[Sca-cooks] HELP please

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Robin Carroll-Mann:

>What he's describing is a Greek dish called "pastitsio".  If you
>search for that on Google, or in a recipe database, you'll get lots
>of hits.  Here's one link to get you started.  It's originally from
>"Gourmet Magazine".
>http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/recipe/0,6255,25363,00.html

That one seems pretty much on target, if a little more complex than
most of the pastitsio than I've encountered.

Basically what I've seen is a baked pasta (a tubular macaroni type
like elbows, ziti, rigatoni, etc.) with lamb (I suppose this could
easily be omitted), sometimes a few peas, baked in a distinctively
"Greek" tomato sauce, which uses olive oil, tomatoes in some form,
lots of chopped onion instead of the chopped garlic characteristic of
most Italian versions, marjoram or oregano, a little cinnamon, salt
and pepper, and sometimes just a touch of dill.

The cheese sauce topping is a thick white sauce with kefalotiri
cheese (this is closer to parmigiano-reggiano than to feta, and melts
much more smoothly than feta) and some eggs beaten in. It gets
browned, like a gratin, in a hot oven for ten minutes or so. Some
people sprinkle on just a touch more cinnamon before serving...

Adamantius