Today's meal is from the beautiful country of #Cyprus, and I'm so excited to share it with you, as it was easily our favorite so far across this project: #Makaronia tou Fournou!
A couple of decades ago (there is no way to frame that amount of time without it seeming like a long time - how was I already working professionally more than 20 years ago?! Anyway, I digress...), I worked right nearby Faneuil Hall in Boston, and I would often swing through their massive food hall to grab some lunch from any number of stalls offering cuisines that were local as well as from around the world. One of my favorite dishes was the #pastitsio from one of the Greek stalls. After a year or two, I changed jobs, and got out of the habit of going there for lunch. Every so often, I think about what a yummy meal that was.
Fast forward to this year, when my family and I moved to Berlin, Germany. As we have been exploring all the new-to-us foods they have here in Berlin for takeout, I have found myself thinking back to that dish from years ago, and wondering if any restaurants here sell it. After all, we are geographically much closer to Greece, right? I haven't yet found a good one.
You can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe - Makaronia tou Fournou - in popular Cypriot cuisine. It is a very close cousin to the pastitsio that I remember from my early career in Boston. One major difference from the Greek version is that this dish from Cyprus specifically uses #Halloumi cheese, which is a cultural treasure that can only be sourced from Cyprus.
The best part about this dish is that it was a popular hit with all three of us here in our apartment - adults and kids alike - so much so that we are going to add it into our regular menu rotation beyond this project. That's a high honor at our house!
Yum, yum, yum - Let's dig in!
MAKARONIA TOU FOURNOU
Prep: 15 Minutes
Cook: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes
Cool: 1 Hour
Serve with: Caprese Salad Grilled Pita
Ingredients:
Mince Sauce:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Onions, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 lbs Pork, minced
2.5 tablespoons Dried Mint
1.5 teaspoons Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup White Wine
20 sprigs of Parsley, chopped
Pasta:
1 lb Penne
Boiling Water (following package directions)
Pinch of Salt
1/4 cup Halloumi cheese, grated
Bechamel Sauce:
5 cups of Warm Milk
1 cup Unsalted Butter
1 cup Plain Flour
2/3 cups Halloumi cheese, grated
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
Assembly:
1/8 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg (optional)
1/8 cup Halloumi cheese, grated
[Note: I've tried to indicate how much grated Halloumi cheese you need for each section of the recipe. Halloumi cheese is typically sold in 250 gram blocks. If we purchase one block and fully grate it, there will be enough to separate it across the steps of the recipe.]
Directions:
Mince Sauce:
Heat a large frying pan and add oil to saute the onions. Once softened, add garlic and ground pork. Brown.
Add mint, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and stir for two minutes. Add white wine and water.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, until liquids are reduced. Mix in parsley and set aside.
Pasta:
In a different pot, start cooking the pasta while the sauce is cooking. Reduce the cook time by 2 minutes from the instructions on the package.
If you haven't reached the assembly stage when the pasta finishes cooking, remove from heat, drain, and drizzle olive oil on it to keep it from drying out.
Bechamel Sauce:
While sauce and pasta cook, put butter in a third pot, which should be able to hold more than 2 liters. Let the butter completely melt on medium heat.
Stir in flour using a whisk. When well combined, slowly add a cup of warm milk, stirring well with the whisk.
Repeat this process, one cup at a time, allowing to thicken each time before adding the next cup, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
This step should take approximately 12 monutes to complete.
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (Umluft / Convection) / 392 degrees F [if you don't have access to a convection or umluft oven setting, increase temperature and time a bit, and keep an eye on it].
Aim to have all three components ready for assembly at once.
In a medium sized baking tray, add:
Half the pasta on the bottom;
1/8 cup Halloumi cheese sprinkled in a layer;
Stir a cup of bechamel sauce into the mince sauce; then spread the mince sauce in the next layer;
The other half of the pasta;
Another 1/8 cup Halloumi cheese sprinkled in a layer;
The rest of the bechamel sauce poured as a layer;
Another 1/8 cup Halloumi cheese sprinkled as a layer;
Sprinkle nutmeg on top (if desired).
4. Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes until top is golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the baking tray for about an hour, giving the pasta a chance to hold together (in a rush, use a spoon to scoop it out into bowls instead of slicing like a lasagna.)
Let me know what you think in the comments below once you've had a chance to try it! Did you love it as much as we did?
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