• Preheat the oven 180˚C fan / 200˚C / 356˚F convection / 392˚F.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the instructions on the packet say to cook it for.

To make the minced beef sauce

• While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until softened.
• Add the minced beef and cook until browned, breaking up with a spoon. This will take about 10 minutes. Drain any fat.
• Add the crushed garlic and tomato puree / paste and cook for 1 minute before adding the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, bay leaf and tomato puree.
• Cook for 1 minute then tip in the chopped tomatoes, stock and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.

To make the bechamel

• While the meat sauce cooks, gently melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat.
• As soon as the butter has melted, sprinkle in the flour. Stir well to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the milk a little at a time, stirring vigorously or whisking with a ballon whisk after each time.
• When you’ve added half the milk, use a balloon whisk to stir in the rest of the milk.
• Turn the heat down, add a pinch of nutmeg, season with black pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every so often.
• Once the sauce is thick and the flour has cooked, take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

To assemble the pastitsio

• When the pasta is cooked, drain and then stir in the egg white.
• Tip the pasta in to a 26 x 20 cm (10 x 8 inch) deep ovenproof dish.
• Spoon the beef sauce over the pasta and spread out in an even layer.
• Add the egg yolk to the cooled bechamel sauce and whisk in quickly to combine.
• Pour the bechamel over the beef mince and spread out with a spoon, making sure the sauce is covering all the meat sauce.
• Sprinkle over the cheeses and place in the preheated oven to bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown and bubbling.
• Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.