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1
Brown the beef mince
12 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F); beef centre 71°C (160°F)
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince in two batches, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, and brown it well for 5 to 6 minutes a batch until dark and crumbly. Season with salt and white pepper as you go. This hörnli mit gehacktem recipe needs that proper browning: it is where the sauce gets its deep, savoury flavour.
Do not crowd the pan: mince added all at once steams grey instead of browning, and the sauce will taste flat.
Done when: Dark brown, crumbly mince with crispy edges and no pink left; the pan smells rich and meaty.
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2
Build the sauce base
8 Mins
Medium heat, about 170°C (340°F)
Push the beef to one side, add the butter and the diced onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes until soft and sweet. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika and thyme and cook for 1 minute more, then pour in the red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Let the tomato paste fry for a full minute before the wine goes in: raw paste tastes tinny, fried paste tastes deep and sweet.
Done when: Soft, sweet vegetables; tomato paste darkened to brick red; the wine bubbling and smelling rich.
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3
Simmer the sauce until rich
30 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Add the beef stock and the bay leaf, bring to a gentle boil, then cover, turn the heat low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, dark and rich. Remove the bay leaf and taste for salt.
Simmer with the lid slightly ajar: the sauce needs to reduce, and a tight lid keeps it watery.
Done when: A thick sauce that coats a spoon and leaves a clear trail when you drag the spoon through the pan.
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4
Cook the macaroni
9 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
While the sauce simmers, cook the macaroni in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until just al dente, about 8 to 9 minutes. Drain well, return to the pot and toss with a ladle of the meat sauce so the pasta is coated and the sauce clings.
Do not rinse the pasta: the starch on the surface is what makes the sauce cling to every elbow.
Done when: Pasta tender with a slight bite in the centre; every elbow coated in sauce.
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5
Serve with Gruyère and applesauce
3 Mins
Serve hot
Spoon the macaroni into deep bowls, heap the meat sauce generously on top, scatter with grated Gruyère and put a spoonful of applesauce on the side of each bowl. Serve at once.
Serve the applesauce on the side, not on top: everyone can mix in as much sweetness as they like.
Done when: Hot pasta under a dark, rich sauce, cheese just starting to melt, applesauce bright on the side.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the pasta in deep bowls, the sauce heaped on top, Gruyère scattered over and a spoonful of applesauce on the side — the sweet applesauce against the savoury beef is the surprise that makes the dish.
Switzerland
40m
