GreekMex

This is a recipe mixing elements from Mexican cuisine with a traditional greek dish "Pastitsio", typicaly made with pasta as a base, minced meat, bechamel sauce and cheese on top.

By following allong you can basically make either dish by leaving out the changes I make.

 

Pasta 

Boil some pasta, you want them still a bit firm, strain, rinse with cold water, put aside.

Minced Meat

I got half-half, use whatever you prefer. Heat up some olive oil in a pot, throw in onions and let them cook a bit, throw in peppers (I used both green and red, not spicy), carrots, tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef or pork stock and finally the meat.

Now for the spices. Salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cinamon, corriander, tarragon, garlick, vinegar, you can aslo make it spicy

Add a bit of water and let the pot simmer for 20-30 mins. Last add your red beans(canned and plain) and sweetcorn. Last two things are cooked so they don't really need cooking. Stir everything, cover and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so. In the end you dont want to have to much water left, but you don't want it to dry up either.

Bechamel Sauce

Take a pot, dump a bunch of butter in there.

Once it's melted, slowly keep adding flour and stir till you have a pretty thick paste. Don't worry you can't mess this step up, at some point it's going to start clumping up together, congrats you made it.

Slowly slowly, add the milk and keep stiring gently until its at the right consistency, firm but not too stiff.

Now you can add some salt, pepper, allspice and a bit of cinamon. 

Finnal Assembly

Lay down in a small tray, two tortillas.

Arrange a couple centimeters of pasta on the bottom.

Now put a very thin layer of bechamel on top of the pasta, it acts like glue.

Next add the minced meat and on top of that another layer of bechamel. (make sure you have enough room to close off the top.)

Fold the tortillas tightly and cover the top with cheese.

Video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CpDpBo2D1hW/