Jono & Jules do food & wine

We’re loving Lugma by Noor Murad and this pasta bake is a definate crowd pleaser.

Wine Suggestion: It was a toss up between a rich white and a warm, ripe red like the Condado de Haza Crianza from Ribera de Duero which we ended up pairing with this dish. Rich and deep from the sunshine in Spain, but with an elegance and freshness plus warm spices that make this a great combo.

Middle Eastern Pasta Bake – serves 4 to 6

FOR THE RAGU:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 300g beef mince
• 300g lamb mince
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 black dried lime, pierced a couple of times with a sharp knife
• 2 red chillies, pierced a couple of times with a sharp knife
• seeds from 15 cardamom pods, finely crushed with a pestle and mortar
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds, finely crushed with a pestle and mortar
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, finely crushed with a pestle and mortar
• 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1½ tbsp tomato purée
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 400g tin plum tomatoes, puréed
• 150ml full-fat milk
• 20g coriander, roughly chopped

FOR THE PASTA BAKE:

• 300g rigatoni pasta
• 125g feta, rouglhy crumbled
• 125g buffalo mozzarella, roughly torn
• 25g pine nuts, well toasted
• 10g coriander, leaves and soft stems roughly chopped

Make the sauce first by heating the olive oil in a large, deep sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the beef and lamb mince and cook for 10 minutes, breaking the mince up with a wooden spoon so it is finely crumbled. Allow the liquid to cook off and the mince will start to brown. Stir in the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, dried lime, chillies, spices, oregano, tomato purée, stock cube, 1 tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper. Fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant, then pour in the puréed tomatoes and 300ml of water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover with a lid. Leave to cook for 2 hours, stirring every 25 minutes. You should end up with a thick and rich sauce.

Pour in the milk, cover and cook for another 25 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit, then pick out and discard the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Remove the dried lime, squeezing any juice into the sauce. Add the chopped coriander. You can now use the sauce or stick it in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.

Heat the oven to 200C fan.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add 2 tsp of salt. Cook the pasta in the water until al dente. Remove 130ml of the pasta water before draining in a colander.

You will need a baking dish about 23 x 33cm. Add the drained pasta, the ragu and the reserved pasta cooking water and mix to combine. Pick out the whole chillies and lay over the top, then sprinkle over the feta and mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Sprinkle over the pine nuts and fresh coriander, then serve.

(Original recipe from Lugma by Noor Murad, Quadrille, 2025.)