St. Titus Pastitsio

History

            Although historic Lutheran customs for St. Titus’ day are hard to come by, we have two traditions for you that relate to the life and work of this saint and example in faith and steadfastness.

Potato Letter Stamp

Just like St. Timothy, the activity of carving out a seal/stamp is also wonderful activity for the commemoration of St. Titus whose letter from St. Paul is an edifying part of our scriptural cannon. In it, St. Paul encourages St. Timothy to exercise his authority and bring order to the church in Crete, shedding light on several aspects of the pastoral task not only for Titus but for pastors throughout history. After reading the epistle, you might consider trying your hand at forming your own monogram stamp in the – yes, art – of carving a potato.

Greek Cuisine

Despite what little that scripture tells us of St. Titus, one thing that is established is his missionary journey to Crete, a large Greek island situated nearly in the middle of the Mediterranean. If tradition holds true, Titus lived out the rest of his days there until he died at the old age of 93. Given that Titus would have likely enjoyed an array of Greek cuisine, today is as appropriate day to give thanks to God for Titus’ mission and obedience to his Lord’s command to “teach and baptize all nations,” not just the jews but also the gentiles, and indulge in one famous Greek comfort food: Pastitsio.

St. Titus Pastitsio

Pastitsio is a hearty and comforting traditional Greek lasagna with hits of cinnamon and nutmeg. Like modern American lasagna, it is constructed of three basic layers: pasta, meat sauce, but instead of a cheese, the pastitsio is topped off with a rich and creamy béchamel sauce. The sauce, a white sauce, is a cousin to alfredo made simply out of butter, flour, and milk with added salt and pepper to taste.  

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions

2 pounds ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

3 tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup red wine (water will also do)

1 pound box of pasta such as bucatini, penne or tortiglioni

2 eggs, beaten

Béchamel Sauce

1 stick butter

¾ cup flour

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. To begin, grease a 9×11 casserole dish.
2. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet and add the diced onion. Cook until translucent then add the beef and cook until browned. Next add the salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stir, and cook until fragrant. Add the 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, stir, then pour in the red wine, stir to deglaze the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes to evaporate most of the wine.
3. While the sauce in simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions, except remove the pasta and drain 2 minutes under instructions. Set aside to cool.
4. Once cooled, combine the pasta with the two eggs beaten together and divide the pasta into two equal portions. Spread the first half evenly into the greased casserole dish. Spread the meat sauce overtop and then top with the remaining pasta.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Prepare the béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. While melting, heat the milk in a pot until steaming. Slowly add the flour to the melted butter, whisking constantly until incorporated. Then, take the hot milk and slowly pour one tablespoon in, whisk, and continue whisking and slowly adding the milk to avoid clumping until a smooth creamy sauce forms. Still slowly stirring, bring to a boil at which point the sauce will thicken, then reduce the heat again to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Whisk in the salt and pepper to taste.
7. Pour the sauce over the top layer of pasta and place the whole dish in the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Remove and enjoy!