Middle Eastern Mac & Cheese With Za’atar Pesto from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen

Name: Middle Eastern Mac & Cheese With Za’atar Pesto from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 10 1/2 ounces (300g) dried cavatappi or fusilli pasta; 2 1/2 cups to 3 cups (600 to 700 milliliters) whole milk; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, roughly cut into 1 1/4-inch/3cm cubes; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle; 5 tablespoons (75 grams) heavy cream; 1 1/3 cups (160 grams) coarsely grated mature cheddar; 6 1/3 ounces (180 grams) Greek feta, roughly crumbled; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1/2 cup (45 grams) crispy onions or shallots, store-bought or homemade; 1 large lemon; 3 tablespoons za\'atar; 1 cup (20 grams) cilantro, leaves and stems both, chopped; 1 garlic clove, chopped; 1/2 cup (40 grams) pine nuts, lightly toasted; 6 tablespoons (90 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Prep:25min

This recipe is a Middle Eastern take on a mac and cheese thanks to the addition of cumin, an herbaceous za’atar pesto, and crispy fried onions. Cooking the macaroni in the milk, as we do here, bypasses having to make a béchamel. The starches are released into the soon-to-be-cheesy sauce, making it velvety and rich without the need for the more traditional flour-butter roux. To make the crispy onions, finely slice a couple of onions into thin rounds and toss with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Fry in hot vegetable oil in about three batches, for 4 minutes per batch, or until golden.

Updated at: Thu, 21 Mar 2024 06:42:13 GMT