Vegetarian Pastitsou
When I fulfilled my American Greek spouse he liked having meat, fish and shellfish. He also loved the Greek food stuff he grew up on. I am vegetarian and John showed me that, given that meat made use of to be an pricey commodity, a whole lot of Greek recipes are meat-cost-free and primarily based on beans, grains, goats’ cheese and yoghurt, fruit, veggies and olive oil. We ate really nicely and John surprised us each by determining to turn out to be vegetarian. However, he wanted me to style his favorite food that his Mother and Yia Yia created for him. It is pastitsou, traditionally created from minced beef, onions, Greek pasta, Greek parmesan cheese, béchamel sauce and delightful herbs and spices. We experimented and inevitably came up with courgettes (zucchini) and broccoli as a alternative for the meat. We later extra Quorn (a wonderful vegetarian mycoprotein) which can conveniently be utilized in recipes to swap meat. Our resulting meat-no cost pastitsou is so scrumptious that our meat having mates check with us to make it for them. Below is the recipe:
Vegetarian Pastitsou
Ingredients
1. Vegetables and Quorn
· 4 tbsp excess virgin olive oil
· 2 big onions finely chopped
· 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
· 250g courgettes (zucchini) diced
· 250 g broccoli chopped
· 1 tsp dried oregano
· 1 tsp dried basil
· 3 fresh bay leaves
· 3 cinnamon sticks
· 2 cloves
· 700g Quorn mince (if you can’t obtain Quorn use one more meat-free of charge mince)
· 400g (14oz) can chopped tinned tomatoes
2. Pasta
· 500g (1lb 2oz) Greek Pastitsou pasta
· 50g (1¾oz) Greek parmesan cheese or Kefalotiri, finely grated
· 1tbsp melted butter or olive oil distribute
3. Bechamel Sauce
· 1.2 litres (2 pints) whole milk
· 115g (4 ¼ oz) butter or olive oil distribute
· 115g (4 ¼ oz) flour
· 200g (7 oz) grated Greek parmesan or Kefalotiri
· ½ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
· Salt or reduced salt
· Black pepper
Technique
1. Preheat the oven to 150 degr C (350 degr F)
2. Warmth the olive oil in a frying pan until moderately sizzling
3. Include the onions and garlic and cook dinner till they soften
4. Add the broccoli and cook dinner for 5 minutes
5. Add the courgettes (zucchini) and cook dinner for a even more 2 minutes
6. Incorporate the Quorn, herbs and spices and cook dinner while stirring until finally light-weight browning just starts off.
7. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and cook dinner on a mild heat commonly stirring for about 20 minutes leaving the mixture even now moist.
8. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and established aside
9. Boil a massive pan of water – about 4.5 litres (8 pints)
10. Add the pasta and boil right until al dente – about 12 minutes
11. Drain the pasta and position in a large bowl
12. Combine with melted butter and grated cheese and established aside
13. For the béchamel sauce, soften the margarine on a very low heat
14. Incorporate the flour and stir repeatedly until finally a roux types
15. Increase the milk very little by minor and stirring consistently
16. When the combination is a smooth and runny add the remaining milk and nutmeg
17. Gently carry to the boil
18. Simmer gently
19. Proceed to stir until finally the sauce thickens and preferences cooked
20. Time to flavor and established aside
21. Blend about a quarter of the sauce with the crushed eggs
22. Carefully mix with the pasta and half the grated cheese
23. Combine the remaining cheese with the béchamel sauce
24. Grease a substantial oven proof dish (approximately 9 cm x 13 cm) with butter or olive oil spread.
25. Coat the base of the dish with a thin layer of Quorn and veggies
26. Use 1/3 of the pasta to make a layer in the dish
27. Go over with 1/3 of the béchamel sauce
28. Incorporate a layer of ½ the remaining Quorn mixture
29. Proceed layering with 1/3 pasta, 1/3 bechamel sauce, and the remaining Quorn mixture.
30. End with the remaining pasta and béchamel sauce.
31. Cook dinner for 30 – 40 minutes right until golden and effervescent.
Love with a salad of environmentally friendly leaves, sliced yellow peppers and cherry tomatoes with a dressing of virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and French mustard.
If you desire to make this dish reduce-calorie: halve the oil and margarine and use skimmed milk.
