Ramadan recipe: negresco – Egyptian pasta bake

Throughout the holy month, 'The National' is teaming up with Table Tales to share daily recipes to experiment with at home

Negresco did not originate in Italy, but in Egypt. Courtesy Soha Darwish

Join The National and Table Tales on a culinary journey around the Middle East to savour the quintessential dishes that embody the spirit of Ramadan. From table staples to family favourites, this series of recipes – one for each day of Ramadan – pays homage to the holy month and the home cook alike.

A classic, of kinds, for Egyptians and Emiratis, negresco is warm and soft on the tummy, and hence apt for Ramadan.

Recipe contributor Soha Darwish says: “Sharing this recipe puts a smile on my face for two reasons; one is for all the sweet childhood memories tied to it; negresco truly is a hit among children.

Sharing this recipe puts a smile on my face for all the sweet childhood memories tied to it

"Two, is when I remember boasting to Italian friends that I am making negresco for dinner, solemnly convinced that it is an authentic Italian speciality. They always gave me a quizzical look, which I did not understand. Then I came to realise that this delicious pasta bake is not 'international', as I always thought.

In fact, this dish was curated in the magnificent era when the Italians, the Greeks and many other nationalities called Egypt their home for generations together. You can trace here the Italian and Greek influences by the uses of pasta and bechamel sauce – a heavenly match of ingredients, from a time when Egypt was a true cosmopolitan hub.”

Soha Darwish's negresco recipe evokes childhood memories. Victor Besa / The National

Negresco

Serves 6

Ingredients for the stock:

• 1 whole chicken, deskinned
• 1 large onion, peeled and halved
• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cardamoms
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients for the pasta:

• 1 pack spaghetti pasta
• 1,000ml whole milk
• 300ml cream
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 3 tbsp flour
• 300g mozzarella cheese, grated
• 300g cheddar cheese, grated
• 150g Parmesan or Rumi cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

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Method:

1. Place the chicken in a large pot with the rest of the stock ingredients, cover with water and simmer until cooked.
2. Simultaneously, boil the spaghetti in salted water, then drain and set aside.
3. When chicken is cooked, remove it from the stock, and leave to cool down. Then, pull the meat from the bones.
4. Make a thin bechamel sauce using the clear strained chicken broth as the base. Pour in the milk, cream, nutmeg, flour and 1 cup of pasta water. Whisk thoroughly until the flour dissolves, then and season.
5. Put the mixture on low heat and simmer until it thickens.
6. Stir in the Parmesan (or Rumi cheese) halfway through. Taste all along until the flour has cooked.
7. Lay half the pasta in a baking dish then cover with the shredded chicken, grated cheeses and three to four ladles of bechamel sauce.
8. Lay over the rest of the pasta, cover with remaining bechamel sauce, then top with more cheese.
9. Bake in the oven until golden crispy.

This dish has been brought to you by Soha Darwish and curated by international recipe hunter Hanan Sayed Worrell, author of Table Tales: The Global Nomad Cuisine of Abu Dhabi. The Table Tales concept celebrates the people and stories that give flavour to recipes of the Middle East.