TARHANENIK - TRADITIONAL MACEDONIAN PASTA DISH (taranenik)

Tarhanenik is an Eastern Macedonian dish prepared from tarhana and homemade pasta (jufki). When the weather is very cold, this dish warms your soul.

Jufki are traditional Macedonian pasta, which many Macedonians make at home. Although they can be bought ready-made lately, the traditional taste is still irreplaceable. The best replacement for jufki would be fettuccine alfredo pasta.

Tarhana is grained pasta, also many Macedonians prepare tarhana at home. I believe it is available in markets worldwide.

Interesting thing in this dish is that it is prepared with 2 types of pasta. The basic recipe would include only pasta, water, salt and oil. Enriched recipe would look like this - with white cheese, cheese, eggs and filling is put on top. I added white cheese and ricotta in between the layers and finished with eggs and cheese on top.

Ingredients: 

• about 300 g homemade pasta
• 150 g tarhana
• 5 tbs crushed white cheese
• 5 tbs ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• a little cheese
• oil and water as needed (milk can be also included)

Preparation:

1. Arrange a layer of homemade pasta in a large baking tray coated with oil.
2. Then arrange half tarhana and sprinkle with oil and a little salt.
3. Arrange a new layer of homemade pasta.
4. Sprinkle the tarhana again and sprinkle with oil and salt.
5. Arrange the rest of the homemade pasta, sprinkle oil.
6. Put in oven to bake at 200 C degrees (390 F) just to roast the top layers a little.
7. Then, remove the baking tray from the oven and add the white cheese and ricotta on top.
8. Pour water about 2/3 high and add milk to cover the rest of the pasta.
9. Return to oven to bake until liquid is gone.
10. Then, pour a mixture of eggs and cheese on top, and return to oven to roast and to get a fine golden colour.