The pastitsio is Greece's answer to a lasagne, and this recipe from Magma Soul Santorini is made with beef cheeks, pasta, and a deliciously light yet creamy tasting béchamel foam. Every delicious bite is sure to transport you to the gorgeous island of Santorini.
Ingredients
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- 1kg beef cheeks, cleaned
- 200g onions, finely chopped
- 100g carrots, cut into small cubes
- 100g celery, cut into small cubes
- 100g leeks, chopped
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 30ml white dry wine
- 20g ginger, sliced
- 20g tomato pulp
- 200g demi-glace chicken broth
- Salt/pepper
- 40g olive oil
For the Béchamel foam:
- 50g flour
- 50g butter
- 1 litre milk
- Salt/white pepper
For the assembly:
- 200g cooked pasta
- 20g butter
- 60g meat with sauce
- 20g chicken broth
- whole nutmeg
- Parmesan
- salt
Method
- Melt the butter over a medium heat.
- Add the flour and mix quickly using a hand whisk, stirring until the mixture becomes liquidy without lumps.
- Add the milk and whisk quickly.
- Pass the mixture through a blender, strain through a fine sieve, and transfer to a whipping siphon.
- Charge the mixture with 2 cartridges to create a foam (you can skip this siphon step at home).
- Mix the pasta in a pan with a little butter and salt.
- Heat the cheeks with the sauce and add a little chicken broth.
- Place the pasta in a deep plate, top with the cheeks and sauce, and finish with the béchamel foam.
- Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg and parmesan.
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