Well I am still trying to find the Cook's recipe online so I do not have to type it, but I am actually happy to have a reason to type out the other recipe. My current copy is sloppily scrawled on an crumply sheet of paper, which is probably why it always seems so daunting to make. Some of the spice quantities in the ingredients list seem off as compared to the recipe (ras el hanout, cinnamon and aleppo), not sure if I copied them wrong or what, but I just use my judgement. Here goes: Pastitsio From "New Greek Cuisine" by Jim Botsacos cup dry currants ½ cup olive oil 1 lb 90% lean ground beef 1 lb lean ground lamb 2.5 Tbsp ras el hanout 1 tsp Aleppo pepper 1.5 Tbsp cinnamon Kosher salt Fresh ground pepper 3 cups finely diced onion 6 cloves garlic, sliced 2 cups dry red wine 2 ½ cups crushed tomatoes with juices 1 lb penne Tomato sauce (recipe follows) Yogurt béchamel (recipe follows) ¼ cup grated kefalotyri cheese [I use kasseri because that is what I can find.] 1. Soak currants in hot water for 30 minutes, drain and set aside. 2. In large skillet over medium heat, brown batches of ¼ cup each lamb and beef with 1 Tbsp oil until lightly browned, add ¼ tsp each of ras el hanout and Aleppo, and a pinch of cinnamon, salt and pepper. Drain in a colander and repeat. 3. To a saucepan over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp olive oil, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until the pan is almost dry, about 25 minutes. Add tomatoes, simmer stirring once, 10-12 minutes. Add meat, combine. Season to taste with ras el hanout, cinnamon and Aleppo, making a very aromatic mixture. Add currants and cook 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool. 4. Cook pasta to al dente, drain well and dump into an ice bath, drain well. 5. Put pasta in a large bowl and stir in 2 Tbsp olive oil. 6. Preheat oven to 325. 7. Pour ¼ cup tomato sauce into pasta and turn to coat. 8. Pour ¾ cup tomato sauce into deep 10" round casserole. 9. Pour pasta on top, spread to an even layer. 10. Spoon meat over pasta to an even layer. 11. Spread 3 cups of béchamel over the meat. 12. Sprinkle with cheese. 13. Bake in center of the oven for 25 minutes. 14. Turn oven to broil, and broil about 5 minutes until golden brown. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Tomato Sauce (makes 3 cups) ¼ cup olive oil 4 garlic cloves, sliced 1 tsp Greek oregano Salt and Pepper 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with juice In medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté garlic 2 minutes. Add oregano and a pinch of salt and cook 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer 25 minutes, skimming off foam. Remove from heat until ready to use. Yogurt Béchamel Sauce 1 bay leaf ½ medium onion, peeled 2 whole cloves 1 ½ cups whole milk 1 ½ cups heavy cream 1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter ½ cup AP flour Salt and Pepper Nutmeg ½ cup Greek yogurt 1. Attach bay leaf to onion by piercing with cloves 2. Add milk and cream to a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Cook without stirring until barely simmering, about 5 minutes, and remove from heat. 3. Heat butter in another saucepan over medium heat and add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add milk slowly. 4. When well blended, put back on medium heat. Add onion and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 5. When cool, fold in yogurt and set aside until ready to use.

Here's a great spring "recipe" for cauliflower-- it's too cold for this here right now but it's sure a favorite. A friend and I used to go to the farmer's market each week to purchase this-- until we decided to learn to make it ourselves. Crunchy Pea Salad A head of cauliflower cut into bite size florets 1/2 bag of frozen peas-- partially thawed just to remove any ice crystals. They'll thaw as the salad is assembled (fresh work great too) 2 scallions thinly sliced-- greens and whites mayo milk garlic powder salt and pepper handful of chopped cashews Combine cauliflower, scallions and peas in a ziplock bag. Make a light dressing of milk, mayo garlic and salt, pepper to taste. It should be runny vs thick. We like it very garlicky! Pour dressing in bag and toss to completely coat. Again, this should be a runny dressing-- it's a loose salad vs one that sticks together. Chill to let flavors meld for a few hours. Top with chopped cashews to serve. It's really a bright salad for spring. I like to toss with lemon zest right before serving too.. and I often skip the cashews (even though they are a key element of this "crunchy" pea salad.

Over the years, I've learned to keep large luncheons like this simple. Simple to fix, simple to serve, simple for people to eat with plate on their lap (I'm assuming you are not doing a seated luncheon for 40, but I might be wrong on this point). My go-to for years has been Cheese Strata - yes the kind of recipe found in the old Junior League cookbooks. The beauty of this is that you can make multiple flat pyrex pans of it days ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. The night before, pour the cream/egg mixture over the cheese/bread and re-cover. Bring it out early the morning of the party to come up to room temp and bake. I have silver stands for Pyrex dishes so they always look nice on the buffet table - you only need one - just replace with a full Pyrex pan of the stuff. In the spring, I like to serve fresh asparagus (which can be served hot or cold) and a seasonal fruit salad with poppyseed dressing. I've never served this when there was a single crumb left. People love this!!!! That's why the recipe has been around for decades! Over the years, I've further simplified this recipe. I tear the bread into small pieces, and pour melted butter of it, as opposed to all that cutting/buttering. I don't even remove the crusts - I use GOOD bread. I omit the scallions as some people can't eat even a bit of onion (I'm one!). You cannot go wrong with a recipe like this.

there's a Penzey's STORE not too far from me in Philly area. I'm SCARED TO DEATH to go there. have a feeling it would make Whole Paycheck... i mean Whole Foods look tame by comparison?? a few years back made several herb/spice blends as part of Christmas goodie basket gifts. could cut WAY back on salt in mixes. when you buy something like "lemon pepper" seasoning and first ingredient is SALT... what's with that?