Ramadan recipes: A filling vegetarian take on Saudi margoog for iftar

DUBAI: Craving a scrumptious bechamel pasta dish? Then Stylianos Tereziou, head chef at Trump Worldwide Golf Membership in Dubai, has a mouth-watering recipe to make at dwelling.

He instructed Arab Information: “Bechamel is a well known dish in GCC international locations and is extensively consumed throughout Ramadan. However it is usually a dish that we eat in Greece and is a part of our custom.”

Tereziou has added a twist to the dish by utilizing hen as a substitute of beef.

Substances:

Rooster sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 purple onions, finely chopped (sub yellow or brown onions)

1 kilogram hen minced

800g canned crushed tomato

2 hen bouillon cubes, crumbled (inventory cubes)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon floor cloves

1 purple chilli finely chopped

100g chopped coriander

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Greek bechamel

100g butter, unsalted

110g flour, plain/all-purpose

1 litre milk, complete/full fats

Nutmeg, ideally freshly grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

100g Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub Parmesan or Romano), finely shredded

2 egg yolks (egg whites are used within the pasta)

Pasta

400g penne pasta

120g feta, crumbled

2 egg whites (yolks utilized in bechamel)

75g Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub Parmesan or Romano), finely grated

Methodology:

Rooster sauce

Add the garlic and onion to a big pot over a excessive warmth. Cook dinner it for 2 to a few minutes till the onion is softened. Then add the hen and break it up as you stir.

Then add the remaining substances. Stir nicely, carry to a simmer, then scale back the warmth to medium so it’s simmering gently. Cook dinner for 45 minutes to 1 hour till the liquid is usually gone, stirring once in a while. It needs to be a thick combination.

Take away the pot from the range and funky it to room temperature.

Greek bechamel

Soften the butter in a big saucepan over medium warmth. Add the flour and stir for one minute.

Whereas stirring, slowly pour in heat milk. Stir for 5 minutes – so the bottom doesn’t stick – till it’s thick sufficient, then take away it from the range. Stir within the nutmeg, cheese, and salt.

Go away it for 5 minutes to chill. Then whisk within the egg yolks rapidly. Place the lid on the pot and put aside. If the sauce cools and will get too thick to pour, simply reheat on a low range till it’s pourable.

Pasta

If you find yourself able to assemble, cook dinner the pasta per packet directions, however deduct one minute. Drain it, then return it to the pot. Go away it to chill for 3 minutes, then stir by way of the egg whites. Gently stir by way of the crumbled feta.

Assemble and bake:

Preheat the oven to 180 levels Celsius. Place the pasta (combined with the egg white and feta cheese) in a baking dish. High it with the hen sauce, then easy the floor. Pour over the bechamel sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.

Bake for half-hour or till the crust turns golden. Cool for at the very least 10 minutes so you possibly can minimize neat slices with the layers neatly seen.