A comforting, Cypriot-inspired baked pasta dish with a rich, spiced tomato and red pepper sauce, layered with creamy halloumi béchamel and finished with a golden, cheesy crust.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce:
Olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
1 leek, finely sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
100g sundried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
2 red peppers, diced
500g mix mushrooms (I used chestnut and oyster), sliced
500g cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp pul biber or aleppo pepper (Turkish red pepper flakes)
2 tbsp tomato paste (or sweet Turkish red pepper paste)
1 tbsp pomegranate mollases
150ml water
50g parsley, roughly chopped
500g long macaroni
For the béchamel sauce:
100g butter
100g plain flour
1litre whole milk
150g halloumi cheese, grated
100g cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp dried mint
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 eggs
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan).
Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil and the butter. Sauté the onion, leek until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic, red chilli and sundried tomatoes, for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the red peppers and mushrooms, cooking for 10 minutes until softened and any liquid has evaporated. The mushrooms should be starting to caramelise. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, water, tomato paste, and pomegranate molasses. Cover and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and have released their juices. Taste to season with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley.
Meanwhile prepare the bechamel. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a roux. Gradually whisk in the milk, ensuring there are no lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens. Stir in the dried mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before whisking in half the grated cheese and beaten eggs.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until just al dente. Drain and toss with a ladleful of béchamel sauce to coat.
In a lightly buttered baking dish, layer half of the pasta, followed by all of the sauce, then the remaining pasta. Pour over the béchamel sauce, ensuring it covers the top evenly. Sprinkle with the rest of the grated cheese and sesame seeds.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Let rest before slicing and serving.
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