SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Ask most British people to name a typical Italian dish and one of the top answers will be Spaghetti Bolognese. Well, almost. A lot of them will say “spag bol” and a significant minority believe it is actually called “spag bowl” because it is served in a bowl. Yes, really. This meat-based Italian sauce from the city of Bologna – called ragù alla Bolognese or just ragù – is, therefore, slightly problematic.

The British version - a plate of spaghetti served with a dollop of sauce in the middle – differs from what you might be served in Italy in several ways:

Italians use far less sauce – and mix it in with the pasta before serving
It would be served with tagliatelle unless the Italians are catering for tourists
The Italian recipe differs significantly from ours.

Here we will deal with the ubiquitous British version – a more authentic Italian recipe will follow. However authentic you intend to be, this can serve as the base for other pasta sauces and as one of the components of lasagne.

Ingredients

This will serve 2-4 people with British-size portions of the sauce, or 10 Italians.

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped (optional)

500g minced beef

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

I beef stock cube

I tablespoon of paprika

6 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

How To Do it

Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat, add the onion and black pepper and fry for around 2 minutes
Add the red pepper and fry for another 3-4 minutes until the pepper starts to soften
Add the mince and – breaking it up with your spatula as you go – cook until it’s all browned
Stir in the tomatoes, puree, paprika and bay leaves, and crumble in the stock cube.
Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Test with a teaspoon and cook for a bit longer if the beef is not tender enough. Also add some salt if needed.
Check the seasoning again – and add salt if needed
If the sauce is too sloppy for you at this stage, simmer it uncovered a bit longer to reduce before serving.

Serving suggestions

I expect you can suck eggs as well as the next grandmother, but here are some suggestions, anyway, just for the sake of completeness.

For the traditional British experience, dollop a ladle-full of sauce into the middle of a plate (or bowl) of spaghetti, or other pasta of your choice.
To be slightly more authentically Italian, drain your pasta after cooking – keeping the liquid – return it to the saucepan and stir in the sauce. Cook this on a low heat for a few minutes, adding a few tablespoons of the pasta-water to stop it sticking.
Cheese on top is almost essential; Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ordinary Parmesan or another Italian hard cheese such as Grana Padano. Alternately, and tasty white cheese, such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack, can be used.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, eg. basil

Variations

Everyone – and their mum or dad – does spag bol “their way” with a tendency to sniff at others’ inferior attempts. Here are a few variations you may like.

Basics: For the most basic of basic spag bols, follow the recipe above but leave out the red pepper and paprika. This is how my mum used to make it.
Bacon: Cubed pancetta or lardons can be added right at the beginning with the onions. Alternately, chop up a few rashers of bacon.
Herbs: Fresh or dried. Any can add an aromatic aura to your sauce. Favourites are oregano, thyme or basil, or mixed herbs.
Carrots: Grated carrot is a popular addition to Bolognese, for a variety of reasons. It is more authentically Italian, bulks out the dish – keeping the cost down - if you don’t have enough mince, and serves as a “stealth vegetable” – i.e. any vegetable added to a dish in the hope it won’t be noticed by children.
Mushrooms: Not very authentic, but they add a tasty twist
Veggie: Use whatever veggie-vegan mince you like and reduce cooking times accordingly. These usually absorb quite bit of liquid – loads if you’re using dried TVP – so be prepared to add a bit more. Water is fine, as it passata or extra tinned tomatoes.
Olives: Some sliced black olives are a fine addition.

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Ingredients

This will serve 2-4 people with British-size portions of the sauce, or 10 Italians.

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped (optional)

500g minced beef

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

I beef stock cube

I tablespoon of paprika

6 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

How To Do it

Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat, add the onion and black pepper and fry for around 2 minutes

Add the red pepper and fry for another 3-4 minutes until the pepper starts to soften

Add the mince and – breaking it up with your spatula as you go – cook until it’s all browned

Stir in the tomatoes, puree, paprika and bay leaves, and crumble in the stock cube.

Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Test with a teaspoon and cook for a bit longer if the beef is not tender enough. Also add some salt if needed.

Check the seasoning again – and add salt if needed

If the sauce is too sloppy for you at this stage, simmer it uncovered a bit longer to reduce before serving.

Serving suggestions

I expect you can suck eggs as well as the next grandmother, but here are some suggestions, anyway, just for the sake of completeness.

For the traditional British experience, dollop a ladle-full of sauce into the middle of a plate (or bowl) of spaghetti, or other pasta of your choice.

To be slightly more authentically Italian, drain your pasta after cooking – keeping the liquid – return it to the saucepan and stir in the sauce. Cook this on a low heat for a few minutes, adding a few tablespoons of the pasta-water to stop it sticking.

Cheese on top is almost essential; Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ordinary Parmesan or another Italian hard cheese such as Grana Padano. Alternately, and tasty white cheese, such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack, can be used.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, eg. basil

Variations

Everyone – and their mum or dad – does spag bol “their way” with a tendency to sniff at others’ inferior attempts. Here are a few variations you may like.

Basics: For the most basic of basic spag bols, follow the recipe above but leave out the red pepper and paprika. This is how my mum used to make it.

Bacon: Cubed pancetta or lardons can be added right at the beginning with the onions. Alternately, chop up a few rashers of bacon.

Herbs: Fresh or dried. Any can add an aromatic aura to your sauce. Favourites are oregano, thyme or basil, or mixed herbs.

Mushrooms: Not very authentic, but they add a tasty twist

Veggie: Use whatever veggie-vegan mince you like and reduce cooking times accordingly. These usually absorb quite bit of liquid – loads if you’re using dried TVP – so be prepared to add a bit more. Water is fine, as it passata or extra tinned tomatoes.

Olives: Some sliced black olives are a fine addition.

BOLOGNESE - STEP BY STEP

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SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Ingredients

This will serve 2-4 people with British-size portions of the sauce, or 10 Italians.

​

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped (optional)

500g minced beef

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

I beef stock cube

I tablespoon of paprika

6 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

How To Do it

Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat, add the onion and black pepper and fry for around 2 minutes

Add the red pepper and fry for another 3-4 minutes until the pepper starts to soften

Add the mince and – breaking it up with your spatula as you go – cook until it’s all browned

Stir in the tomatoes, puree, paprika and bay leaves, and crumble in the stock cube.

Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Test with a teaspoon and cook for a bit longer if the beef is not tender enough. Also add some salt if needed.

Check the seasoning again – and add salt if needed

If the sauce is too sloppy for you at this stage, simmer it uncovered a bit longer to reduce before serving.

Serving suggestions

I expect you can suck eggs as well as the next grandmother, but here are some suggestions, anyway, just for the sake of completeness.

For the traditional British experience, dollop a ladle-full of sauce into the middle of a plate (or bowl) of spaghetti, or other pasta of your choice.

To be slightly more authentically Italian, drain your pasta after cooking – keeping the liquid – return it to the saucepan and stir in the sauce. Cook this on a low heat for a few minutes, adding a few tablespoons of the pasta-water to stop it sticking.

Cheese on top is almost essential; Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ordinary Parmesan or another Italian hard cheese such as Grana Padano. Alternately, and tasty white cheese, such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack, can be used.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, eg. basil

Variations

Everyone – and their mum or dad – does spag bol “their way” with a tendency to sniff at others’ inferior attempts. Here are a few variations you may like.

Basics: For the most basic of basic spag bols, follow the recipe above but leave out the red pepper and paprika. This is how my mum used to make it.

Bacon: Cubed pancetta or lardons can be added right at the beginning with the onions. Alternately, chop up a few rashers of bacon.

Herbs: Fresh or dried. Any can add an aromatic aura to your sauce. Favourites are oregano, thyme or basil, or mixed herbs.

Mushrooms: Not very authentic, but they add a tasty twist

Veggie: Use whatever veggie-vegan mince you like and reduce cooking times accordingly. These usually absorb quite bit of liquid – loads if you’re using dried TVP – so be prepared to add a bit more. Water is fine, as it passata or extra tinned tomatoes.

Olives: Some sliced black olives are a fine addition.

BOLOGNESE - STEP BY STEP

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