Cypriot Makaronia tou Fournou (Μακαρόνια του Φούρνου)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •deep 33 x 23cm ceramic or metal baking dish
• •wide 28cm saute pan
• •large heavy saucepan for bechamel
• •box grater with fine holes

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the mince

   Warm 30ml of the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the pork mince and 7g salt. Break it up well and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the meat loses its raw pink and begins to brown. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, pour in the wine, and scrape the base of the pan. Add the grated tomato, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 18 to 22 minutes, stirring often, until thick enough that a spoon leaves a path. Pull out the cinnamon and bay, then stir in the parsley.

   The meat filling should be moist, not loose. If it runs across the pan, give it a few more minutes, or it will bleed into the pasta layer.
2. 2

   Season the macaroni

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the 18g salt. Cook the macaroni 2 minutes less than the packet says, so the tubes are pliant but still firm. Drain well, return to the warm pot, and toss with the remaining 15ml olive oil. Let it stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the 2 beaten eggs, 120g halloumi, 60g dried anari, and the dried mint. Grate the halloumi into the pasta, not just over the top. This is the step that makes a Cypriot slice taste of Cyprus all the way through.

   No. 2 macaroni is best because the long tubes line up and slice clean. If you can't find it, use bucatini or long ziti and don't overcook it.
3. 3

   Make the bechamel

   Heat the oven to 180°C. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, until it smells warm and nutty but stays pale. Add the warmed milk a ladle at a time at first, whisking smooth before adding more, then pour in the rest. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, whisking, until the sauce is thick and falls from the whisk in a ribbon. Take it off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in the 2 beaten eggs, 5g salt, white pepper, nutmeg, 80g halloumi, and 40g dried anari.

   Eggs go into bechamel off the heat. Give the sauce those 5 minutes, and they set the topping smooth instead of catching in threads.
4. 4

   Layer the dish

   Oil a deep 33 x 23cm baking dish. Spread half the macaroni in the dish, laying the tubes mostly in one direction if you have patience for it. Spoon the pork filling evenly over the pasta and press it gently into a level layer. Add the remaining macaroni on top. Pour over the bechamel and smooth it to the corners, then scatter the final 30g grated halloumi over the surface.

5. 5

   Bake and rest

   Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is deep gold in patches and the edges look set and glossy. Let the dish stand for 30 minutes before cutting. This isn't delay. The pasta, meat, and bechamel settle into one clean slice, the way makaronia tou fournou should. Serve warm, with a sharp salad and olives.

Chef Tips

• •Use dried anari if you can find it. Fresh anari is too wet for this job. No dried anari? Use more halloumi, or a little kefalotyri with halloumi, but don't remove halloumi from the pasta layer.
• •Pork is the old Cypriot choice for many homes because it takes cinnamon well and stays sweet in the bake. Beef appears too, especially in mixed households and later versions, but very lean mince makes a dry slice.
• •The dish must rest. Cut it straight from the oven and you'll think you failed, when really you were impatient. Thirty minutes gives you the square you wanted.
• •This is not nistisimo, not a fasting dish. During Lent, a Greek kitchen reaches for pulses, greens, and oil-based vegetable dishes rather than pretending this meat-and-milk bake is the same thing.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the pork filling up to 2 days ahead, cool it, and refrigerate it covered. Bring it back toward room temperature before layering.
• •Assemble the whole dish up to 24 hours ahead. Cover and chill, then bake from cold at 180°C, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time.
• •Baked leftovers keep 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat covered at 160°C until hot through, then uncover briefly so the top firms again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 440g)