The Australian Women\'s Weekly - June 2018

JUNE 2018 | The Australian Women’s Weekly 177

JULIE’S

TIP

If you don’t need to

serve 6 people, cut the

pie into portions and

freeze individually. Thaw

overnight in the fridge.

Reheat covered loosely

with foil in a 160°C (140°C

fan-forced) oven about

45 minutes or until centre

is piping hot. Lovely as

a hot dinner or at room

temperatue for lunch.

Lebanese lamb pitta
SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 30 MINUTES

4 x 20cm round pitta bread
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium (300g) brown onions,
chopped finely
500g lamb mince
1 tablespoon ground
coriander seed
1 tablespoon ground
cumin seed
2 tablespoons pine nuts
½ cup (140g) plain
Greek-style yoghurt
1 tablespoon extra
virgin olive oil, extra
flat-leaf parsley and
lemon wedges, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to
250°C (230°C fan-
forced). Place pitta on
2 large oven trays.
2 In a small frying pan
over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
Cook the garlic and onion, stirring,
for 5 minutes or until translucent.
Transfer to a large bowl; cool.
3 Add the mince and spices to the
bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Using damp hands, mix thoroughly.
Divide the mixture into four portions in
the bowl. Place a portion of the mince
mixture onto each pitta. With damp
hands, press the mince mixture over
the pitta, spreading it to within 1cm of
the edge. Brush a little oil around the
edge of the pitta; scatter with pine
nuts. Gently press into the mince.
4 Bake pizzas for about 4 minutes,
then swap the trays; bake for a
further 4 minutes.
5 Drizzle pizzas with yoghurt and extra
olive oil; scatter with parsley and serve
with lemon wedges.

Pastitsio
SERVES 4-6 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR
10 MINUTES

375g macaroni pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium (300g) brown onions, chopped
1 large (500g) eggplant, peeled, cut into
2cm cubes

2 cloves garlic, chopped

500g lamb mince

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup (70g) tomato paste

½ cup (125ml) red wine

400g can diced or crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons sugar

60g butter, chopped

¼ cup (35g) plain flour

3 cups (750ml) milk

2 eggs, beaten lightly

½ cup (40g) freshly grated parmesan

1 Cook macaroni in a large pan of boiling

well-salted water until just tender; drain.

2 Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat

oil over medium heat. Cook the onion,

eggplant and garlic for 10 minutes, stirring

occasionally, until soft and fragrant.

3 Increase the temperature to high.

Add the mince; cook, stirring, until

browned, breaking up any lumps with

a wooden spoon. Add the cinnamon

and nutmeg; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in the tomato paste; cook for a

further 1 minute. Add the wine; bring

to the boil. Stir in tomatoes and sugar.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the

liquid has reduced. The mixture should

be quite dry and very rich and fragrant.

Season to taste.

4 To make the béchamel sauce, in a

large saucepan melt the butter over

a medium heat; stir in the flour. Stir

for 1 minute or until frothy. Gradually

stir in the milk; cook, stirring, until

sauce boils and thickens. Season

to taste. Remove from the heat; stir

in the eggs.

5 To assemble, place the macaroni over

the base of a 20cm x 30cm ovenproof

dish. Spread the lamb mixture over the

top, then the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle

the top with parmesan.

6 Bake pastitsio for 30 minutes or

until the top is golden and bubbling.

Serve with salad, if desired.

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to

microwave.

Pastitsio