How do you cook… spaghetti Bolognese?
A pasta dish that suits every season – but how is it best prepared?
Spaghetti Bolognese is an eternally popular dish in Britain. Its rich flavours are an absolute delight but you never feel uncomfortably full. And it’s also a pretty healthy dish, despite its richness.
A few years ago, it was voted the number one comfort food for winter months, but it also makes a fabulous supper on a summer’s evening too. Really, it's an all-round marvel.
Before you get cooking though, there are some questions that need addressing.
Pick your pasta
It’s in the name – spaghetti! But to throw a spanner in the works, Bolognese sauce is great with other shapes. Do you prefer slightly fatter linguine, slim fedelini or flat tagliatelle? Or would you rather have penne or conchigliette to scoop up the sauce?
Is beef the only way?
Beef mince is the traditional meat used in Bolognese sauce, but it’s not the only way of doing things.
Peter Sidwell has a recipe for a five-minute Bolognese that calls for minute steaks, and Aldo Zilli likes to make his spag bol with minced pork. Is steak acceptable? Can pork ever beat beef – or is a mix of the two even better?
Herbs and vegetables
Oregano and marjoram are good herbs to use in your sauce, but parsley also has a case as well as a bay leaf or two. Rosemary could also be an option, but don’t use too much as it has a powerful flavour. Oregano and marjoram should be added near the end of cooking as these have delicate flavours that will be lost if overcooked.
Do you make a soffritto for your Bolognese? This is a base of flavour made with diced celery, carrots, garlic cloves and onion, which is seasoned and fried before the other ingredients are then added in and the sauce reduced. But it does take extra time.
Which cheese is best?
A light grating of parmesan is delicious, but torn mozzarella or – dare we suggest it – cheddar could also be suitable additions on top of your meal.
Some might consider the last option there unacceptable, and maybe you'll vehemently disagree in the Comments, but we think it's totally fine!
Extra options
Are tinned tomatoes enough? Some people like to add cherry tomatoes into the mix, or used diced sundried tomatoes to add depth of flavour to the tinned plum variety. Does chilli have any place in Bolognese sauce? It can be quite a nice addition on a cold day, but some probably regard the idea as sacrilege.
One thing we think many people will agree on is that bacon makes nearly everything better. Frying up one or two diced up rashers at the beginning will add a salty note to the sauce and season the vegetables well.
And finally, does a splash of red wine enrich your cooking, or make the dish too heavy?
How do you make your spaghetti Bolognese? Do you have extras that you swear by? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
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