Baked Macaroni Nests

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g macaroni cooked the day before (about 250 g uncooked)
• 3 eggs
• 100 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 100 g grated Emmental (70 g in the mixture, 30 g for the topping)
• 4 slices of cooked ham (40 g each)
• 150 g frozen peas
• 1 tsp sunflower oil (for the tin)
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 lettuce
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar + 1 tsp Dijon mustard (for the dressing)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Muffin tin (12 holes)
• Large mixing bowl
• Fork
• Colander
• Salad spinner
• Pastry brush or kitchen paper

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C (fan). Carefully oil the 12 holes of the muffin tin with the pastry brush or kitchen paper, including the rims: this is what lets the nests come out whole. A silicone mould needs less.
2. Take the macaroni out of the fridge and separate it with your fingers if it has stuck together in a block. Tip the peas into a colander and run them under hot water for 1 min to defrost, then drain well. Cut the ham into small dice.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, nutmeg, a small pinch of salt (the ham and cheese are already salty) and pepper until smooth.
4. Add 70 g Emmental, the ham, peas and macaroni, then mix thoroughly with a large spoon until all the pasta is coated in egg and the filling is evenly distributed.
5. Fill the holes to the top, pressing down with the back of a spoon, then make a slight hollow in the centre to form a nest. Share out the liquid left in the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkle with the remaining 30 g Emmental.
6. Bake for 20 min on the middle shelf, until the edges are golden and crisp and the egg has set in the centre (it should no longer look shiny). If the top browns too quickly, cover with a sheet of foil.
7. While they bake, wash and spin-dry the lettuce. In the serving bowl, whisk the mustard with the vinegar and a pinch of salt, then drizzle in the rapeseed oil, whisking until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
8. Leave the nests to rest for 5 min out of the oven: they firm up and come out without breaking. Run a knife blade around the edges, lift them out with a spoon and serve 3 nests per person with the salad, dressed at the last moment.