Makaroni Tahdig with the master…

By Cooking With Ayeh · 75 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Dice the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and garlic into small cubes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet, add the mushrooms and sauté over high heat until browned. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
3. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil with the onion, celery and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat until the onion is translucent.
4. Add the garlic and turmeric and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste with another tablespoon of oil and fry for about 5 minutes, until it turns a rich dark color.
5. Add the passata, 2 cups water, oregano and advieh (or ¼ teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg). Return the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and simmer covered for 30 minutes over low-medium heat.
6. Add the lentils and simmer for 15 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little more water. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
7. Meanwhile, break the spaghetti in half and boil it in heavily salted water in a non-stick pot until al dente. Drain and rinse under water.
8. Add 1½ tablespoons oil to the empty pasta pot and, if using, stir in ¼ teaspoon ground saffron.
9. Spread about a third of the pasta in an even layer on the bottom of the pot, then spoon 2-3 ladles of sauce evenly over it. Repeat layering pasta and sauce until all the pasta is used, finishing with a layer of sauce.
10. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the pot lid, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 45 minutes. For the last 3-5 minutes, raise the heat to medium to crisp the base.
11. Place a large dish over the pot, carefully flip it upside down, then slowly lift off the pot to reveal the crispy tahdig. Cut the crispy base into pieces to share evenly.

Summarized from Cooking With Ayeh's video. Watch it for the details.

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