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Macarona Bechamel, the Cairo Kitchen Way (Macarona bil-Béchamel)

Macarona Bechamel

Egypt's great Sunday casserole: penne bound in a nutmeg-scented bechamel, layered over spiced tomato beef, baked until the top sets into a golden, custardy crust. The beaten egg whisked into the sauce is the trick that lets you cut clean squares instead of scooping. Sharp Rumi cheese cuts the richness. It feeds a crowd and reheats beautifully.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 8 People
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Egyptian
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb penne pasta not elbow macaroni
  • 1 lb ground beef 80/20
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1.5 cups tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil for the meat sauce
  • 1.5 tsp salt divided, plus more for the pasta water
  • 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 0.5 tsp chili powder or to taste
  • 6 tbsp butter for the bechamel
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 5 cups cold milk whole milk, straight from the fridge
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg freshly grated
  • 1 large egg beaten, tempered into the bechamel
  • 1 cup Rumi cheese grated; Pecorino Romano works

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 inch baking dish deep-sided
  • 1 Large pot for boiling pasta
  • 1 Large Skillet
  • 1 heavy saucepan for the bechamel
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Colander

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the penne 2 minutes short of al dente, around 8 minutes. Drain and set aside in the colander. Do not rinse.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
  3. Add the ground beef with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, the black pepper and the chili powder. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon and cook until no pink remains, about 5 minutes.
  4. Pour in the tomato puree, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the oil separates at the edges. Taste and correct the salt. Set aside.
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 F and butter the baking dish.
  6. Make the bechamel. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until it smells nutty but takes on no color.
  7. Pour in the cold milk in a steady stream while whisking hard. Cold milk into hot roux is what prevents lumps. Add the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and the grated nutmeg.
  8. Keep whisking over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and holds a line when you draw a finger through it. Pull the pan off the heat.
  9. Whisk one ladle of the hot bechamel into the beaten egg to temper it, then pour that mixture back into the saucepan off the heat, whisking until smooth and glossy.
  10. Toss the drained penne with about one third of the bechamel until every tube is coated.
  11. Spread half the coated pasta across the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon the meat sauce over it in an even layer and scatter half the Rumi cheese across the meat.
  12. Top with the remaining pasta, level it with the back of a spoon, then pour the rest of the bechamel over the whole surface. Tilt the dish so it settles into the corners.
  13. Scatter the remaining Rumi cheese over the top.
  14. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is set, puffed at the edges and deep golden. If it is pale after 40 minutes, run it under the broiler for 2 minutes, watching closely.
  15. Rest 15 minutes before cutting. Serve hot, cut into squares straight from the dish.

Notes

  • Rumi is a hard, sharp aged Egyptian cheese. Pecorino Romano or a well-aged Parmesan are the closest stand-ins.
  • Temper the egg properly: whisk a ladle of hot bechamel into the beaten egg first, then return it to the pot off the heat. Dumping the egg straight in scrambles it.
  • Let the casserole rest 15 minutes before cutting or the layers will slide.
  • Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes. It keeps cooking in the oven and mushy penne ruins the texture.
  • Ziti, rigatoni or elbow macaroni all work if penne is not on hand.
  • Serve hot from the dish. Egyptians eat it on its own, though a simple green salad alongside is welcome.
  • Keeps 4 days covered in the fridge. Reheat covered at 325 F.