Joltin' Django down by the Greek Festival

A bud and I took in the Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church today. Not only do I make an annual pilgrimage to the Greek Festival for the food (which includes world-class roast lamb, baked chicken, mousaka, and diples), I go to pick up several packages of Misko macaroni for for making pastitsio. This year, I walked away with the last 6 packs in the Greek Festival store!

If there's a grocery store in Nashville that sells Misko pasta, I ain't found it yet. (Thus, my stockin' up trip to Holy Trinity every September!) If anyone's seen this brand of pasta in their local grocery store, please drop me a line and tell me where it was seen:


Speaking of pastitsio, I have a great recipe for the stuff. If you can't find Greek-style pasta, you can substitute elbow macaroni. It'll be almost as good without authentic Greek noodles!

Pastitsio

Ingredients

Filling:
1 tablespoon butter
2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup white wine
1 lb. can tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
4 hot cups milk
Salt
Pepper
1 cup grated Kefalotiri cheese
2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks

Pasta:
1 lb. Greek macaroni
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup grated Kefalotiri (or parmesan) cheese

Preparation

For the filling: Heat the butter in a large frying pan and saute the ground beef and onion until slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients and cook over a medium heat until heated through; allow to cool.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the flour and cook stirring constanly for 1 minute. Add the milk all at once, and stir until the sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, eggs and egg yolks.

Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until soft but firm. Drain and return to the pan. Add the butter.

Butter a baking pan and put in half the macaroni. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with the meat filling. Top with remaining macaroni. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with the sauce. Sprinkle top with the rest of the cheese and cook in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Leave for 20 minutes then cut into square pieces and serve.