Turkish Pasta With Ground Beef (Yogurtlu Kiymali Makarna) (Glute

UmmBinat's Note:

This is so delicious. With a sauce of garlicky yogurt and cucumber. Traditionally this dish is made with ground lamb but I make it with ground beef. A tweaked version of Pasta With Ground Beef and Yoghurt. Great meal with a salad on the side masha Allah.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 2

Yield: 2.0 plates

Cakik Sauce

• 3 -4 garlic cloves (pretty large size)
• 1 cup balkan yogurt (thick type)
• 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
• 1 1/4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
• 1/4 English cucumber
• sea salt, to taste

Pasta

• 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
• 3/4 lb lean ground beef (I use extra lean and add a lot of good olive oil or it will be too dry)
• baharat mixed spice (Turkish Baharat Spice Mix or Baharat Aka Middle East Mixed Spices - the Real Mix)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint (May not be needed, see directions.)
• sea salt, to taste
• 170 g rice pasta (May use regular if not gluten free. I prefer macaroni or farfalle shape in this)
• 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

Directions:

1. Bring a small amount of salted water to a boil, add garlic with skin on and cook for 7 minutes. Drain, slip from skins and crush with a fork.
2. Stir yoghurt with crushed garlic, mint & freshly squeezed lemon juice until smooth, set in refrigerator.
3. Grate English cucumber and set in a sieve, sprinkle with sea salt. Let drain 15 minutes.
4. Squeeze out liquid from cucumber and mix with yogurt mixture. Add more sea salt and lemon to taste if needed.
5. Bring salted water for pasta to a boil.
6. Peel onions. Cut and chop in a food processor until a pulp.
7. Heat olive oil over medium high, add onions and reduce heat cooking until transparent.
8. Add 1 tbs butter, parsley and lean ground beef and cook until no more pink shows, stirring to break apart often.
9. Add Baharat, If using Turkish skip the fresh mint or add fresh mint now. Add sea salt to taste. Cook until done.
10. While frying the meat, cook pasta as per package directions. Drain and add lots of butter (2 tbs) & the sweet paprika. Mix.
11. Add ground beef and mix with pasta or if preferred place pasta on serving dishes and spoon ground beef over top. Serve with Cakik (yogurt sauce) and a fresh salad.
12. Enjoy :D.

Reviews

[Cookgirl]

I should have listened to you and used beef not lamb. The combination of local, very fresh free range lamb and the butter was over the top RICH! I didn't know how much onion to use because it wasn't indicated in the ingredients' list. (I used one medium.) Fresh mint and parsley from our garden. I didn't bother peeling the Persian cucumbers and the combination of richly flavored beef/pasta with the cacik was delicious! I liked the flavor especially of the paprika mixed in with the pasta, too. Reviewed for NA*ME Tag. Come join us in this ongoing tag game!

[Mia in Germany]

Wonderful dish! I used to make this with cumin and paprika only but will make it with baharat from now on (I used Baharat Aka Middle East Mixed Spices - the Real Mix ). My yoghurt was Greek sheep yoghirt. Served this with grilled eggplant and bell pepper. Thanks for sharing!