Shared by Nechama and Anat Rivlin
Shared by Nechama and Anat Rivlin
Chicken and Bucatini Hamin (Macaroni Hamin)
Yield: 6 servingsTime: 4½ or 8½ hours
Chicken and Bucatini Hamin (Macaroni Hamin)
Yield: 6 servingsTime: 4½ or 8½ hoursFamily Journey
Bilozerka, Ukraine and Maryina Gorka, BelarusTel AvivMoshav Herut, Israel
JerusalemTel Aviv
Hamin, cholent, and other Shabbat lunch dishes are typically left to cook overnight on Friday. But, this type of hamin, known as macaroni hamin, can be cooked in far less time — though you can also cook it for eight hours if you prefer. It’s typical of Jerusalem and it’s believed to date back to the Old Yishuv, Jewish communities in the city before 1882.
This recipe comes from Nechama Rivlin, the late first lady of Israel, who collected over 1000 recipes. Her daughter, Anat, isn’t sure where her mother adopted it from, but it was one of several hamins she made. “I remember it since I was a child,” Anat says. Today, Anat’s husband makes it for their daughters.
Ingredients
- 1 package bucatini
- 1 cup neutral oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch pieces
- 3 medium onions, sliced
- 4 chicken legs cut into drumsticks and thighs
- 12 prunes
- 2 heads of garlic, cut in half crosswise
- ½ cup water
Preparation
Step 1
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for half the cook time that the package calls for. Drain and rinse the pasta and place in a large bowl. Add the neutral oil, 1-2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper and mix well. Set aside.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 3
Heat up the olive oil in a 6 or 7-quart, oven-safe pot with a lid, like a Dutch oven. Add the potato slices and fry them over high heat until they are deeply golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the potatoes to a paper towel-lined plate and season them with salt on both sides.
Step 4
Add the onion to the pot, season with salt, and fry for about 7-10 minutes, stirring every so often, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
Step 5
Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken on medium-high heat until deeply golden all over, 5-7 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Step 6
Remove the pot from the heat to assemble the hamin. Line the bottom of the pot with the potato slices, then layer the onions on top, sprinkle the prunes over the onions, and top that with ¾ of the pasta in one layer. Arrange the chicken in one layer over the pasta, skin side up. Add the garlic on top of the chicken, cut side down and cover with the remaining bucatini. Add ½ cup of water, place a sheet of parchment paper on top and tuck the edges in so it covers all the contents of the pot, then close the pot with a lid. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35 minutes, reduce the temperature to 200°F and bake for 8 hours (for a quicker version, bake for 4 hours at 250°F).
Step 7
To serve: Remove the lid and parchment paper and place a large serving platter (larger than the pot) over the top. Use oven mitts or kitchen towels and carefully flip the pot onto the platter. Lift the pot and serve immediately.
This recipe first appeared on the website of Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel. Find more Asif recipes here.
