Monday 27 June 2016

No Cookies No Cakes, Let's Bake Pasta Instead


Apologies for the lack of baking posts lately. I have been putting in extra hours on Saturdays at the office. By the time I come home, I'm brain dead and the only thing I can process is my favorite TV show.

Sundays are loaded with laundry, ironing, cooking, gardening and whatnots. I suppose I could have sneaked in some time for baking but no, I was not in the mood. Imagine that. No mood for baking >.<


Just the other day, I was rummaging through my drawer and I found a cookbook by Chef Hanieliza (fondly known as Kak Liza). The cookbook title is "Senangnya Memasak Makanan Barat" (It's Easy to Cook Western).

It's quite common to find Western chefs featuring (adapted) Asian recipes in their cookbooks. For instance my dreamboat Gordon Ramsay has a Tangy Fruit Salad in his cookbook which I believe is adapted from rojak buah

Many a times, we Asians would gladly try those recipes even though they are Western adaptations or interpretations of our local cuisine.

So why not for a change, I follow the guidance of our local makcik to make a Makaroni Bakar (Baked Macaroni), eh?

I found a packet of macaroni in the pantry and it has been sitting there for ages. Taking up space and being tossed around every time I need to make way for other stuff. So. I embarked on my maiden baked pasta.


I did not follow Kak Liza's recipe to a tee because ingredient wise, I had a bit of this and a bit of that, here, there and everywhere. Besides, Kak Liza's method involved quite a few steps.

I defrosted a packet of minced beef and diced some peppers, a big onion, a few cloves of garlic and a sprig  of rosemary. Then I sauteed the onions, garlic, rosemary and beef. Once these were done, they were set aside while I boiled the macaroni.


Then it was time to assemble. Pasta at the bottom, followed by the beef and then topped with cheese.


I used the ready grated cheddar cheese (the only cheese I like) and then it was off to the oven to bake until the cheese melted.


I have never eaten a baked pasta before, so this is a first for me in terms of cooking and eating. I dug in while it was still hot.


Oh that was good! No wonder kids love this sort of thing. I always see kids/young people ordering baked pasta or rice in restaurants and I used to think that these were yucky because of the cheese topping. As long as it's cheddar, I'm good.


Well, I was happy, my tummy was happy and best of all, there's some leftovers for me to enjoy for dinner. After making this baked pasta, my conclusion is that this is a versatile dish and there is no hard and fast rules. 

Just go with the flow and your imagination for this one.  But here is my agak-agak recipe which I adapted from Kak Liza, in case you need some pointers.








Baked Macaroni
Recipe source : Senangnya Memasak Makanan Barat (page 23)

Ingredients :
- 270g minced beef
- 1 big onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small sprig of rosemary, finely minced
- 1/4 small red, green and yellow peppers, diced
- 2 tbsp crushed tomatoes or 1 tbsp tomato puree
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp tapioca flour mixed with 1 tbsp water to make a slurry

- 150g macaroni, cooked according to packet instructions
-  1 egg, beaten
- Grated cheedar cheese for topping

Method :
1. Heat olive oil in pan and sautee minced onion until translucent.
2. Add garlic and rosemary, sautee until fragrant and onions and garlic are slightly browned.
3. Add minced beef and fry until beef changes color (at this stage the beef may release moisture and fats, drain the excess fats. I simply tilted the pan and poured the fats into a bowl)
4. Add crushed tomatoes and peppers and continue to cook until peppers are tender crisp (or softer if you prefer)
5. Add the slurry and let simmer until mixture thickens. Take off the heat and set aside.
6. In a heatproof casserole dish, line the bottom with the cooked macaroni.
7. Pour beef mixture on top of the macaroni.
8. Pour beaten egg over the beef and top with grated cheese.
9. Bake in oven at 180C for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
10. Serve hot.


34 comments:

  1. Some day, pasta could be so comfy. I guess that is why they are called comfort food.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are right, this is a versatile dish. In fact, if you replace the pasta with mashed potato and place the potato on top, then it becomes shepherd's pie. Then if you replace the beef with fish, it becomes classic English fish pie.

    I never get baked macaroni like yours, because I'm stingy on the cheese. Cheese is expensive! So I always just lightly sprinkle. Not as good. >.<

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was thinking of making shepherd's pie too, one of these days :)

      Delete
  3. I still have a bit of marcaroni at home, maybe can try it out one of the day...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Before I scroll your pictures, I'm imagining baked macaroni+cheese topped with mash kinda thing, like shephard's pie+macaroni (carbohydrate loaded to the maxxxx).. And I'm right half, got macaroni, haha.. I baked like this before, but I put cheddar on top, cheaper, hehe..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, I'm thinking of doing with mash too. Maybe this weekend hee..hee..

      Delete
  5. Haven't done anything like this for a while now, maybe can do it during the week long Raya holidays when my girl is home next week. See! See! Your minced beef red colour, mine was white...the more I simmered, the more oily it got, all fat! Post on that in my blog coming soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, so much fats came oozed out and I had to drain it. That in spite of it being labelled as lean beef.

      Delete
  6. This dish will be so so good for my kids!! Each time they go for western food, they will order baked cheesy rice, spaghetti, carbonara pasta.. and something very familiar to yours.. oh yeah, lagsana? OK, I admit I am not a fan but you certainly make me want to dig my spoon in your pasta too! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hah..hah..you prefer Chinese food lah :)

      Delete
  7. I love this. Used to enjoyed baked macaroni with lots of cheese, baked by my ex-colleague. Long time haven't eaten this because hubby doesn't like cheese.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My partner also does not like cheese, so I ate this all by myself hee..hee..

      Delete
  8. Like Nancy, I would love to eat this dish since it is beef with cheese and not pork. Now I know the only cheese you eat is cheddar cheese. Good, at least you enjoy eating one type of cheese. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another type of cheese that I eat is mozzarella on pizza :)

      Delete
  9. Hi Phong Hong, various pastas on offer at very cheap prices these days. I bought some and has been eating pastas quite often now. Not bad idea to enjoy baked pastas. I tried pasta salad, didn't post recipe....too lazy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kimmy! I made a pasta salad too from some of the macaroni. Will post later.

      Delete
  10. Since I don't like cheese, I'd probably do what RG said...top it with mashed potatoes like what I did the last time :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, I'm thinking of that for this weekend hee..hee..

      Delete
  11. I love following Kak Liza's recipes!

    Been following her blog (or was it one of her accounts, can't remember) for many of my dishes. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oooo... I'm drooling. Time to bake pasta this weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please do! It's one of the best new dishes I tried hee..hee...

      Delete
  13. WOW。。。I love this baked pasta. Easy and yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have made something similar a long time ago. Seeing your recipe and pictures have made me drool. I think I'll give this a try this weekend 😊

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this is great for the weekends!

      Delete
  15. Yummy baked pasta! My kids love pasta, so obviously they love baked pasta, baked rice topped with lots of cheese!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I thought only my Sundays are so terribly busy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's supposed to be a day of rest :(

      Delete
  17. it'll be interesting to see what unique macaroni recipes can be produced based on this ... i'm thinking a daging rendang macaroni? :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great idea! Fusion baked pasta :)

      Delete