Pastitsio ala Italian and Rome Snapshots
Pastitsio ala Italian is a twist I made to the classic Greek dish, substituting some of the traditional ingredients we use in Greece with Italian ones.
What is Pastitsio ala Italian?
Pastitsio is a traditional Greek dish that consists of layers of pasta and a ground meat filling, typically made with veal or pork mince, mixed with spices and herbs.
The pasta and meat are baked together in a casserole dish, and the dish is typically topped with a creamy white sauce made from béchamel and eggs.
The final product is a savory, hearty, and comforting dish that is often served as a main course for lunch or dinner.
It is a popular dish in Greece and Cyprus, which is enjoyed by people of all ages.
Pastitsio is typically served with boiled leafy greens or a salad, and it can also be accompanied by some feta cheese.
What does Pastitsio ala Italian mean?
Ala or "À la" is a French phrase that means "in the style of" or "according to the manner of." It is used to indicate that something is being prepared or served in a particular way or style.
Our trip to Rome
It’s almost a week since we came back from our trip to Italy and I was really busy to post, as a lot of things had to be done after we returned.
We had a great time and I wanted to share some of the shots from Rome. This was not an easy job having to choose from about 1.000 photos.
When we returned, I made Pastitsio, but this time I made a twist to the traditional Greek recipe, using a sauce, similar to Bolognaise sauce, with ground chicken, ziti pasta and of course used some of the Italian cheese we bought.
Italian cheese
I used the cacciocavallo cheese, by sprinkling some on the pasta before adding the meat sauce, some in the bechamel and of course some on top. It was delicious!
Before going to the recipe, I would like to share some of the pictures I took.
The Tiber River
Fountains: Fontana di Trevi, Piazza di Navone, Barberini (Tritone), Spanish Steps
Statues and monuments
One of the extremely enjoyable benefits of blogging is getting to meet other bloggers whose work I respect.
We met Natalia, of Gatti, fili e Farina and her husband Andrea and had a great time together.
Natalia showed us around in the Vatican on one day and another day she showed us around from Piazza di Venezia towards the Ghetto (Jewish neighbourhood), Galeria Spada, Piazza di Fiori, where she helped me choose some cheeses (buffalo mozarella, caccio, gorgonzola picante and another one with peppers, I am not sure about the name.
We ended in a pub serving forty different kinds of draught beer and some delicious appetizers.
Rome: a tour in the Jewish Ghetto of Rome
You probably all know that Rome is the city of architecture with so many beautiful buildings, fountains, piazzas etc.
We visited most of the important monuments but there is still more to see, so we will have an excuse for another trip in the future.
The Vatican
Art
The Italian people were fantastic and all the people we asked for instructions were more than willing to give explanations and very polite.
I have seen a lot of similarities between Greeks and Italians and it is no wonder that Italians and Greeks have a saying "Una Faccia Una Razza", in Greek we pronounce it “Una fatsa una razza” and literally, it means "one face one race" and refers to similarities to our culture, history and manners.
What can I say about the food and wine. Everything was delicious, especially the pasta dishes and I enjoyed a glass of chianti with every meal.
The Pantheon
The Colosseum
Campo de Fiori
Italian food
I could not resist trying the gelato with so many flavour to choose from and some tiramisu!!
Pastitsio ala Italian
Pastitsio ala Italian is a twist I made to the classic Greek dish, substituting some of the traditional ingredients we use in Greece with Italian ones.
Ingredients
- 1 packet (500 grams) ziti pasta or other tubular pasta
- 1 cup caccio cavallo cheese, grated
For the meat sauce!
- 500 grams minced chicken
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 cup white dry wine
- 500 grams tomato passata
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 carrots, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small bay leaf
For the Bechamel sauce:
- 1.5 litres milk
- 60 grams extra virgin olive oil (or butter)
- 60 grams all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup of grated caccio cavallo cheese (the remaining mixed in the pasta and some sprinkled on top)
Instructions
- Boil the pasta al dente Drain pasta and mix with some of the cheese.
- In a large skillet heat the oil and sauté the onion, until translucent Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds
- Add the minced meat and sauté until white
- Add the celery and carrot and mix.
- Add the wine and stir until the alcohol evaporates and
then add the tomato and tomato paste and stir until smooth. - Add remaining ingredients and bring to slow simmer.
- Cook for about 45 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Remove the bay leaf.
- Put half the pasta in a baking tin (about 33 x 40 cm.) and mix in 3 tablespoons of béchamel sauce.
- Spread the sauce on top of the pasta.
- Add the remaining pasta on top and cover with the béchamel sauce and the remaining caccio.
- Top with Béchamel Sauce. See step by step recipe how to make the béchamel here.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C until golden brown on top.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 641Total Fat 39gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 23gCholesterol 174mgSodium 646mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 3gSugar 14gProtein 34g
"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."
Other relevant recipes:
Pastitsio the Greek way
Pastitsio Lasagna
Makaronia tou Fournou (Pastitsio the Cypriot way
Pastitsio Lasagna with artichokes
Spaghetti Pastitsio with Anthotyro and Paprika
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!
I have so many fond memories of Rome as we went there on our honeymoon. I sure want to visit again. That pastitsio dish sounds amazing. Your photos are so beautiful.
Your pictures are gorgeous Ivy! I hope to visit Rome one day. How fun to meet your friend. It looks like you had a nice time with her. I love your Pastisio! What a delicious version!
Ivy mon amie, grâce à toi , je fais un magnifique voyage avec des recettes en plus.
Merci.
Ivy, it looks like you had such a lovely trip! We are going to Italy in February, but sadly, we won't visit Roma - we'll be in Venice and Florence or Milano. That gorgeous pastitsio! What a wonderful twist. I'm going to have to try to make that for certain!
Pity you cannot spare a few days for Rome. It's so much worth visiting.
Yvi, your pictures and comments make me want to go to Rome right away! My husband loves Italy as well, especially the food part! We were looking for a short trip to get over a difficlut time where my son had a car accident and my back kept me on the couch for a whole week....
Greetings from Holland
Hope you are feeling better now Robin and you'll make this trip soon.
wow,ivy,thanks for sharing your wonderful trip and those awesome photos!pastitsio is delicious,of course!
Looks like you had a smashing time - love all of your pics. And great fun to meet Natalia. I like the look of your pastitsio - delicious.
Glad you had a great time in Rome.
Cara Ivy, So nice to see the pictures you took ! In the last days I'm working a lot and didn't visit anyone on the net !! The cheese is simply a cow cheese with red pepper (formaggio al peperoncino) did you and your family enjoy all the cheeses ? What happened with the ravioli maker ?Your ravioli looked great. Say ciao to Dimitri and please if you can come back soon !!
Grazie cara Natalia. Yum, the cheese were fantastic but pity I did not get more. Loved all of them and you will be seeing where I used them soon.
I'll have to try the ravioli maker again soon, as I think I know what went wrong. Dimitris sends his regards. Shall be waiting for you, Andrea and the children to come to Greece. Baci.
Well, it looks like you had a fantastic time. I love you photos! So much to look at! I can't wait to go to Rome.
What beautiful pcitures. I would love to go there.
How nice you met Natalia. Thats a lot of fun!
Hi Ivy, love all those pictures and food! That's why each time, I returned to Rome, I covered 1 area at a time. There's so much interesting things to talk/blog about Rome at every turn of corner.
There're of course, the tourist trap areas but you're lucky to meet your Italian Foodie friend.
I have to try out the recipes 🙂 Thank you for sharing! Hugs!
I really enjoyed reading about your trip to Rome! Brings back such memories!!! I miss the gelato more than anything else! 🙂
Amazing post. Beautiful pictures, and the food.. hmmm looks yummy and delicious.
hi this is a nifty website that you've, thank you 4 sharing it with us.