Pastitsio - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 garlic cloves, minced fine
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (packed in juice)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 lb ziti pasta (or other medium-sized tubular pasta)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and saute until soft, 5 minutes. Add meats and saute until no longer pink, about 10 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with the edge of a spoon. Add wine and cook 2 minutes to boil off some of the alcohol. Add garlic, cinnamon, oregano and thyme; cook 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (with their juices), salt and pepper; bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a medium saucepan, combine milk and cream. Heat to a bare simmer over medium-low heat.
In another saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook until pasty flavor is gone but roux is still pale, 2-3 minutes. Whisking constantly, add hot milk/cream. Cook 5 minutes, still whisking constantly, until thick and smooth. Remove from heat and add nutmeg, salt, white pepper, half the Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of meat sauce. Set aside to cool 10 minutes. Beat eggs lightly, then whisk yogurt into eggs. Whisk this mixture into cooled white sauce.
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
Combine pasta with meat sauce and pour into a large casserole dish. Pour white sauce evenly over the top, then sprinkle evenly with remaining Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before serving. (Tastes even better the second day when the flavors have time to meld; reheat from room temperature in 350F oven for 15-20 minutes.).