Save it for a rainy day: Hamin Macaroni

There are some dishes that actually taste better when it’s grey and cold outside. These dishes are usually homey, hearty and quite heavy, so a sweet and long siesta is a must after eating them! Therefore the combination with a rainy Saturday is just perfect! Since we only have just a few wintery days left for this year, including tomorrow – I suggest you to hurry up and get ready for this one.

There are many versions of this irresistibly homey casserole for Shabbat, aka Hamin: the famous Ashkenazi chulent, the fantastic Iraqi thbit and the Sephardic sofrito, to mention just a few.

They are all being prepared in a similar way of very slow cooking in minor heat over night. Traditionally they all served for Shabbat lunch. Of course you could sneak some goodies from the heavy pot for breakfast: the brown eggs or even better, try the marrow on your toast. Yummy:)

This following recipe is from Sephardic roots and it’s visually appealing as well as absolutely delicious.

Hamin Macaroni

Ingredients:

1.10 lb Macaroni (1 pack of Macaroni, I use Barilla, number 7)

1 whole chicken cut into parts

5-6 medium size potatoes, peeled and halved

½ cup sunflower oil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon paprika

6 eggs

Baking paper

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 large onion, diced

Method:

1. Season the chicken parts with salt and pepper.

2. Fry the onion until it gets golden and put aside to cool down.

3. In a large pot, fry the chicken parts in hot oil until it get nicely golden. Remove from the pot and put aside.

4. Cook the pasta in boiling water with a lot of salt (1 tablespoon should be fine) for about 6 minutes – until it almost soften. Drain.

5. In a large bowl, mix the macaroni with the oil. Use the entire amount of the oil here. Add the onion and the tomato paste, the pepper and the paprika. Taste and add salt if needed.

6. Place the potatoes at the oily bottom of the pot – the same pot where you previously cooked the chicken. On top on the potatoes place 1/3 amount of the macaroni. On top of it add the chicken parts. Then cover it with the rest of the macaroni. With a spoon, flatten the macaroni nicely and pour a half cup of boiling water on top.

7. Place the eggs in the corners of the pot, on top of the macaroni.

8. Cut the baking paper to the size of the pot. Put a little bit of oil on the paper and cover the macaroni with it. Then close the pot with its lid.

9. Transfer the pot to a 220 F preheated oven and cook it for the night, 7-10 hours.

Serve with: Pickles and fresh vegetable salads – fennel or radishes are great here.

End the meal with some fresh fruits.

BE-TE-A-VON!

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