Wilmington's Greek Festival '14

We were in Wilmington, North Carolina last week getting our beach house ready for summer rental. I always dread the week, since it is not really a week at the beach but lots of work! After 6 straight days of  cleaning, painting, and buying new things we had it organized again for another year.

The one nice thing about this week was the Greek Festival which went on for 3 days while we were there. I really like Greek food but do not cook it as often as I should. We ate there two days in a row and it was convenient since they now have a drive-through area by the church so you do not have to get out and park and fight the crowds.  We had a gyro sandwich for both days and then bought a dinner plate which included moussaka, green beans with a tomato sauce and rice. As we were driving through, one of the ladies helping to serve asked, “How do you say moussaka?” She must not be Greek we thought. I have given a recipe for moussaka in the past and most of us know it is a dish consisting of layers of ground lamb or beef and sliced eggplant topped with a cheese sauce. The gyro sandwich is lamb, beef, or chicken stuffed in a fat pita bread with tomatoes, onions and a cucumber-yogurt tzatziki sauce. The Greeks in Wilmington know how to do this well. I will say eating my gyro and watching the waves come in was a small pleasure for being at the beach!

On returning home I got out my trusty old Greek cookbook (bought in Charleston probably 30 years ago) and found a recipe which I have never done called pastichio with spinach. Pastichio is a macaroni pie baked with a center of ground beef. Well, I had some grass-fed ground beef and some macaroni so I was good to go. This is a good recipe and would be good for a crowd. Just add some good garlic bread and a Greek salad and you can have your own Greek festival at home.

Pastichio with Spinach

Makes 6 servings.

Meat layer:

1lb. grass-fed ground beef

½ cup chopped onions

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

Dash of allspice

 1 small can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup water

Brown ground beef, onion, garlic, and seasonings in butter. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water, and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Macaroni Layer:

8 oz. macaroni, cooked and drained (I used penne but any small pasta would do)

4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 cup grated Romano cheese plus ¼ cup grated for topping the casserole

Toss cooked macaroni with melted butter and grated cheese until thoroughly blended.

Spinach Layer:

2 10oz. packages frozen chopped spinach

½  cup bread crumbs or 1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 tablespoon grated onion

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

¾ cup mashed Feta cheese

Defrost frozen spinach by allowing to stand at room temperature. Squeeze excess moisture from spinach, and combine with remaining ingredients. Correct seasoning, if necessary.

To Bake: In an 8”x12” greased casserole dish, arrange half of macaroni. Spread with spinach mixture, then remaining macaroni. Spread meat sauce evenly over all. Sprinkle with the ¼ cup grated cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting in squares.

Kali orexi!