Pastitso - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs ground round
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1 lb lasagna noodle
1/4 lb butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
fresh grated parmesan cheese, about a handful
4 cups bechamel sauce (to follow)
Bechamel Sauce
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
6 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper, to taste
cinnamon, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the Bechamel Sauce:.
Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the flour into your melted butter and then stir that into the hot milk. Continue stirring until thick. You may need to adjust your heat to make sure you don't scald the milk. This will probably take about 10 min., give or take. Add the salt, pepper and cinnamon to taste. (This should make 4 Cups).
Pastitso:.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the 2 T. olive oil. Saute the ground round along with the onion.
When the onions are translucent, add the parsley, garlic, cinnamon, tomato sauce and white wine. Turn the heat down to medium or even medium-low and let cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, boil the lasagne noodles until not quite tender (a bit less time than recommended on your box). Drain and soak in cold water.
When the sauce is done, drain the cold noodles and place in a large bowl. Add the butter, eggs and a handful of parmesan. Gently toss with the noodles.
Place 1/2 of this noodle mixture into a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Add the meat sauce. Place the rest of the noodles on top and cover with the bechamel sauce. Top with more parmesan cheese, to taste.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 1 hour, or until the top is bubbly. You may have to tent it with foil towards the end of cook time, if the top is getting too browned.