Bite with Belkys: Pastitsio from Taverna Opa

The Chef: Vassilis Coumbaros

The Dish: Pastitsio

The Restaurant: Taverna Opa

Ingredients:

• 1 white onion
• 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds of ground beef
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of pepper
• 2 cups of roasted tomato sauce
• 2 pieces of cinnamon cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon of grinded nutmeg
• 1 pack of thick noodles
• 1/2 pound of clarified butter
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 quart of half and half
• 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs

Method of Preparation:

-Start by mincing a white onion, and then sauté it with some extra virgin olive oil.

-In the same pot, add ground beef, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, cinnamon cloves, a cinnamon stick and nutmeg. Let this cook together for about 20 minutes on low heat. Make sure to stir the meat every five minutes so that it cooks evenly.

-Next, boil your pasta. At Taverna Opa they use Greek noodles, which are a little bit thicker than spaghetti. You can also try this recipe with penne pasta.

-Meanwhile, start making the pastitsio cream. First, pour a cup of clarified butter into a pan. Then, add some flour to make a roux and whisk it together.

-Now, in a separate, pot boil a quart of half and half with a cup of Parmesan cheese and some nutmeg. Stir this around so that the cheese does not stick to the bottom of your pot.

-Then, slowly pour the mix into the flour and butter roux. Next, add two eggs and whisk it all together until it becomes thick.

-Start the dish by layering the pasta in the bottom of a pan. Then, layer the meat on top and some more pasta on top of that. Next, cover it with the pastitsio sauce and some grated cheese.

-Lastly, bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

To Plate the Dish:

Cut the pastitsio into squares and serve one per person. You can garnish with some grated cheese on top.

Serving Suggestion: A glass of Greek wine.

Serves: 9

Belkys Nerey: "Taverna Opa will be opening three more locations by the end of this year: one each in West Palm, Orlando and Las Vegas."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Taverna Opa
410 N. Ocean Dr.
Hollywood, FL 33019
954-929-4010
www.tavernaoparestaurant.com