Spaghetti Bolognese has got to be one of the most variably reliable dishes in the world. It seems that no matter which corner of the planet you visit, there'll be some vendor foisting the stuff on their craving-ridden customers, with mixed results, almost all on the "bad" end of the eating spectrum. Ahh yes, the humble spag bol. Ever alert to the call to action. How we love you.
It's a brutal confession for a try-hard gourmet to make, but: I've had traditional bolognese with veal and pork mince, and hated it. My tastebuds don't "do" pork or veal at the best of times, and the lack of thick tomato sauce to disguise their flavours meant I couldn't even PRETEND to be enjoying the dish. Yeah. If I were a true foodie I would've choked it down with a bottle of expensive wine and waxed lyrical about the refreshing authenticity - but I'm not, and thus it went in the bin instead.
I've had spag bol in Indonesia; where lamb mince was used instead of beef; and where commercial tomato and sweet chilli sauce replaced the more standard tomato accompaniments. My best friend told me it was cat meat. That didn't stop me hoeing into it, but the interpretation (like many Euro dishes served in non-Western countries) certainly wasn't something I'd be repeating in my own kitchen in a hurry.
I've had spaghetti in Japan. Oh boy, was that an experience. Instead of the dried or fresh wheat based pasta I was expecting, we were served up egg noodles cooked al dente. The sauce was punctuated with mushrooms - shiitake mushrooms. It was hilariously brilliant, a true example of adapting a dish to suit the ingredients available locally.
(For those who are wondering what the hell I was doing eating faux-Italian in Japan - I'm from Sydney. We eat meals from a different cuisine every night of the week. I don't care how refined a gastronomic culture is, my guttiwuts aren't programmed to eat it at every meal for an eternity - especially where no matter what dish you choose there's only a couple of distinct flavours present, as is the case with Japanese food. Sorry Nippon. But I digress.)
It's a brutal confession for a try-hard gourmet to make, but: I've had traditional bolognese with veal and pork mince, and hated it. My tastebuds don't "do" pork or veal at the best of times, and the lack of thick tomato sauce to disguise their flavours meant I couldn't even PRETEND to be enjoying the dish. Yeah. If I were a true foodie I would've choked it down with a bottle of expensive wine and waxed lyrical about the refreshing authenticity - but I'm not, and thus it went in the bin instead.
I've had spag bol in Indonesia; where lamb mince was used instead of beef; and where commercial tomato and sweet chilli sauce replaced the more standard tomato accompaniments. My best friend told me it was cat meat. That didn't stop me hoeing into it, but the interpretation (like many Euro dishes served in non-Western countries) certainly wasn't something I'd be repeating in my own kitchen in a hurry.
I've had spaghetti in Japan. Oh boy, was that an experience. Instead of the dried or fresh wheat based pasta I was expecting, we were served up egg noodles cooked al dente. The sauce was punctuated with mushrooms - shiitake mushrooms. It was hilariously brilliant, a true example of adapting a dish to suit the ingredients available locally.
(For those who are wondering what the hell I was doing eating faux-Italian in Japan - I'm from Sydney. We eat meals from a different cuisine every night of the week. I don't care how refined a gastronomic culture is, my guttiwuts aren't programmed to eat it at every meal for an eternity - especially where no matter what dish you choose there's only a couple of distinct flavours present, as is the case with Japanese food. Sorry Nippon. But I digress.)
I've said earlier in this blog that Spaghetti Bolognese is the traditional Friday night meal at my parent's place. My mum makes it with less tomato paste and more tinned tomatoes. My dad makes it with less tinned tomatoes and more tomato paste. Both my brother and I make it with a fairly balanced blend of the two - not too watery, as is the case with the tomato-heavy version; and not too thick, as is the case with the paste-heavy version. None of them add carrot or celery into the soffrito or anchovies as are my most recent adaptions to our family's recipe.
It's a Friday here in Sydney, and after the vast disappointment of my Christmas Pudding (that story coming soon!) I needed something easy and reliable to cook. This utterly Anglocised bolognese delivers - it's like a hug in a meal for me. Although I tweak this recipe almost every time I cook it, these are the basic bones of my old faithful.
Spaghetti Bolognese by N.O. PapaIt's a Friday here in Sydney, and after the vast disappointment of my Christmas Pudding (that story coming soon!) I needed something easy and reliable to cook. This utterly Anglocised bolognese delivers - it's like a hug in a meal for me. Although I tweak this recipe almost every time I cook it, these are the basic bones of my old faithful.
Ingredients
Olive oil
500g beef mince
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup red wine
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chopped semi dried tomatoes
1 400g tin whole tomatoes, chopped up with a knife a bit
1 1/2 400g tin water
2 tsp chopped anchovies in oil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 beef stock cube (told you this was unashamedly Ocker)
Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste
Spaghetti - cooked according to the instructions on the packet just before serving time
Method
1. Heat a couple of good glugs of oil in a large heavy wok / frypan over a medium flame. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Add the beef mince and cook, stirring, until well browned. Add the wine, stir, and allow to bubble until wine has reduced in volume by half. Add anchovies, semi-dried tomatoes, stock cube and oregano, stir. Add tinned tomatoes and water, stir and allow to bubble for two or three minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about an hour, seasoning to taste with the sauces, salt and pepper about halfway through. Remove bay leaves before serving. Gosh, that was hard, wasn't it? Reward yourself with some wine, go on.
To serve - top a mountain of spaghetti with the bolognese sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and sing "on top of ol' Smokey, all covered with cheese." Look sheepish. Accompany with more wine, garlic bread made with non-fancy bread and a garden salad made with non-fancy veggies and non-fancy vinagerette. Be transported back to a suburban Italo-Australian restaurant circa 1988, be glad you didn't order the fish and chips, smile.
Olive oil
500g beef mince
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup red wine
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chopped semi dried tomatoes
1 400g tin whole tomatoes, chopped up with a knife a bit
1 1/2 400g tin water
2 tsp chopped anchovies in oil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 beef stock cube (told you this was unashamedly Ocker)
Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste
Spaghetti - cooked according to the instructions on the packet just before serving time
Method
1. Heat a couple of good glugs of oil in a large heavy wok / frypan over a medium flame. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Add the beef mince and cook, stirring, until well browned. Add the wine, stir, and allow to bubble until wine has reduced in volume by half. Add anchovies, semi-dried tomatoes, stock cube and oregano, stir. Add tinned tomatoes and water, stir and allow to bubble for two or three minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about an hour, seasoning to taste with the sauces, salt and pepper about halfway through. Remove bay leaves before serving. Gosh, that was hard, wasn't it? Reward yourself with some wine, go on.
To serve - top a mountain of spaghetti with the bolognese sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and sing "on top of ol' Smokey, all covered with cheese." Look sheepish. Accompany with more wine, garlic bread made with non-fancy bread and a garden salad made with non-fancy veggies and non-fancy vinagerette. Be transported back to a suburban Italo-Australian restaurant circa 1988, be glad you didn't order the fish and chips, smile.
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