Pastitsio Kima: Baked Macaroni

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3/4 cup tomato puree
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground, plus more, for seasoning
• 1 1/2 pound uncut macaroni
• 2 tablespoons butter, plus 1/2 pound
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2 1/2 cups kefalotyri or kasseri, grated
• 2 quarts milk
• 1/2 pound flour
• Nutmeg

Directions

Brown beef in a pan. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce to 2 tablespoons. In a small bowl, mix together tomato puree and crushed tomatoes to make a sauce. Add to the onions and garlic, and then add the water. Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cook macaroni in salted water: drain. Return to pan. Add butter, egg whites and 1/2 cup of cheese, mix well. Heat up milk on medium high until it comes to a simmer. In a separate pan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until well blended. Whisk in warm milk. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until fairly thick. Season with salt and nutmeg, to taste. Temper in the egg yolks. Add 1 cup of cheese. In a buttered 13 by 9-inch baking dish, layer macaroni mixture and meat sauce, cover with white sauce and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese on top. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven to rack and let stand for 15 minutes. Cut into squares.