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Pasticcio

Australian Gourmet Traveller pasta recipe for pasticcio.
Pasticcio

Pasticcio

William Meppem
6
30M
1H 40M
2H 10M

There are many different Italian baked pasta dishes called pasticcio. This one calls for a rich tomato and beef sauce and creamy béchamel topping. Don’t skimp on the parmesan.

Ingredients

Salsa besciamella

Method

Main

1.Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Sauté onion, carrot, celery, pancetta and garlic until tender and starting to caramelise (10-15 minutes), remove from pan and set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan, add half the beef and sauté until browned (3-5 minutes), remove from pan and repeat with remaining oil and beef. Return beef and vegetables to pan, add wine and cook until reduced by one-third (3-5 minutes). Add tomato passata, oregano and sage, and cook over low heat until thickened (20-30 minutes). Set aside.
2.Preheat oven to 190C. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just al dente (5-10 minutes). Drain and refresh under cold running water. Layer in a 2.5-litre-capacity baking dish, buttered and dusted with breadcrumbs, top with beef mixture and refrigerate.
3.For salsa besciamella, heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add flour and stir until sand-coloured (3-5 minutes). Add milk gradually, stirring continuously until incorporated and sauce is smooth (5-10 minutes). Add cheeses, stir until melted, spoon over beef mixture, scatter with extra parmesan and bake until golden and bubbly (30-40 minutes). Serve hot.

Note Zitoni tagliati is a tubular pasta available from select Italian delicatessens. If unavailable, substitute another medium-sized tubular pasta, such as rigatoni.

Notes

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