Thanksgiving Pastitsio

“I’m not really sure what we use, you’ll have to ask mom when she gets back. You’re going to make pastitsio? It’s a lot of work.” my dad replied. 

“Well, how do you start it then?” I followed up. “How much butter and flour?”

“I don’t know. Ask mom.”

This? This is the answer to what kind of milk I should use for the béchamel my parents make for their pastitsio and moussaka I get from my dad? My dad is the béchamel man of the house. He has literally been making it for at least 30 years, if not longer.

“We use two percent” my mom answered later. “And he starts with a stick and a half of butter, right Yianni? And how much flour?” I could hear her ask him over the phone. “Start with a tablespoon, and add a little more, until you have the right consistency. And we’re going to make pastitsio for Thanksgiving instead of moussaka because it’s easier.”

Pastitsio is easier, especially with at least two people. That may also explain why neither of my parents could give me the béchamel recipe individually: they work as a team in the kitchen. This team preparation makes it a perfect Thanksgiving meal. It takes at least as much time and work as a turkey, prep is easier when more people are involved, it leads to hearty debate about the right way to do that step. Which step? Every step. At least with pastitsio you can direct your annoyance at the béchamel. Spare the turkey and your family. Perfect for Thanksgiving.

Every meal at my parents’ house is like a mini Thanksgiving, always way too much food. And Thanksgiving is extra, because as my sister Evelyn remembers, my parents embraced the American holidays as soon as they moved here. We’ve always had the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes. And then there are always the rest of the Greek things like, spanakopita or tiropita, or both, koukia me anginares (fava beans with artichokes, because nothing says “Thanksgiving” more than a classic spring dish). But it’s delicious and we all love it, including my sister-in-law, Kelly. She may not have eaten anything green before marrying into our Greek family, so I’m pretty sure that’s how it ended up as a Thanksgiving staple. Fava beans with artichokes was going to be my non-traditional Thanksgiving blog post, but dried fava beans were all I could find, and “that won’t be a success” according to my mom. Koukia me anginares requires proper, green favas, not yellowed dried ones. She’s picky about her fava beans and either buys them jarred or freezes her farm fresh spring bounty to last throughout the year. 

Pastitsio is a much-loved Greek casserole, kind of like lasagna, but with béchamel instead of tomato sauce. It’s a hearty comfort dish that could easily serve as a Thanksgiving centerpiece. In our celebrations, it’s often a second main event. The ground beef and pasta layers can be prepped a day in advance, so you can just focus on the béchamel on the day you plan to bake the pastitsio. Before you start the béchamel, make sure you have plenty of wine. For yourself. Not the béchamel. You’re going to need it when you are done. A nice red will go very nicely with your pastitsio.

“Fast, fast, fast. Don’t let it bubble, make sure you keep stirring it constantly. Make sure you add just a very little milk at a time, especially at first.” These are things my mother repeats each time I help with the béchamel (my job is usually relief stirrer). This is what stuck in my head as I made my practice pastitsio the Monday before Thanksgiving. My béchamel was on the thin side, the pasta had good bite, it could use a little more ground beef, but it tasted good. This was the general consensus from my family when I brought the leftover practice pastitsio to my parent’s house on Thanksgiving. We sampled it before starting on the official Thanksgiving pastitsio.

I would again help my dad with the béchamel, while my mother worked on the pasta and my sister tried to write down measurements that I would yell out. To little avail though. My mom took some of the butter out of the pan. My dad kept saying “I think it needs more flour.” My mom didn’t quite agree. We started adding the milk. As we got to the end and began to pour the béchamel over the pasta, my mom paused.

“It’s too thin, I think it needed more flour.”

It turned out perfect. There’s enough butter and cheese in pastitsio to make up for any minor inconsistencies, including substituting ground turkey for the traditional ground beef. The thing with béchamel is that it takes a little practice, but you have a little wiggle room. One of the best ways to know when it’s close to being done is to check in with your stirring arm. Does it feel like it is about to fall off yet? No? Keep stirring. Is your arm screaming for mercy? Almost? Good, just a little more stirring to go. 

Ground meat (Can be prepared 1-2 days in advance)
2 pounds ground beef
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (about one large onion)
1 ½ cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta
2 pounds penne pasta, cooked al dente, according to package instructions
4 tablespoons melted butter (2 ounces)
2 cups grated cheese – such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano (I used a blend of Parmigiano, Pecorino and Vlahotiri, a Greek cheese similar to Gruyere).

Béchamel topping
1 ½ sticks butter (340 g/ 12 tbsp/ 6 oz)
2 ½ cups flour
½ gallon of milk, scalded (do not allow to boil or form a skin on top)
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (grate fresh if you can)
2 cups grated cheese, plus 2 tablespoons reserved
Salt to taste

1) Cook ground beef:

• Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan, add onion and sauté for 5-10 minutes over medium low heat, until onions are soft and translucent
• Add ground beef, mint, parsley and tomato sauce to pan, season with salt and pepper and simmer until the liquid is completely evaporated, about 30 minutes
• Set aside until ready to assemble pastitsio (may be prepared 1-2 days in advance, warm slightly before assembling pastitsio for final bake)

2) Cook pasta:

• Cook paste al dente, according to package directions
• Drain water, add melted butter and grated cheese, mix well
• Set aside until ready to assemble pastitsio

3) Assemble pasta and ground beef layers before beginning béchamel (this is essential if preparing on your own)

• In a large roasting pan or casserole dish, add half of cooked pasta in an even layer
• Spread ground beef on top of pasta layer, as evenly as possible
• Add remaining pasta to cover ground beef
• Reserve for béchamel topping

4) Preheat oven to 375°F

5) Make béchamel

• Heat milk over low heat, do not allow to boil or form a skin
• Melt butter in a large pot over low heat, add flour and stir constantly until the roux begins to get a hint of color
• Add ¼-1/3 cups of milk at a time, incorporating thoroughly before next addition. It will take approximately 20-30 minutes or more to reach a consistency somewhat similar to a thick pudding
• Add 2 cups grated cheese, stirring continuously
• Add grated nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste, stirring constantly
• Temper in eggs: in a separate bowl, add a ladle of béchamel mixture to the beaten eggs, and rapidly beat béchamel into eggs to ensure a smooth consistency, and prevent eggs from curdling
• Repeat with an additional ladle of béchamel
• Add combined egg and béchamel mixture back to pot of béchamel, mixing quickly to prevent curdling
• Add béchamel evenly over top pasta layer, covering the pasta completely
• If desired, sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons of reserved grated cheese

6) Bake assembled pastitsio at 375°F for approximately 45 – 60 minutes, until top is golden brown

Yield: 14 x 11 ½ x 2 ½ inch pan, ~9-12 servings, depending on how generously pieces are cut