This steam oven pasta Bolognese is adapted from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe for pasta with harissa Bolognese. I’ve seen it published online a few times over the past couple of years, and I’d noticed and thought it looked nice, but not bothered to make it. Then a friend sent me the link and wanted to know if I thought it would be good for a steam oven. Only one way to find out!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time55 minutesmins
Cooling Time10 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Servings: 6people
Calories: 946kcal
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Ingredients
1carrotlarge, roughly chopped
1onionmedium, roughly chopped
3clovesgarlicpeeled
1lbground beef450g use one that’s at least 10% fat (beef mince)
Preheat your oven to Combi Steam, 445°F/230°C, 50% (medium) humidity. Put the carrot, onion and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it’s finely chopped. Scrape into a large roasting pan or baking dish (14x10”/35x25cm is ideal; 13x9”/33x23cm or 12”/30cm round will do if that’s all you have).
Add the beef, pork, tomato paste, harissa, cumin, coriander and half of the olive oil to the vegetables. Use your hands to mix and scrunch everything together, then roughly spread it out into an even layer in the pan. Put into the preheated oven and cook until it’s browned and sizzling on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375°F/190°C.
Using a fork or a flat-ended wooden spatula, break up the meat thoroughly. Pour in the tomatoes, stock and cream and add the salt, pepper and half of the parmesan cheese. Mix everything together, then add the pasta and stir to coat it thoroughly and distribute the meat between all those broken pasta sheets. Push down the pasta into the sauce; you won’t be able to submerge every bit but just get whatever you can under the surface of the liquid.
Return the pan to the oven until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes. Scatter with the remaining parmesan and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Continue cooking until the top is golden brown and crispy in parts, about 8 minutes more. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the parsley, then let the dish sit for 10 minutes to finish absorbing any extra liquid before serving.
This dish is at its best straight after cooking. Leftovers are perfectly acceptable if you reheat them in your steam oven, but the pasta will have continued soaking up the liquid from the sauce. You may wish to add a little liquid to loosen things up.