Domatesli Kıymalı Fırın Makarnası (Tomatoey Beef Mince Cypriot Pasta Bake)

This has to be one of my most popular recipes . It's based on my (mum's) recipe for Firin Makarnasi / Magarina Firinda (a Cypriot Pasta Bake, which everyone makes a little differently, but my mum's is personified by a crazy delcious hellim and mint bechamel), but it's actually like my Firin Makarna, Musakka and Bolognese Sauce / Beef Ragu recipes all in one. 

The spicing, the herbs, the sauciness, the texture, everything just screams EAT ME NOW AND DON'T STOP. 

I serve it with a finely chopped salad full of red cabbage, red pepper, cucumber, tomato, spring onion, coriander, dried mint, olive oil, lemon (and lime) juice and a good sprinkling of sea salt. Magarina Firinda was my favourite dish of my mum's when I was a kid (which then became Patates Koftesi, them Etli (Enginar and Yaprak) Dolmasi, and now Molohiya), and tonight at dinner, my kids said this was now their most favourite meal ever. 

The sesame seeds are a little touch I picked up from my favourite restaurant in Magusa (Famaguste) called The Palm House. Such a gem of a place. Looking forward to eating there again soon when things settle down (and we are all ready and safe to travel again). And I'm very much looking forward to seeing your remakes of my beautiful Domatesli Firin Makarnasi.  

RECIPE

For the Hellim Bechamel Sauce

60g Butter
60g Flour
800ml Milk (I use semi-skimmed, you can use whole)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
175g finely grated hellim / halloumi cheese
2 level tbsp dried mint
2 eggs, beaten well
1 tsp sesame seeds

For the Pasta

300g long tubular pasta - I use Zite but maccheroncelli / Mezzani A / perciatelli / Bucatini also ok 
50g finely grated hellim
1 tsp dried mint

For the Meat Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large carrot finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
500g beef mince
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp sweet red pepper paste (tatlı biber salçası)
1 can chopped tomatoes / 400g fresh tomatoes peeled and finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped / grated
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp pul biber
1 tsp sea salt flakes
3/4 coarse black pepper
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

METHOD

Fill a large soup pan with cold water and put on a medium to high heat. 

While the water in the soup pan is heating up, prepare your bechamel. You need to make the bechamel now so that it has time to cool down (to whisk in the eggs later on). Melt the butter in a stainless steel pan on a medium heat, then whisk in the flour to form a roux (thick paste). Once the roux starts to bubble, add the milk at around 2ooml at a time (throw in the bay leaf and a pinch of nutmeg in now too), whisking consistently, adding more as and when the sauce thickens and bubbles. Once all the milk has been poured in and the sauce just starts to come up to a simmer, take off the heat, stir in the hellim and mint and leave to one side for a few mins while you prep the ragù, but do not allow the bechamel to cool fully.

Heat up the sunflower oil in another large pan on a low-medium heat, and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 10-12 mins until fullly softened and translucent. 

Whilst the vegetables are softening, ensure that the bechamel is still warm, but not hot at all, then very quickly whisk in the eggs, whisking consistently for a couple of minutes so that the sauce remains entirely smooth (and the eggs don’t scramble).

The water in the large pan should now be boiling, so add 2 tsp sea salt flakes to the boiling water, then add the pasta to the pan, gently push the pasta down as it starts to soften so that it's fully immersed in the boiling water. Because the tubes are long and thick, they'll probably need cooking for 12 minutes, but just check as they should still be a little al dente when ready. While the pasta is cooking, return to the meat sauce. 

Once the onion, carrot and garlic has softened, add the beef mince. Cook the minuce until the meat has browned all over (5-10 minutes). Add the garlic and all the spices and seasoning, cook for a further 2-3 minutes before adding the tomato and red pepper pastes, molasses and balsamic vinegar then the chopped tomatoes (add a tiny bit of cold water to the can if using tinned tomatoes and add it to the pan or just add a bit of water to the pan if using fresh tomatoes, 50ml or so), the bay leaf, then turn down the heat and simmer on a low-medium heat for around 10-15 minutes more. 

Preheat the oven to 180c fan / 200c conventional. 

While the meat is simmering, check that the pasta is cooked, and once it is, remove 2/3 of it with a slotted pasta spork to a deep baking dish (I prefer to use a ceramic one but metal is fine, just make sure it's deep enough to take all of the components without overspilling). Place the remaining 1/3 of the pasta to another plate. Add the 50g finely grated hellim and dried mint to the pasta in the baking dish and gently stir it in so it mixes up a little. Once the meat sauce is cooked, layer it on top of the pasta. And 

Now back to the bechamel. It should now be warm, but not cold, so remove the bay leaf and whisk / stir in the beaten eggs until they're fully amalgamated in the bechamel. Pour the bechamel over the meat sauce in one even layer, sprinkle over the sesame seeds, and cook in the oven for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and and a little darker in places, like the photo (I take my tray out halfway through and flip the dish round for a more even bake because my oven is a little quirky like that). 

Wait at least 20-30 minutes before serving, if not a little longer. Absolute heaven. 

N.B. You can use 600g very finely chopped mushrooms and 250g pack of precooked puy lentils in place of the mince to make this a veggie version.