A Twist on Pastitsio

Let the competition begin!

Tony Tahhan from Olive Juice  has organized a really fun food blogging contest called “A Taste of the Mediterranean” that spans a different country each month. You can only imagine how excited I was to get in on the action and meet other bloggers who have the same interests! This month is all about Greece and the contest is also being judged by guest host Peter from Kalofagas. 

The challenge was to create a funked up version of the classic pastitsio incorporating any flavors from the Mediterranean while still keeping the integrity of the original. I decided to borrow some new ingredients from Italy – prosciutto, sage and mozzarella – and kept the original pasta and bechamel sauce. 

 

The result was a bit lighter than the original version and the flavors melded together nicely. I especially liked the prosciutto sauteed with whole tomatoes and wine layered with spinach and cheese. Adding fresh sage leaves to the bechamel while it cooks gives the sauce a hint of the aromatic herb. And this dish only gets better with time! It was even better as leftovers the next day….

Prosciutto and Sage Pastitsio

Ingredients

• 1lb. tubular pasta – penne or rigatoni
• 1 lb. prosciutto, coarsely chopped
• 1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes, drained
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 bag of fresh spinach 
• 1 medium size ball of fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp. Cavender’s Greek Seasoning
• 2 tbs olive oil
• pepper to taste
• 1 cup crumbled feta

Bechamel Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter
• 3/4 cup flour
  
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 5-6 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
• 5 eggs

Method

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add whole tomatoes, Cavender Greek seasoning and fresh black pepper and continue to cook another 10 minutes while tomatoes break down and a chunky sauce develops. 
2. While the sauce cooks, boil a pot of water and blanch spinach in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, until just wilted but still bright green. Remove spinach and set aside. Reserve water and bring back to a boil.
3. Add pasta and cook until just al dente, 7-8 minutes. Drain and set aside. (Pasta will continue to cook while the dish bakes.)
4. Add prosciutto to tomato sauce, along with the white wine and cook for another 5 minutes while ingredients thicken. Set aside. 
5. Cut mozzarella into small pieces and set aside.

For the Bechamel:

1. Melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan, let cool. Mix in flour to make a roux and set aside. 
2. In another saucepan heat the milk and sage leaves to just under a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Add the roux to the milk and stir constantly until a thick sauce forms, 5-10 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and set aside.

At this point you should assemble all your  ingredients for the pastisio on a table for easy layering and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Assembly:

1. Add a small amount of bechamel to cover bottom of the pan to prevent pasta from sticking.
2. Next add the pasta to the pan in an even layer.
3. The prosciutto and tomato sauce should be added to the pan.
4. Then layer the mozzarella and spinach on top of the meat mixture.
5. Next spoon the bechamel sauce over the entire casserole.
6. Finally, add the feta cheese on top of the bechamel.

Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. I like to turn on the broiler and pop the pan under for a few minutes to give the top a brown and crispy layer.

As hard as it is, let your pastisio sit for at least half an hour. This allows the dish to to really meld and the layers to tighten up. Voila! Enjoy!

 

Thank you to Tony and Peter for hosting this month’s Greek pastitsio contest!