Father and son cook a lasagna-like dish from Cyprus called Makaronia Tour Fournou, which is a simple pasta bake of meat, cheese, tube pasta, and some special Cypriot ingredients. We also do just a little bit of playing with our food.
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In many ways, Cyprus seems like it’s in the middle of the world. The little island is technically part of Western Asia although more closely identifies with southern Europe. It’s in the alcove of the Mediterranean Sea where it just about dead ends into Lebanon and Syria.
The people mostly identify as either Greek Cypriots or Turkish Cypriots, so the country is heavily influenced by its two big neighbors. Although its food on the surface most resembles the food of Greece. Those lucky Cypriots.
It’s been a while since we tackled just one dish, but this was a big one that took quite a bit of effort from everyone involved.
Makaronia Tou Fournou is essentially the Cypriot version of lasagna. It also very much resembles Greek pastitsio, but there are a few difference between the two.
Both are baked pasta dishes with ground meat, but in Greece they use beef or lamb and with the Cypriot version, it’s almost always pork. The cheese for this version is the Cypriot halloumi rather than Greek kefalotiri. There are no fresh tomatoes in Makaronia Tou Fournou and finally a minor but really unique difference is that the Cypriots use dried mint as a seasoning.
RECIPE:
Inspired by:
myfamilysfooddiary.com
tasty.co/recipe/makaronia-tou-fournou-as-made-by-hannah-simone
youtube.com/watch?v=3tjJGrbOiqI&t=750s
INGREDIENTS:
MEAT LAYER
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (sliced)
1 pound ground pork (or beef)
1.5 tablespoon dried mint
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine (or red)
1/2 cup parsley (chopped)
PASTA LAYER
16 ounces bucatini or Greek macaroni (penne or ziti will work too)
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
olive oil
BECHAMEL LAYER
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 cups milk (warm)
3 egg yolks beaten
1/3 cup halloumi (grated)
black pepper (to taste)
GARNISH
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup halloumi (grated)
INSTRUCTIONS:
MEAT LAYER
Heat olive oil in large skillet.
Soften diced onions in pan, then add garlic and ground pork.
Brown the meat well.
Add dried mint, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and tomato paste.
Stir for a few minutes. Then add wine and 1/4 cup of water.
Simmer for about 15 minutes until reduced.
Add chopped parsley and set aside.
PASTA LAYER
Boil a big pot of salted water.
Add bucatini and cook for a little less than the directions say. It will continue to cook in the oven.
Drain pasta and quickly toss with some olive oil and some dried mint,
BECHAMEL LAYER
In a large pot, heat butter over medium low heat.
Once melted, add flour, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk for 2 to 3 minutes until a roux is formed.
Slowly add warm milk (about one cup at a time) and stir. Let thicken before adding another cup.
Keep stirring to prevent lumps from forming.
Once all the milk is incorporated, slowly add the egg yolks and mix well.
Add 1/3 cup halloumi and some black pepper.
BAKE
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Assemble the layers by starting with about half of the long pasta, then add the meat. Top that with remaining pasta and then the béchamel sauce.
Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of halloumi and sprinkle with some cinnamon.
Bake for about 45-60 minutes until golden on top and cooked through.
TIMESTAMPS:
Introduction to Cyprus: 0:00
To jump straight to the cooking: 1:29
Makaronia: 1:29
Playing with Our Food: 2:05
Layer One: Pasta – 2:59
Layer Two: Meat – 3:29
Layer Three: Bechamel Sauce – 4:08
Cheese Tasting – 4:53
Garnish and Bake – 4:38
Sam’s Food Review: 5:13
Bonus Clip: 6:48
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2 Comments
What's your favorite variation of lasagna?
I've had pastitsio, but not Makaronia tou Fournou. Also the pasta looks similar to bucatini, but maybe wider? Looks pretty straight forward to make. I should give this a shot.