Yoğurtlu, Kıymalı Makarna: Cheat’s Manti
In this easy version of Turkish manti, shell pasta is topped with a delicious minced meat sauce and dollops of garlic yogurt. Finish off with a drizzle of spicy olive oil to complete these flavour packed dish.
Introduction
I love mantı (page 142 of Istanbul), but when I am short of time, I make this cheat’s version, using shell-shaped conchiglie pasta (which holds the sauce well and also resembles mantı). Kıymalı makarna is a staple in many households in İstanbul, including ours; it can also be found in eateries that serve home-style food. Topped with garlicky yoghurt and spiced oil, it is absolutely delicious and certainly delivers comforting mantı vibes inconsiderably less time.
Ingredients
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 | medium onion, finely diced |
| 1 | small carrot, finely diced |
| 2 | sivri biber or 1 medium green (bell) pepper, deseeded and finely diced |
| 450g (1lb) | minced (ground) beef or lamb |
| 3 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 1 tbsp | tomato purée (paste) |
| 200g (7oz) can | chopped tomatoes |
| 200ml (7fl oz) | water |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| small bunch of | flat leaf parsley, finely chopped |
| 400g (14oz) | dried conchiglie or pasta of your choice (use gluten-free, if preferred) |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste | |
| FOR THE GARLIC YOGHURT | |
|---|---|
| 400g (14oz) | full fat Turkish or Greek yoghurt |
| 2-3 | garlic cloves, crushed with salt and finely chopped |
| FOR THE SPICED OIL | |
| 4 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 tsp | pul biber (Aleppo pepper) |
| 2 tsp | dried mint |
Method
About 40 minutes before you plan to serve, take the yoghurt out of the refrigerator and place in a bowl. Stir the garlic into the yoghurt, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Cover and set aside to bring to room temperature.
Pour the 3 tablespoons olive oil into a wide heavy pan and place over a medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, then stir in the carrots and peppers and sauté for a further 2–3 minutes.
Add the minced meat and garlic and sauté for 4–5 minutes until the meat is browned, stirring continuously. Add the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes and water, swirling a little of the water in the can to get any remaining bits of tomato. Season with cumin, salt and black pepper, stir to combine and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will have thickened; check the seasoning and add more salt or black pepper, if needed. Stir in the parsley and turn off the heat.
About 10 minutes before the meat sauce will have finished cooking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, then add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta then return it to the pan and drizzle over a little olive oil, so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Pour the 4 tablespoons of olive oil into a pan, place over a low-medium heat, stir in the pul biber and dried mint and gently infuse for 35–40 seconds.
Distribute the pasta amongst your serving bowls. Ladle over 3–4 serving spoonfuls of the meat sauce then scatter over dollops of garlic yoghurt. Drizzle over some spiced olive oil and serve immediately.
Reviews
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