serves
6
prep
30 minutes
cook
2 hours
difficulty
Easy
serves
6
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
2
hours
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 500 g beef mince
- 400 g tin of crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 500 g rigatoni pasta
- 200 g feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup grated Kefalotyri cheese or Pecorino Romano
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp continental parsley, finely chopped
- 150 g butter, melted
- 375 g
Before you begin this Fillo Pastry recipe, take your Fillo Pastry out of the fridge for at least 2 hours, still in its plastic bag and allow it to come up to room temperature.
Cooling time: 2 hours
Instructions
1. In a large pot heat the olive oil and add the onions, carrot and garlic. Sauté for 10 mins until softened, add the tomato paste and sugar and stir well. Cook for a few mins and add the minced beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon, to remove any lumps and allow the mixture to brown. Add the tomatoes, wine, spices and bay leaves. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then set the temperature to medium and allow to cook and thicken for 45 mins. Once cooked, set aside and allow to cool.
2. Preheat your oven to 180ºC.
3. Cook the rigatoni pasta until just under the “al dente” stage - approx. 9 mins. Once cooked, drain the pasta and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the meat sauce, feta, grated cheese, eggs and parsley. Using your hands mix well ensuring everything is incorporated. Set this aside while you prepare the Fillo.
4. To assemble the makaronopita brush a 26-cm bundt pan with melted butter. Begin by placing 2 sheets of Fillo Pastry on top of the bundt pan and poke a hole into Fillo sheet where the centre tube of the bundt pan is.
5. Push the Fillo Pastry through to line the pan. Continue with this method adding the additional Fillo sheets in a criss-cross manner until all the sheets are used. Add the meat sauce and pasta mixture to the bundt pan and ensure it is evenly spread. Then fold the overhanging Fillo sheets back over the mixture, ensuring it's well covered and sealed.
6. Using a sharp knife, carefully make 10 holes in the torte and pour over the melted butter. (Some of the butter will seep through the holes and some will remain on top of the pita).
7. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour until golden and puffy. Allow the makaronopita to cool in the pan for 1 hour before turning out. Slice in individual portions and serve with a side salad and extra grated cheese if required.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
