Pastitsio

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Best Recipe Ever. My family loves this recipe.

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I made several changes for ease of baking (including having a second chef in the kitchen and it turned out wonderfully. If you're looking for a way to lighten the recipe up --a little-- I recommend using Fanny Farmer's Bechamel sauce recipe instead of the recipe listed and doubling it. I also used 2 cups of cheese (mozzarella because my local grocery store didn't have kasseri, only 2 teaspoons of some rather excellent Chinese cinnamon and 2 pounds of ground round instead of half beef/half lamb.

This recipes does use several pans and a lot of space, but it was a lot easier with two people and another dish to make to occupy the simmer time for the tomato meat sauce.

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The first time I made this, following the recipe exactly with the exception of using broth instead of wine, it came out good, but the cinnamon flavor was overpowering and the meat was a little dry. The next time I made it, I decreased the cinnamon from 1 tablespoon to 1 teaspoon and added another half a can of tomatoes to the sauce and it came out much, much better; perfect! The best thing about this dish is that it tastes even better left over.

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This was just okay. For the amount of work that is needed for this, it should be better. I won't make this again but it was worth trying. We'll eat up everything - and there is A LOT of it - but I'll go on to find something else that tastes better.

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This is AMAZING; however I have a few things to note:
• Its a TON of food- my bf and I will be eating this for lunch and dinner for 5 days.
• I had never made a béchamel sauce before and was elated at how easy it was- thanks Ina!
• I used half & half instead of heavy whipping- it still got thick! Also used SHREDDED parm instead of GRATED- still YUM!
• I have never used more pans for a meal in my life, also this does not fit into a typical 13x9 pan you need something DEEPER- its a lot of volume.
• I didn't have any wine, skipped it and still delicious!

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Ina is the best. This is a delicious meal, rich with complex flavors.

But be careful. Just a few minutes too long and the top will burn. I'd heat for 35-40 minutes.

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Just outstanding dish! It's a little labor-intensive, but SO worth it. I couldn't find any ground lamb at the store, so I just used a lean ground chuck. Also, I did a no-no: I used cooking wine instead of a really good wine, like Ina always suggests.

All that aside, what a delicious meal! I also added another teaspoon of chopped thyme leaves to sprinkle over the Bechamel along with the Parmesan cheese. The Bechamel had such a sweet and wonderful flavor I thought it would be complimented nicely with the thyme.

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Yum. I'm not usually a nutmeg fan and adding cinnamon to meat is new to me but it works with this dish. The Bechamel sauce is devine. Just give me a bowl of that and a spoon!

Time consuming and lots of dishes but soo worth it.
Ina always seems to make enough to feed the whole nieghborhood. I suggest making half of the recipe for 4-6 people and you'll still have leftovers.

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OMG - I can't wait to make this Greek treat. I am going to follow your recipe in its entirety. I'll let you know how it turns out. I am giving this recipe a guaranteed five-star rating ahead of time - because I have used your other recipes and they are always perfect! Thanks, Ina.

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My husband will be making this recipe, but he will only be using 1 tsp of cinnamon. I will let you know how it turns out.