The dish called "navy-style macaroni" has been known for over a hundred years.
It was first prepared for sailors, and then pasta became popular among land dwellers in different countries.
If you want to cook them not in the galley, but in a regular home kitchen, it is worth knowing a few subtleties.
First, what kind of pasta to choose as a base. The classic recipe uses "straw" type pasta, 6-7 mm in diameter. But if you don't have that, you can use any pasta: spaghetti, tortilloni or penna.
The second subtlety is meat for navy pasta. It should be lean, but not too dry.
It is best to take ground beef or boil and mince chicken drumstick or thigh meat. Is pork suitable? This meat is quite fatty, and not every part of the pig should be used for navy-style pasta. Tenderloin or shoulder blade, where there is less fat, will do. The fastest option is beef stew.
Point number three - spices for navy-style macaroni. The standard solution is to add only salt and pepper. But a more delicious and interesting dish will be obtained if you add spices that go well with minced meat.
So, minced chicken goes well with turmeric or basil, and minced beef with cumin and coriander.
Red pepper will add a piquant flavor to the navy-style macaroni, while parsley and dill will provide fresh notes to the dish.
What else can you season pasta with so that it doesn't turn out dry and acquires new flavors? You can add vegetables to the dish: onions, pumpkin, carrots, eggplants. You can make navy-style pasta more filling by adding mushrooms to the meat component.
Those who have already cooked this dish know that after the pasta is boiled to al dente, it remains to fry it together with other ingredients until fully cooked. But on what?
The best solution is animal fat, which is lard. But if you don't have it at home, you can use butter or ghee. Thanks to it, the pasta won't stick together and will acquire a pleasant creamy taste.
Do you need sauce for navy-style macaroni? Yes, and the most delicious version is made from tomato paste. It’s also a good idea to season the finished dish with béchamel sauce.
When preparing navy-style macaroni, you can follow the classic recipe, but you can also change individual ingredients, using those that you like more. In the end, you will still get a hearty and tasty dish that will be appreciated by both family members and guests.
For reference
Macaroni is a pasta product in the form of tubes of different diameters and lengths.
