Stranger Foods

Spicy pasta bake

Serves 6-7 | Prep 30 mins | Cook 45 mins

Sami, like so many kids – Middle Eastern or otherwise – did a lot of his growing up at home on pasta bakes. There’s quite a kick in our version, but the chilli flakes can be reduced or left out if you prefer. Don’t skimp on the time the bolognese sauce sits on the stove, though. It’s this which gives the dish such depth and makes the house smell like home.

Source: Falastin

Ingredients

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Imperial

x0.5

Bolognese sauce

1 onion, roughly chopped
3 sticks celery, roughly chopped
2 green peppers, stalk core and seeds removed, flesh roughly chopped
25 g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle to serve
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp oregano leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground allspice
1¼ tsp chilli flakes
2 bay leaves
500 g beef mince (15-20% fat)
1x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
5 plum tomatoes, coarsely grated and skins discarded
2 red peppers, stalk core and seeds removed, flesh cut into roughly 3 cm dice
1 tsp caster sugar
20 g parsley, plus extra to serve roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper

Béchamel sauce

45 g unsalted butter
60 g plain flour
500 ml whole milk
pin ground nutmeg, A
130 g Greek-style yoghurt
2 egg yolks

Pasta and toppings

350 g macaroni pasta
180 g feta, roughly crumbled
¼ tsp Aleppo chilli flakes (or ⅓ tsp regular chilli flakes), to serve

Instructions

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First make the bolognese. Put the onion, celery and green peppers into a food processor and pulse a couple of times, until finely chopped. Put the butter and oil into a large cast-iron saucepan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium-high heat. Tip in the onion mixture and cook for about , stirring from time to time, until softened. Add the garlic, tomato purée, oregano, spices and bay leaves and cook for another minute, until fragrant. Add the beef and cook for another or so, using a spoon to break the meat apart into fine crumbles, until no longer pink. Add the tinned and fresh tomatoes, red peppers, sugar, 100 ml of water, 2¼ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and leave to simmer very gently for , stirring every half hour or so, until the sauce is thick and rich. Lift out and discard the bay leaves, stir in the parsley and set aside until needed.
To make the béchamel, put the butter into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute or so, until pale golden and beginning to smell like popcorn. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking continuously as you do so to avoid any lumps. Reduce the heat to medium, add the nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook for , whisking continuously, until the flour has cooked out and the sauce is completely smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside for about , then stir in the yoghurt and egg yolks until fully incorporated.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the macaroni. Cook for about , or according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Reserving 60 ml of the cooking water, drain the macaroni through a sieve and then add it to the bolognese sauce along with the reserved cooking water. Mix well to combine, then transfer to a baking dish, about 30 x 22 cm and 8 cm deep, then pour over the béchamel and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle over the feta and bake for , or until golden and bubbling. Leave to cool for , then serve, with a final sprinkle of parsley and chilli flakes and a drizzle of oil.

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