Pastitsio

 Traditional Greek dish that with out the addition of the ground meat can be vegetarian, but is best with ground lamb

·       1/5 pounds ground meat, lamb or beef, but use lamb

·       2 lbs ziti

          best is a long traditional noodle, but only available in Greek markets

·       5 cups milk

·       2 tablespoons dry oregano

·       1 lb shredded mozzarella

·       1/4 lb shredded parmesan

·       1/4 lb feta, crumbled

          again the best cheese is a Greek Kefalotyri cheese, but only in a Greek Market

·       1 cup white wine (optional, but good)

·       2 tablespoons butter

·       1 tablespoon flour

·       2 eggs, beaten

·       1 onion sliced

·       1/8 cup butter

·       1/4 teaspoon allspice, ground

·       1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground

·       1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

·       1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Steps in order:

          cook the onions till just translucent and set aside

          brown the ground meat and add the onion and 1 tablespoon oregano

          salt this to taste

to make the béchamel sauce:

take 1 tablespoon butter, melt it and add the flour to it, this is the roux, set it aside

beat the eggs and set aside

heat the milk on a low heat

start the pasta in salted water when the milk is hot

add the cheeses to the milk with 1 tablespoon oregano, black pepper, allspice, parsley and half the cinnamon

salt the sauce to taste

drain the pasta and mix it with the meat and onions

pour into two 9 x 12 pans

add to the milk: the eggs and the roux and mix well while keeping it on the heat

when it thickens, add evenly to the pasta meat mixture

sprinkle cinnamon over the top and bake at 350 F till just tan on the top.