When I met my American Greek spouse he loved ingesting meat, fish and shellfish. He also cherished the Greek foods he grew up on. I am vegetarian and John showed me that, considering that meat employed to be an highly-priced commodity, a whole lot of Greek recipes are meat-no cost and dependent on beans, grains, goats’ cheese and yoghurt, fruit, greens and olive oil. We ate quite very well and John amazed us equally by deciding to become vegetarian. Having said that, he desired me to taste his favorite foods that his Mother and Yia Yia created for him. It is pastitsou, customarily manufactured from minced beef, onions, Greek pasta, Greek parmesan cheese, béchamel sauce and delightful herbs and spices. We experimented and eventually came up with courgettes (zucchini) and broccoli as a substitution for the meat. We afterwards included Quorn (a good vegetarian mycoprotein) which can effortlessly be utilized in recipes to swap meat. Our ensuing meat-cost-free pastitsou is so delightful that our meat eating buddies inquire us to make it for them. Below is the recipe:
Vegetarian Pastitsou
Substances
1. Veggies and Quorn
· 4 tbsp excess virgin olive oil
· 2 significant 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 new bay leaves
· 3 cinnamon sticks
· 2 cloves
· 700g Quorn mince (if you cannot uncover Quorn use another meat-absolutely free 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 spread
3. Bechamel Sauce
· 1.2 litres (2 pints) total milk
· 115g (4 ¼ oz) butter or olive oil spread
· 115g (4 ¼ oz) flour
· 200g (7 oz) grated Greek parmesan or Kefalotiri
· ½ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
· Salt or low salt
· Black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150 degr C (350 degr F)
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan until reasonably hot
3. Insert the onions and garlic and cook till they soften
4. Insert the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes
5. Add the courgettes (zucchini) and prepare dinner for a even more 2 minutes
6. Add the Quorn, herbs and spices and cook even though stirring until eventually mild browning just starts.
7. Include the tin of chopped tomatoes and cook dinner on a gentle warmth usually stirring for about 20 minutes leaving the mixture nonetheless moist.
8. Get rid of the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and set apart
9. Boil a significant pan of water – about 4.5 litres (8 pints)
10. Add the pasta and boil until eventually al dente – about 12 minutes
11. Drain the pasta and place in a big bowl
12. Mix with melted butter and grated cheese and set aside
13. For the béchamel sauce, melt the margarine on a very low warmth
14. Add the flour and stir repeatedly till a roux varieties
15. Include the milk tiny by very little and stirring continuously
16. When the combination is a smooth and runny include the remaining milk and nutmeg
17. Carefully deliver to the boil
18. Simmer carefully
19. Continue on to stir until finally the sauce thickens and tastes cooked
20. Season to flavor and set aside
21. Blend about a quarter of the sauce with the overwhelmed eggs
22. Carefully mix with the pasta and 50 percent the grated cheese
23. Blend the remaining cheese with the béchamel sauce
24. Grease a substantial oven proof dish (about 9 cm x 13 cm) with butter or olive oil spread.
25. Coat the bottom of the dish with a slender layer of Quorn and veggies
26. Use 1/3 of the pasta to make a layer in the dish
27. Address with 1/3 of the béchamel sauce
28. Add a layer of ½ the remaining Quorn combination
29. Proceed layering with 1/3 pasta, 1/3 bechamel sauce, and the remaining Quorn mixture.
30. Finish with the remaining pasta and béchamel sauce.
31. Prepare dinner for 30 – 40 minutes until golden and bubbling.
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 want to make this dish decreased-calorie: halve the oil and margarine and use skimmed milk.
