Pastitsio and Greek Yogurt

I recently made a pastitsio recipe that called for Greek yogurt as part of the custard. Greek yogurt is not always the easiest thing to find around here (though it is available) so I substituted Danon whole milk yogurt, and things turned out just fine, quite tasty, in fact.

Of course, I got to thinking whether it would have been even better if I had used the genuine article and, whilst I was giving it thought, what are the differences between Mr. Danon's product and the Greek variety?

Pastitsio Recipe

Glad to share the recipe.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean ground lamb
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups lamb stock (or substitute chicken stock)
2 large tomatoes, sliced
4 oz shaped pasta, such as elbows or fusilli, cooked al dente and drained
1 lb Greek yogurt
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Heat oil in large frypan over medium high heat; add lamb and saute until the color is lost, breaking up the lamb with a spoon. Add the onion and garlic and saute until onion is tender, but not browned. Stir in tomato paste and flour, and cook for one minute, stirring. Stir in the stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring ocassionally. Place the meat mixture in an oven proof dish, spreading evenly. Layer the sliced tomatoes over the lamb. Mix together yogurt and eggs; fold in pasta. Spread mixture over tomatoes. Bake for one hour or until top is nicely browned. Let cool slightly before serving.

After "The Pasta Cookbook", Jeni Wright, Hermes House