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Bohemian Pastitsio!
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Mar 24, 2025
When a home cook like me works side by side with the chefs de cuisine at various Greek restaurants, all sorts of ideas germinate. Pastitsio, the classic baked pasta and meat dish, gets a breath of fresh air in this fun and easy recipe. I took the basic components of a classic pastitsio and turned them into these elegant ravioli. They’re perfect for a dinner party entrée.
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0:00
Modern Athens is a really happening city
0:06
There's a lot going on here. The art scene, the restaurant scene is amazing
0:11
For me as a cook in modern Athens, sometimes it's just about pushing those limits
0:17
taking tradition and flipping it on its side. I'm making my rendition of Bohemian pastitio
0:26
In my bohemian pastizio, I am using the classic ground meat sauce
0:33
Today, though, let's just say I'm kind of turning it all inside out
0:40
My onions are going. I just got my garlic in there. I want to get my meat into the pan
0:47
I'm not cooking it thoroughly right now. I just want to get it lightly browned
0:54
I'm a New Yorker. I've lived in Athens since October 1992, and I lived through this incredible revolution
1:02
in the food scene here. Now what you see in Athens is a really nice combination
1:09
a really nice blending of tradition and contemporary aesthetics. And even in the home, you see that
1:15
and this is really what this dish is about today. It's about taking that classic pastizio
1:20
the ultimate Greek comfort food, and making something elegant and a little bit lighter
1:25
This has exactly that light brown color that I want It still nice and juicy And I ready to add my tomato paste I just want to stir that in for a minute
1:41
I'm ready to add my spices. Nutmeg. Smells so nice. A little bit of ground clove
1:54
Cinnamon stick. a few allspice berries, and a bay leaf. Get a little bit of salt and pepper in here
2:10
I like to add white wine to my meat sauces because I like to keep the color light
2:15
You can use red wine, but you will get a darker sauce if you do. As soon as this cooks down, I'm gonna let it cool
2:22
and get started on my yogurt topping and my wonton wrappers. My meat filling is nice and cool
2:35
And now I'm going to start forming my pastizio ravioli. And I have these wonton wrappers
2:41
These are wheat wrappers. You want to start by just dampening the edges
2:46
When I fold these over, that's what will make the triangle adhere one side to the other
2:51
Fold that over. Press it down a little Press the edges together with your fingers And if you want to make a decorative edge use the tines of a small fork and just go around the ravioli
3:16
Super easy. The beautiful thing about this recipe is how quickly it all comes together
3:29
I'm ready to cook my pastizio ravioli
3:38
My water's boiling. And I'm just going to get these in here a few at a time
3:44
You don't want to crowd the pot. Let's just take a couple of minutes to cook up
3:52
I'm going to make my yogurt sauce next in place of that bechamel
3:59
I just want to get my yogurt in the mixing bowl. And this is Greek yogurt
4:04
A little bit of the pasta cooking liquid, just to thin it out
4:10
and warm up the yogurt. You want to whisk while that happens. Carefully
4:16
You don't want the yogurt to break apart. Yes, that is lovely
4:23
A little bit of salt. salt some extra virgin Greek olive oil and a tiny bit more pasta water And that is beautiful It still thick but it pourable
4:43
And that's exactly what we want. I need to get the ravioli out of the pot
4:52
Just going to top this with my yogurt sauce and a little bit of extra virgin Greek olive oil
5:01
I like to add a hard Greek grating cheese. One of my favorites is the anthotiro from Naxos
5:14
but you can use any good grating cheese. And then just for a little bit of color
5:23
some paprika or paprika. My bohemian pastizio. It looks great. Mmm
5:38
It's so comforting because it's familiar. All those beautiful, exotic flavors in the meat sauce
5:45
the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the cloves come shining through. The pasta is nice and light
5:51
and the yogurt adds this beautiful, tart balance to the richness of the sauce
5:59
This is a modern comfort. It's the Athens vibe on a plate
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