These creamy and tangy pasta are better than cheese macaroni – and just as easy

Macarona Bil Laban is the cousin Levantin of Mac and Cheese – Color, brighter and built for a warmer weather. Popular in the kitchens of Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, it is a study in contrast – textures, temperatures and flavors. Hot pasta thrown into a creamy, fresh and tangy yogurt sauce are garnished with chopped (or beef) rich and warmly spicy, crunchy pine nuts and a joyful burst of grassy herbs. It is shiny and refreshing, substantial but not heavy, and meets in 30 minutes – it is the perfect dinner for when you want something satisfactory, without slow simmer, embers or wait.

Despite all its intriguing strata, Macarona Bil Laban (literally Arab for “yogurt pasta”) is so easy to prepare that even my sister at the time used to prepare it whenever our parents worked late. She did it for us countless times – even after cutting her finger by cutting the parsley for the dish and we landed in the emergency room. Finding the funny situation, we got a path through the stitches while the nurse gave us a severe warning on knife safety. As soon as we got home, imperturbable, we headed directly to the Bil Laban Macarona and finished the dish together – only this time, our mom took over by haunting parsley.

Maybe the simplest pasta sauce – no warm heat

Yogurt sauce could not be simpler: yogurt, garlic and salt entirely mixed in a silky base. I add a touch of fresh lemon juice to imitate the most pronounced flavor found in yogurt in Jordan, where I grew up. The heat of the pasta loosens the proteins of the yogurt, transforming it into sauce. But if the pasta is too hot, the yogurt can lighten too much, which makes the sauce flowing. Let the pasta cool slightly before mixing with the yogurt keeps the texture with the perfect consistency – not too thick or too thin.

Pasta selection

There is no difficult rule about the shape of the pasta here – it’s really a situation “use what you have”. My friends from Lebanon grew up with Macarona Bil Laban almost exclusively done with spaghetti, while in Jordan, we have always had it with various short and tubular forms like Penne. Honestly, everything in your pantry will work-although maybe not farfalle; The only way to cook these pinched centers is to cook the rest. (I come slowly on angel’s hair, however … in a way. Flashes and it’s too cooked.)

A layer of generously seasoned meat

The ground lamb (or beef), cooked with onions, is redolent with a mixture of deeply aromatic spices which defines many salted dishes through the Levant. You will find gentle and hot cinnamon (a must in the tasty Levantine kitchen), the Cardamom of citrus, dark spice pipe and sharp black pepper, all flowered in olive oil until they are fragrant. Together, they create the flavor of global warming which contrasts with the yogurt and the fresh pasta below. I prefer to use the lamb here for its more robust flavor – it is also the version that we have always made as growing. But it is not unknown to use beef if it is preferred.

In layers, balanced and ready to eat

The gathering of all the elements only takes a minute. Mix the slightly cooled pasta with the yogurt sauce, place the spicy meat on the top and finish with grilled pine nuts, chopped parsley and mint – mint echo the cooling effect of the yogurt. After the brief assembly, dig into the layers of tasty meat and creamy pasta, crunchy gables and the diffusion of fresh herbs.

This favorite of the week meets quickly and is full of flavor layers. Although the dish is eaten better after its manufacture (before the yogurt sauce has the opportunity to thicken and tighten in the refrigerator), that never prevented me from making a fridge for the remains the next day.

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