Baked pasta

"This is my all-time favourite Maltese dish," says chef Jacqui Challinor.

📝 Ingredients

• 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 3 400gm can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 litre (4 cups) beef stock
• 1.5 kg oxtail, bone in, cut into 5cm pieces (see note)
• 500 gm dried rigatoni or penne
• 4 eggs
• 200 ml milk
• 90 gm pecorino, finely grated, plus extra to serve

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 11: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden (1-2 minutes). Add curry powder, stirring continuously, until fragrant (1 minute). Add tomato, tomato paste, stock, 2 tbsp salt flakes (see note) and 1 tsp coarsely cracked pepper; bring to the boil. Carefully add oxtail, making sure it’s completely covered, then return to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and braise until oxtail is tender and falling off the bone (4 hours).
2. 22: Carefully remove oxtail from sauce and transfer to a bowl to cool slightly, then remove the meat from the bones. Return meat to the sauce; discard bones.
3. 33: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook pasta according to packet instructions or until al dente. Drain.
4. 44: Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan-forced. Add drained pasta to oxtail sauce and stir to combine. Season to taste. Allow mixture to cool slightly (15 minutes).
5. 55: Combine eggs, milk and pecorino in a bowl; whisk well to combine and season to taste. Pour egg mixture into the pasta mixture and stir well until evenly coated. Spoon into a 4-litre baking dish and bake until dark golden and crisp (30-40 minutes). Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with extra pecorino.