Aegean Casserole

Categories: Beef | Lhj | Casseroles

Serves: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

**White Sauce**
4 c Milk
1/4 c Butter or margarine
2/3 c All-purpose flour
1/2 Bay leaf
1 ts Salt
1/3 c Freshly grated Parmesan
-cheese
REST: :
6 c Eggplant; finely diced
2 ts Salt; divided
1 tb Olive oil; (plus one 1 tsp
-more)
1 c Onions; finely chopped
2 ts Minced garlic
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1 pn Ground red pepper
1 lb Lean ground beef
1/2 ts Dried mint flakes
1/2 ts Freshly ground pepper
1/4 c Tomato paste
1 cn (28-oz) tomatoes
1/3 c Fresh flat-leaf parsley;
-chopped
1 pk (16-oz) ziti pasta; cook
-according to pk

Instructions:
1. Make White Sauce: Bring milk to boil in medium saucepan over high heat.
Melt butter in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat Add flour and cook,
whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, bay leaf and salt; bring to
boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, 10 minutes. Remove from
heat. Discard bay leaf and stir in Parmesan.

2. Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt; drain in colander 30 minutes. Pat
dry. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add
eggplant and cook, stirring, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add
onions and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cinnamon and red
pepper; cook 15 seconds. Add meat, mint, remaining 1 teaspoon and teaspoon
salt and the pepper; cook, stirring, until meat is no longer pink. Add
tomato paste and tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with spoon. Add eggplant
and bring to simmer; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in
parsley.

4. Transfer cooked ziti to large bowl and stir in 1 cup White Sauce. Spread
half the ziti in bottom of deep 5-quart casserole. Spoon on filling, then
remaining ziti and White Sauce. Bake uncovered 25 to 35 minutes, until
bubbly and browned.

Per serving: 339 Calories; 22g Fat (58% calories from fat); 16g Protein;
20g Carbohydrate; 74mg Cholesterol; 1039mg Sodium

NOTES : We combined the flavors of our favorite Greek specialties-moussaka
and pastitsio--to create a new classic.

Recipe by: LHJ

Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by Lisa Minor on Feb 4,
1998

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