Recipe for cooking pastitsio (baked macaroni)

Recipes from Greece :: Greek Rice, Pasta and Grain Dishes

From the kitchen of Kathy Mills, Augusta, Georgia

1 lb. macaroni
1/4 pound butter
1 1/2 lb. (one and a half lbs. ) ground turkey or beef
1/2 can tomato paste
6 oz. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Sauce
4 c. warm milk
5 eggs
6 Tbsp. flour
3/4 c. (1 1/2) sticks butter

Cook macaroni (but not well done) in boiling, salted water and drain. Sauté onion in a little butter. Add ground meat and stir until brown. Add tomato paste, thinned with a little water. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until meat is done. Melt butter; pour over drained macaroni, mixing carefully. Spread half of the macaroni on the bottom of a 13 x 9-in. pan. Sprinkle and distribute half of the grated cheese on top. Spread entire meat mixture on top. Cover with remaining macaroni and remaining grated cheese.

For the Sauce, boil 3 c. of the milk with 1 1/2 sticks butter. Add flour to remaining 1 c. milk and blend well. Add flour mixture to boiling butter and milk. Thicken and cool. After this has cooled, add 5 beaten eggs, or drop small amounts of the milk mixture into the eggs while stirring constantly. Once the egg mixture gets warm to hot, add the remaining milk. Pour sauce over the macaroni. Shake the pan and insert a knife to penetrate thoroughly. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 40 to 45 mins.