Hamin macaroni is a Sephardi recipe from Jerusalem of macaroni and chicken cooked overnight to perfection. Just imagine the noodles cooking slowly in chicken fat and absorbing all the goodness. It may not be health food, but it is 100% comforting. Learn more about Jewish slow cooked food here.
Do as the Ermozas did (from The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem), and serve the eggs (huevos haminados) for Shabbat breakfast, then eat the rest of the dish for lunch.
Bucatini is a long spaghetti with a hollow center, and is the preferred pasta for this dish.
Did you know that in Jewish thinking the family dinner table actually has the status of the altar in the ancient Temple and that the food that we serve on it is likened to the offerings that were once made there? Get more Jewish food thoughts here.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bucatini or thick spaghetti
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 3 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks bones in, skin on
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or corn oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 golden potatoes peeled, sliced to ¾ inch slices
- 6 eggs
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200℉.
- Cook bucatini in salted water until al dente (reduce time recommendation on the package by 1-2 minutes,) drain, keep in a bowl.
- Generously salt and pepper chicken. Put oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown chicken on both sides to a nice golden-brown color. You may need to do it in two batches. Transfer chicken to a bowl. Add onion to pot and sauté for about 6 minutes, scraping the bottom of pot to release all the good flavor. Add tomato paste and spices to onion, stir and cook for another minute. Remove pot from heat, pour onion and fat on cooked bucatini, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and mix well.
- Line bottom of pot with potato slices, sprinkle with salt. Top with about ¾ of the bucatini, pressing them down. Arrange chicken on the noodles, arranging raw eggs between them carefully, and top with the rest of the bucatini. Add ½ cup boiling water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil (make sure the aluminum foil does not touch the noodles. If it does, first line the noodles with parchment paper and only then with the foil). Then cover with lid. Bake overnight or for 6-8 hours or longer. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
