- Ayeh Manfre makes Persian Spaghetti
- She outraged fans by breaking the past in half
By Louise Allingham For Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
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210 View commentsA cook has left fans drooling with her 'Persian pasta' recipe - but her methods have angered some traditional foodies.
Ayeh Manfre whipped up Makaroni, which is a Persian spaghetti recipe with a bolognese-style sauce that is cooked to create a crunchy bottom called 'tahdig'.
The food blogger, who has just spent a year in Italy, said the dish 'breaks all the Italian rules', angering many in the comments who were shocked she snapped her spaghetti in half before cooking it.
'What's better than Italian pasta?? Persian Spaghetti!! We call it Makaroni and yes it breaks all the Italian rules, but it's so so good!!' Ayeh said in an online clip.
'Sorry to all my Italian friends' she wrote before breaking a bunch of spaghetti in half and putting in a pot of boiling water to cook.
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Food blogger Ayeh Manfre has shared her delicious Persian pasta recipe but angered fans after she broke the spaghetti in half. She said it 'breaks all the Italian rules'
'What's better than Italian pasta?? Persian Spaghetti!! We call it Makaroni and yes it breaks all the Italian rules, but it's so so good!!' Ayeh said in an online clip
The foodie, from Sydney, makes a bolognese sauce with mushroom, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, lentils, herbs and spices and tomato.
After draining the pasta, Ayeh coats the bottom of the pot in a generous amount of olive oil in the bottom of the pot and a pinch of saffron powder.
She adds a third of the pasta to the bottom on the pot then layers it with the sauce until there is no spaghetti left.
Ayeh covers the pot lid with a clean tea towel and allows the pasta to cook on a low heat for 45 minutes.
For the last five minutes she increases the heat to create a crunchy layer of pasta at the bottom.
Once everything is cooked, she places a large plate on top of the pot and flips it upside down so the pasta comes out in a cake-like shape.
Ayeh makes a bolognese sauce with mushroom, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, lentils, herbs and spices and tomato then layer the sauce in the pot with the spaghetti
Once everything is cooked, she places a large plate on top of the pot and flips it upside down so the pasta comes out in a cake-like shape
When serving Ayeh said to make sure to cut up theTahdig or crispy base evenly so everyone gets a piece.
'Even my Italian husband loves it. Especially the crunchy Tahdig on the top which is the best part,' she said.
'It's usually made with a meat sauce but here I've made it with a vegan bolognese.'
Many viewers shared their outrage Ayeh had broken the pasta before cooking it up.
'I'm not Italian but I never understand why people break the pasta,' one woman said.
'On behalf of all Italian people: no,' joked another while a third said: 'Uh. I felt that spaghetti crack in my heart'.
When serving Ayeh said to make sure to cut up the Tahdig or crispy base evenly so everyone gets a piece
'You just insulted me. But at the same time it's okay because that looks sooooo good,' someone else said.
Others agreed the dish was 'genius', looked mouth-watering and loved the crispy pasta top.
'Would I eat it? Absolutely not. I'd devour it,' one viewer replied.
'That looks absolutely amazing!' exclaimed a second while another said: 'The crunchy bottom!!! Ahh yum.'
'Italians actually have a similar dish to this called frittata di spaghetti - try it!!' someone pointed out.
RECIPE: How to make Makaroni or Persian Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 360 g spaghetti pasta
- 350 g mushrooms - I've used a mix of portobello and Swiss brown mushrooms
- 2 small carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 white onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup passata
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup lentils
- ½ teaspoon advieh (Persian spice) or ¼ teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon tsp dried oregano
- 3-4 tablespoon Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Bolognese sauce:
- Chop mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and garlic all into small cubes
- Heat olive oil in a large pan or pot and add all the mushrooms. Saute over a high heat and once browned, season with salt and pepper and remove mushrooms from the pan
- In the same pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil, onions, celery and carrots
- Season with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent
- Add the garlic along with turmeric powder and saute for a few minutes
- Then add the tomato paste and make sure to fry this down for a few minutes with the vegetables
- Add the passata and 2 cups of water, season with salt and pepper
- At this time, add ½ a teaspoon of Persian spice mix called Advieh
- Another alternative is to add ¼ a teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Add oregano and mushrooms and allow the sauce to simmer for 45 minutes on a low- medium heat for the flavours to develop
- Once the sauce has been simmering, add ½ a cup of cooked or canned lentils. If the sauce is too thick, you can add more water if necessary. Allow to cook for 15 minutes
Pasta
- Boil a pot of heavily salted water. Break spaghetti in half and add to the pot
- Once pasta is cooked, drain in a colander and rinse under water
Layer ingredients and cook
- Add a generous amount of olive oil to the bottom of the same pot used for the pasta and ¼ teaspoon of ground saffron powder (optional) mix into the oil which should be warm from the pot
- Add a layer of cooked pasta (approximately ⅓ of the pasta) to the bottom of the pot and press down slightly so it's an even layer
- Spoon 2-3 ladles of the bolognese sauce over the pasta then top with another layer of cooked pasta. Continue the same steps until there is no more pasta left, then finish with the top layer being the bolognese sauce
- Wrap the lid of the pot with a clean tea towel, and close the lid as usual. Allow pasta to cook on low heat for 45 minutes
- Increase the heat to medium to high at the end for an extra 5 minutes then gently flip the pot upside down on a large platter. This can be done by placing the platter on the top of the pot and flipping it upside down
- Cut out pieces of the Tahdig (crispy base) to share evenly, serve and enjoy your Makaroni
Source: Cooking with Ayeh
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