Pastitsio (Greek Baked Macaroni)

Pastitsio (Greek Baked Macaroni)

Ingredients:
Macaroni
Onion
Butter
Ground meat
Tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Grated cheese

Sauce:
4 cups warm milk
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
6 tablespoons flour
5 eggs, beaten

Directions:
Cook macaroni (not quite done) in boiling, salted water and drain.
Sauté onion in a little butter. Add ground meat and stir until brown. Add tomato paste, thinned with a little water. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until meat is done.
Melt butter; pour over drained macaroni, mixing carefully. Spread half of the macaroni on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch pan. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top. Spread entire meat mixture on top. Cover with remaining macaroni and remaining grated cheese.
For the sauce, boil 3 cups of the milk with the butter. Blend the flour into the remaining 1 cup milk. Add the flour mixture to the boiling butter and milk. Thicken and cool.
When cooled, add the beaten eggs, or drop small amounts of the milk mixture into the eggs while stirring constantly; once the egg mixture is warm to hot, add the remaining milk mixture.
Pour sauce over the macaroni. Shake the pan and insert a knife in several places so the sauce penetrates thoroughly.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.