Today It's Baked Macaroni Day

Bep Al·lès/Ciutadella - In Menorca, we call “macarronada” the traditional dish of baked macaroni with meat, sofrito and gratinated cheese. It is one of those simple yet economical recipes that is gradually disappearing due to globalization and the influence of foreign food trends that are slowly eroding local cuisine.

In the case of macarronada, its main “predator” is macaroni with tomato sauce. That is not to say it is a bad dish, especially when the sauce is homemade and slowly cooked with tomatoes, onions, green peppers and fresh garlic. The problem lies in the widespread use of industrial tomato sauces loaded with colourings, preservatives and who knows what else, often topped with processed grated cheese. We should remember that this is a meal frequently served to children, despite being full of sugars, saturated fats and unhealthy ingredients.

I can remember when baked macaroni with meat was served for lunch at least once a week. The minced pork and beef were bought from the local butcher, who would mince the meat in front of us and ask whether we wanted it passed through the grinder once or twice. Tomatoes, onions and garlic came from small neighbourhood shops, and the dish was gratinated with grated Menorca cheese. I also remember one or two beaten eggs being spread over the cheese to create a thicker and crispier crust.

Macarronada, or Menorcan-style baked macaroni, is an old dish. Historical cookbooks mention macaroni with grevi(gravy), an anglicism referring to the juices left in the roasting pan after cooking a capon, suckling pig or joint of meat. The macaroni—bearing in mind that Menorca once had its own pasta-making trade—was boiled and mixed with these meat juices and a sofrito.

Another recipe dating back to the British period involved cooking the macaroni inside a round cheese or a large cheese loaf. Part of the cheese was hollowed out, grated and then mixed with hot macaroni, sometimes with a little sofrito. The dish was then served directly at the table. Today, some Italian restaurants prepare pasta inside large Parmesan wheels, but this is nothing new: Menorcans were already enjoying a similar pasta dish in the eighteenth century.

Besides the traditional meat version, macarronada can also be prepared with fish, with pork and Menorcan sobrassada, or with oyster mushrooms or saffron milk caps combined with minced pork.

Perhaps it is time to visit the market, buy some mixed minced meat and fresh vegetables, put on an apron and prepare a large baking dish of homemade macarronada using wholewheat macaroni. The children will surely love it, and it is a healthier way to enjoy pasta.