Ever since I saw Laurie’s version of pastitsio with greens I had it bookmarked, waiting for the perfect opportunity to recreate it. Well, the opportunity arose this month with the announcement of Anotnio Tahan’s “A Taste Of The Mediterranean” event. This event which is co-hosted by Peter from Kalofagas encourages bloggers to make a twist on the original pastitsio dish. I have written about pastitsio in the past. And I’ll repeat myself again…it was my favourite dish growing up as a child. I loved watching my father construct it. From making the meat sauce, to boiling the fat tubular pasta and whisking the creamy bechamel, it was a process I remember well. As I got older and made my way into the big wide world, I changed certain elements of the recipe I watched being made for many years. I preferred to use penne pasta in the dish and I always added a touch more spice to my meat sauce. In the end, it was still pastitsio…just with a few adjustments.
So, back to my vegetarian version and this event. I changed Laurie’s recipe (sorry Laurie!) but took the inspiration from it. For the greens I sauteed a bunch of washed and chopped silverbeet (or Swiss chard) with two grated zuchinni in a little olive oil, garlic and sprinkling of crushed chillis. Once this mixture had finished cooking (which didn’t take long…about 15 mins) I added it to some cooked wholewheat penne , along with 2 tablespoons of strained Greek yogurt, one egg, a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg and about a cup of grated Romano cheese. I mixed it thoroughly, combining everything well and layered it on the bottom of a small, pre oiled casserole dish. Don’t let the pictures fool you, the dishes are not that big. The final stage was to make the bechamel sauce and spread it on top. Again, if you want to see how i make my bechamel sauce please see my original post on pastitsio here.
Whilst the weather is still a little warm here, this dish is perfect comfort food during the colder months. I like the “extreme makeover” I gave this pastitsio. The yogurt was a nice touch adding a slight tang to the pasta and greens. The nutmeg kept it aromatic and the bechamel gave it that “mmmm” factor. Pastitsio will never be the same again….
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{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
It looks delicious and the shots are making my mouth water at almost midnight here
gorgeous shots and cute dishes! I would love to make it before end of our winter.
looks spectacular. thanks for introducing me to this dish.
Beautiful Peter!! And changing recipes is what makes cooking interesting and enjoyable, so nothing whatsoever to be sorry about. Your pictures, as always, are awe-inspiring. I wish I had your photographic skills – you deserve much honor for them.
A great interpretation! These pastitsio look mighty good…
Cheers,
Rosa
These looks absolutely delicious Peter. And just in time as I was looking for some inspiration on what to make next week when my brother in law is coming over for dinner. It needed to be simple but delicious and I just happen to love pastitio! And it’s still cold here, although I am right now seeing the first of the spring sunshine…
Great photos too (as usual); the size of the penne kind of gave the size of the dish away!
This dish looks superb!!! MMMM…
I love your vegetarian version Peter. Your pictures look lovely as always and love those small casseroles you have used. They remind me of yiouvetsi terracotta casserole pots, only I can’t distinguish is yours are terracotta.
Those pies look so comforting Peter! I love baked pasta, I don’t why I don’t do it more often. Love the greens and yoghurt in there too. Yum!
oh i am liking this very much. they look comforting. nothing like baked pasta!
this may sound wacky, but i specifically remember having something like this in notting hill, london, in a trendy cafe near the portobello market. the spinach filling and whit sauce blended really well.
to be honest, i prefer a less meaty version of pastitsio, so this one based on laurie’s original recipe fits the bill perfectly. in my house, it wouldn’t have much chance of survival because some people are very much sticklers for tradition, but if i ever get the chance to cook for myself (like back in the old days before i was married), this is the kind of food i would be making
I didn’t know what pastitsio was until a couple of weeks ago and I must say that I really want to try it. The ingredients of your vegetarian version sound really good. I need more Greek – food
– in my life, LOL
Pastisio is wonderful and I love your riff using swiss chard. We will give that a try the next time we make it!
Phoo-D
Love all the photos and this vegetarian version of the classic pastitsio Peter. I am sure if we put all of the great cooks and their recipe together we would have enough to circumnavigate the globe:D
That sounds like a delicious play on pastitsio Peter! I love the individual serving dishes and really need to invest in some myself as this would make serving any type of pastitsio so much simpler rather than waiting for it to cool and then slice so things stay intact. Great post Peter!
Yummy Peter! These look great! I love the individual dishes! What a nice touch!
Oh my, this pastitsio look sooooo good! Love the photo too.
I think I like your vegetarian interpretation better than the traditional pastitsio!
This looks absolutely delicious – I love pastitsio, but I don’t always love the meat – this seems perfect to me.
Your version of this dish looks absolutely delicious. Love the chard and whole wheat penne. I really enjoy your blog and all your gorgeous enticing photos!
Thanks for the background on your personal experiences with Pastitsio. Your vessels are awesome (I want them) and the SFTS take on pastitsio is also wonderful and creative…yam-yam as they say in Greece!
I’m so glad you were able to join
I fell in love with swiss chard last winter and haven’t had enough of it since! In the Middle East they have these “dolmas” called “yalangee” that they wrap with swiss chard instead of the usual grape leaves. Do you guys have that in Greece as well?
Great variation of Pastitsio my friend! And I also love your individual vessels
Yum, this looks really tasty!
Mmm this looks so good. What a great variation. I remember drooling over Laurie’s version, too! All this pastitsio…I may have to take out the few pieces I froze and eat them this week. lol.
These pictures are gorgeous!!! That food looks really really good.
Looks delicious Peter, that crusty bechamel on top is making my stomach grumble.
I used to make a vegetarian lasagna with similar elements, but it never even came close to this beautiful pastitsio.
Stunning photos, of course… I just wish computers could send/get the smell of the dishes… my imagination is powerful but not so much and your pictures are making me drool… que bueno tiene que estar el Pastitsio!!!!!!
Beautiful pictures, how can someone resist this meal.
just stumbled upon your site! Great stuff! Great photo’s!
Gotta love a good pastitsio. And a veg version will always turn my head (although fine photos also serve a similar purpose). Nice work, Peter.
there is something for you to pick up at our site. congrats. jai
That looks great. I like the addition of yoghurt and egg. It sounds yummy and it adds some protein to a vegetarian dish.
Mmm this looks delicious! I love the cheesy, crusty topping.
yes, pity we can only have a ‘little’ summer in a year, ay brother? soon our plates will be warmed and bowls will be full with soup and hearty meals to help us through Winter. plenty of rain we’ve been receiving lately, making it quite mellow at one part. we had storm last night and now it is misty rain outside. a bit chilly. perfect for your dish here, P.
Peter, I’m back — commented on this dish a few days ago but just read the Greek article on Kathimerini.gr and I was so psyched cause you definitely deserve the recognition! That’s so great and I am extremely happy for you … and, ehem, a little jealous
I love your interpretation, Peter. And I’m especially drawn to that crusty, bubbled up cheese topping that’s calling out to me.
ps–I just saw that you won 1st place on Click! Congratulations, my friend! Your photography is endlessly inspiring.
Peter, this dish looks amazing. The photos are stunning once again. Another dish for me to try.
That looks like the ultimate comfort food. Of course, anything drenched in bechamel is comfort food for me!
Cheers.
LOVE IT. Fabulous pie, and amazing photos (as usual) – love the light, the silverware looks amazing, and not blown out. great stuff.
This is such a great idea! I loved pastitsio so much when I was a kid that I’d never thought of making it a different way. It looks so perfect in those miniature cassaroles!