the steps as given, you will have a smooth béchamel mix at the end. When your béchamel starts heating and firming up, add the spices, the grated cheese, and the beaten eggs.

For the cooking
In a tray or a Pyrex, 7-8cm deep, firstly bed the pasta mixed with an egg, 150gr of the béchamel sauce and 100gr of the mince so as to give our pasta some aroma and flavor. After that add the extra mince and cover with the rest of the béchamel sauce. Pastitsio is ready for the oven. Cook in a preheated oven for 45 minutes in 175ºc.

Tip: Let the food rest for an hour at room temperature before serving.