Fırında Yalancı Mantı” - Stuffed Oven Baked Pasta Shells
My showstopping, crowdpleasing Fırında Yalancı Mantı” - Stuffed Oven Baked Pasta Shells with Garlic Yoghurt and Pul Biber Butter 🍝🌶️🌿 a feast for the eyes, perfect for feeding a crowd, and one to definitely impress your guests with. You need a nice big, deep baking tray for this, mine is 40cm in diameter - alternatively, bake in two smaller dishes (shallow cast iron casserole dishes work well).
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6-8
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp finely grated garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pul biber
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp Double Concentrate tomato purée
500 g minced lamb / beef / meat-free mince
1 x 400g can finely chopped tomatoes
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
100ml milk
500g Conchiglioni (extra large pasta shells)* cooked al dente + 2 tsp salt for the water
25g fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 x 400g jar Passata
500ml chicken / vegetable stock
For the garlic yoghurt
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
150 g (5½ oz) natural yoghurt
½ tsp sea salt flakes
For the chilli butter
50g unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Mutti Double Concentrate tomato purée
1 tsp pul biber
1 tsp dried mint
METHOD
Mix together the garlic yoghurt ingredients in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until later.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the onions. Sprinkle in half of the salt, stir, and soften the onions for 10–12 minutes until they turn a lovely light golden-brown colour. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, ground cinnamon, pul biber and dried mint to the softened onions, stir well so that the spices release their aromatics, then stir through the tomato purée, ensuring the onions are fully coated.
Add the mince to the pan, and stir so all the flavours and ingredients in the pan integrate with the mince. Increase the heat a little, season with remaining salt and keep browning the mince for 4-5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes + half a canful of cold water, the milk, remaining salt, black pepper and bay leaves to the pan, stir well, pop the lid on and simmer on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens and has mostly reduced. Take off the heat and stir through finely chopped fresh parsley leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Preheat oven to 180c fan / 200c.
While the sauce cools a little, boil your pasta as per packet instructions (with 2 tsp salt) less 2 minutes so they still are a little al dente. Drain the pasta, rinse under cold water and leave to one side.
Add the Passata to a small saucepan. Dissolve the stock cube in 500ml boiling water in a heatproof jug and pour into the Passata pan. Heat on the hob until bubbling then take off the heat. Pour a couple of ladlefuls of the Passata sauce into the bottom of your chosen deep baking tray / dish.
Now it’s time to prepare the stuffed pasta shells. Stuff each of the pasta shells with a generous amount of the mince filling and line them up in your baking tray. One the stuffed pasta shells are all lined up, pour over the rest of the Passata sauce and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in the oven, on the middle shelf, for 15-20 minutes.
5 minutes before the Yalancı Mantı / baked pasta shells are ready, prepare the chilli butter. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the olive oil. When it starts to sizzle, stir through the tomato purée, pul biber and dried mint. Let it just start to bubble, then remove from the heat.
Once the pasta is cooked, spoon the Garlic Yoghurt over the top and generously drizzle over the chilli butter and finish with a sprinkling of finely chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
