Macarona Béchamel
Serves 10 to 12.
This casserole is from chef Sarah Cole, owner and head chef of Abadir’s in Greensboro, Ala. It’s an adaptation of her Taeta’s (grandmother), Aunt Alice’s and mother’s Egyptian comfort recipes. If preferred, you can substitute bison or lamb for the beef. You can use cider vinegar in place of the red wine vinegar, if desired. Use a broiler-safe baking pan for this recipe. From “When Southern Women Cook,” by America’s Test Kitchen (ATK, 2024).
For the tomato-meat sauce:
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 large onions, chopped fine
- 1½ tsp. table salt, divided
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lb. 90% lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- ¼ tsp. ground allspice
- 1 (28-oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the béchamel:
- ¾ c. all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp. pepper
- ¾ tsp. table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
- 2¾ c. whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 lb. penne
Directions
For the tomato-meat sauce: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until well browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
Stir in cumin, coriander, allspice and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until flavors have melded, about 20 minutes, scraping bottom of pot regularly. Stir in vinegar and cook for 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool while making béchamel. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
For the béchamel: Whisk flour, oil, pepper and salt together in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until flour turns golden, 5 to 8 minutes.
