Pastitsio, the pasta gratin according to Cathy Paraschiv

@Emilie Franzo

This is one of the cult dishes of the Greek-Romanian chef everyone is talking about, aka Cathy Paraschiv , who brings Balkan cuisine up to date in her bistro IBRIK and in her brand new cookbook Ma Balkan cuisine edited by Hachette.

The opportunity to deliver his pastitsio recipe, an absolutely irresistible meat pasta gratin ...

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. When the water boils, add a good pinch of fleur de sel and the macaroni . Cook for half the time indicated on the package.

Peel the garlic and onions and slice them.

Pour half the oil and the butter into the pan, then quickly sweat the onion and garlic in it over medium heat. When the onion pieces are translucent, lower the heat and let them caramelize over very low heat. Add the meats and the rest of the olive oil, then reduce for a few minutes, stirring. When the meat is golden and slightly sticks to the pan, deglaze with sherry vinegar . Wet everything with the chicken stock , add the crushed tomatoes , cinnamon sticks and half the sugar , then bring to the boil and let reduce over low heat for at least 50 minutes.

Once the sauce has reduced, season with the remaining sugar, salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Cooking is optimal when the mixture forms a roux which begins to color.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in another saucepan and add it to the mixture, whisking continuously, until you obtain a smooth sauce.

Beat the egg yolks and add them to the preparation, in three batches, while whisking vigorously.

Season to taste with nutmeg and salt.

In the previously buttered glass dish, lay out the cooked macaroni, lengthwise. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the meat in the sauce and spread it over the pasta, then add the Béchamel sauce . Sprinkle with the grated Cascaval (or Emmental) and brown in the oven at 180 ° C for 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Also find the forgotten vegetable gratin with goat cheese and the light and vegan bar ultimately foodporn