Mbakbaka
Libyan Pasta with Stewed Meat
Mbakbaka, named for the noise the stew makes as its bubbles pop up during boiling, is Libya's pride and joy. It's a dish that melds the best of Italian and North African food, into a homey, delicious and addictive everyday meal. At its very basic, it's just pasta in a meat sauce - but it has flavors I had not encountered before. They key is in the spicing, specifically the use of bzaar - which blends together all the flavors of the Middle East and North Africa in a marvelous way. I only made enough of the mix for this dish, but I plan to make more and use it to spice up many of my dishes.
There are probably as many recipes for mbakbaba as there are cooks in Libya, the one I chose seems pretty typical. I used beef chuck because it was on sale, but it an also be made with lamb or even chicken. I made the stew in advance and added the pasta before serving it, but the stew really good off the bat. Indeed, I preferred it without the pasta - though the pasta itself was very tasty. This dish is traditionally made with pasta elbows - the kind you use for mac & cheese -; I used cavatappi pasta, also known as "double elbows," because it's what I had at home.
I think this dish could be enhanced by a good hard Italian cheese - but it would have to be a good quality one. I didn't have any home just then, so I didn't try it.
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Libyan Pasta with Stewed Meat
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2lbs boneless and trimmed lamb or beef chuck, cubed
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2.5 tsp salt
- 2 - 3 tsp bzaar spice mix
- 1.5 tsp hot paprika or 1 tsp paprika + 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 cups lamb or beef stock, divided
- 12 oz pasta elbows
- 2 - 3 green chilies, whole
Directions
Put the vegetable oil in a large sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, add the lamb or beef cubes, and brown on all sides - about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove meat and set aside.
Turn heat to medium and add onion. Sauté, stirring often, until the onion is soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
Add the meat cubes and any accumulated juices to the pan. Add the tomato paste, salt, bzaar spice mix and hot paprika and mix. Add 3 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to low and simmer for 90 minutes.
Heat the leftover cup of broth. Add the pasta and chilies to the pan. Add additional hot stock or water to the pot sufficient to cover the meat and pasta. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook until the pasta is cooked through, stirring frequently.
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Adapted from a recipe on reddit
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