One-pot spiced mince linguine
Make sure you gently push the long strands of linguine into the sauce as they cook, and stir as the pasta softens to ensure the strands don’t clump together in the sauce or stick to the bottom of the pan. Laden with lashings of grated hellim (halloumi) and dried mint, this really is a simple midweek treat.
Overview
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Serves
4
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
500g beef mince
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp pul biber or Aleppo pepper
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp dried mint
2 tbsp tatlı biber salçası (mild sweet Turkish red pepper paste)
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube dissolved in 800ml hot water
100ml milk
300g dried linguine
150g hellim, finely grated
Method
Step 1
Add 3 tbsp olive oil to a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add 1 finely chopped onion, season and cook for 5-6 minutes until starting to caramelise.
Step 2
Stir in 500g beef mince and turn up the heat, then leave to brown without stirring. After 3-4 minutes, once the underside of the mince is crispy, add 4 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp pul biber, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of the dried mint and stir well. Season to taste.
Step 3
Stir in 2 tbsp tatlı biber salçası then add 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes and stir again, leaving the tomatoes to sizzle into the meat for 1-2 minutes. Fill up the empty tin with water and top up the stock with enough water from the tin to bring the liquid up to 1 litre.
Step 4
Pour 800ml chicken or vegetable stock and 100ml milk into the pan and, once it comes up to the boil, stir through 300g dried linguine, gently separating the strands into the sauce. Turn the heat down to a low heat.
Step 5
Cook for 10–12 minutes, gently stirring every few minutes, until the pasta is al dente. Serve in large bowls, and sprinkle generously with 150g grated hellim and the remaining 1 tsp of dried mint.
Recipe from Meliz Berg, Dinner Tonight: Simple meals, exciting flavours (Ebury Publishing, £22)
