Pastitsio Macaronia (Baked Macaroni with Minced Meat)

Ingredients

300g long macaroni

Filling

• 1 diced onion
• 400 g minced meat
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tb oil
• Pinch cinnamon
• 1/2 cup tomato

Sauce

• 1 1/2 bottles milk
• 5 eggs
• 1 heaped Tb flour
• 50g butter
• 3/4 cup cornflour
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Cook macaroni in salted boiling water until soft but firm. Drain and run under cold water.

Heat oil in fry-pan and saute the minced meat and onion until lightly coloured. Add cinnamon, salt and pepper and tomato, and cook until meat is done.

To make sauce

Heat milk with butter to melt until just lukewarm. In a bowl beat eggs and add sifted flour and cornflour and beat to dissolve lumps. Add to milk stirring constantly. If lumpy, use beater in saucepan.

Boil, stirring constantly. Add a little salt. When sauce begins to bubble beat again with beater. Allow to cool slightly. Add 1/4 cup of grated cheese.

In a baking dish melt 50g extra butter. Toss macaroni in this. Leave two thirds in dish and remove remainder. Sprinkle with a little grated cheese. Spread minced meat over macaroni. Sprinkle with more grated cheese. Add the rest of macaroni and sprinkle remainder of cheese over top. Pour over sauce allwoing some to seep through the different layers. Bake in oven at 200C until it colours, and then lower to 130C and cook for 1 hour.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.