How to Add Seasonings to Turkish Pasta

Turkish pasta is an exotic take on classic macaroni and cheese. A tangy feta-mozzarella cheese sauce is spiced with parsley, nutmeg and white pepper for a Mideast flavor. This dish is a great side or can be a meal in itself, accompanied with a salad or soup.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Make the roux for the Turkish pasta. Roux is melted butter and flour, and it is used to thicken a variety of sauces and gravies. Stir together a quarter cup of flour with 4 tablespoons of melted butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add a cup of milk that is a little warmer than room temperature. Stir with a whisk. It is important to use warm milk, since this will help reduce lumps and result in a creamier, smoother cheese sauce.
3. Wait for the sauce to thicken, stirring with the whisk. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Chop a handful of fresh leaf Italian parsley. Tear the leaves from the stems and run a knife over them until they are minced. Remove any stems before adding to the sauce.
5. Measure the seasonings for the Turkish pasta. Add a pinch of nutmeg (about a teaspoon) into the sauce. Follow with some ground white pepper (a little less than a palmful). White pepper is used because it looks better in this dish than black pepper.
6. Add a dash of salt to the mixture. Go easy on the salt because the cheeses for the sauce are already well salted. Stir the mixture together over low heat and add the cheeses.