Pasticho An Albanian Recipes

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, pork, onion, celery and carrot in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute mushrooms in butter and oil until tender. Add the cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in Parmesan cheese; cook and stir for 20-25 minutes or until thickened., Discard bay leaf from meat sauce. Spread 1-1/4 cups meat sauce into a greased 4-qt. baking dish. Top with six noodles. Layer with 1-3/4 cups meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, six noodles, 1-1/4 cups mushroom sauce, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers three times. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce, mushroom sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese (dish will be full)., Cover and bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until golden brown and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Steps:

• For Abuela Chabe's seasoning: Combine the annatto, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and curry powder in a small bowl. Makes 2 3/4 tablespoons (see Cook's Note).
• For the beef: Fill a large saute pan with 1 inch of water and add a large, five-finger pinch of salt. Add the ground beef and cook over high heat, stirring every 2 minutes, until the liquid released by the ground beef has almost disappeared and you can only see fat, about 15 minutes. Let the beef fry in the fat for about 1 minute, then remove the beef to a large bowl, leaving the fat in the saucepan.
• Add the onion to the saute pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the 2 tablespoons of Abuela Chabe's Seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the cooked beef and season with salt. Stir in the tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook until the mixture has reduced slightly, about 3 minutes. Taste and season again if necessary. Set aside.
• For the bechamel: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and whisk until combined. Continue to whisk until the mixture turns the same yellow color as Dijon mustard and starts to smell slightly nutty, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk in five additions while whisking constantly, making sure to fully incorporate between each addition; this will ensure a smooth texture. Season with salt and cook until the bechamel coats the back of a spoon, 5 to 8 minutes. (If the sauce seems too thin, remember that it will continue to thicken as it sits.)
• For the assembly: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles, stirring occasionally and separating them to prevent sticking, until softened and bendable but still tough in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl of cold water and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Spread 3 tablespoons of the meat sauce and 3 tablespoons of the bechamel on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Lay a single layer of noodles over the meat sauce and bechamel (if you're using long noodles, you will need to cut some noodles to fill the gaps). Spread half of the meat sauce (about 1 1/2 cups) over the noodles. Add another single layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 cup of the bechamel over the noodles. Top with 5 ounces of the ham and 6 ounces of the Gruyere.
• Repeat by adding another single layer of noodles, the remaining half of the meat sauce, another single layer of noodles, 1/2 cup of the bechamel, the remaining 5 ounces of the ham, 6 ounces of the Gruyere and a final single layer of pasta.
• Combine the remaining bechamel and the remaining 4 ounces of Gruyere (if using sliced cheese, crumble it up) and spread on top of the pasticho.
• Cook until bubbling gently around the edges, about 45 minutes. If the top has not browned, broil on high until a couple of brown spots appear, 1 to 2 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• For the meat sauce: In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the ground beef and sear without disturbing until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Break it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook until deeply browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the Aleppo and cinnamon and stir to combine. Tie the thyme sprigs together with butcher's twine and add to the meat sauce. Deglaze with the wine, reduce by half, then stir in the crushed tomatoes and 1 cup water. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes have begun to break down, about 30 minutes.
• For the béchamel sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Whisk in the flour and allow to toast for 1 minute. Add the nutmeg and about a quarter of the milk and whisk as the mixture cooks and bubbles. Add another quarter of the milk and cook, whisking. Once the milk is incorporated, add the rest of the milk and whisk again. This will ensure a smooth bechamel sauce. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, whisking, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the kefalotyri cheese until melted. Whisk in the eggs and set aside.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Do not stir as you will disturb it. In order to have even layers, the pasta needs to be cooked undisturbed, with all the noodles facing the same way. Cook the pasta for 4 minutes less than the package instructions.
• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• To assemble: Brush a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with olive oil and set aside. Using tongs, remove the pasta from the pot and line the pasta evenly in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. All the noodles should be facing the same direction. Add the melted butter and kefalotyri cheese and season with black pepper. Remove the bundle of thyme from the meat sauce and pour the meat sauce on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, spread into an even layer without pressing down. Pour the béchamel over the meat sauce. Place the casserole dish onto the offset heat part of the grill, close the grill and bake until the top is golden brown and puffy, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.
• Oven method: Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Wash and cut on a slant into 1-inch thick slices the whites and pale green of the leeks.
• Saute leeks in a little oil and place in a baking pan.
• Chop onions and mushrooms coarsely.
• Saute onion and mushrooms in remaining oil.
• Add broth powder, water, tomato sauce, red pepper, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. If your mushrooms are not very watery, add a little more water and broth.
• Pour onion/mushroom mixture over the leeks.
• Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.
• Serve hot.