SPAG BOL RECIPE
Thursday February 19th, 2009
ON BOARD RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Cooking on board a yacht or cruiser can be tricky. There ain’t much room and with only two rings on the hob you’re pretty limited. So we’ve decided to feature recipes that can be cooked under such duress. It’s all easy stuff with little preparation needed. First up is a personal favourite and is described by my own children as the best spaghetti Bolognese in the world. By the way this is a rough guide. I’m not a weights and measures cook and most of the recipes I’ll be giving you are pretty much adaptable to suit your own taste. I like to encourage experimentation.
TWO PAN BOLOGNESE
The Sauce
1lb minced beef
1 very large onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 tins plum tomatoes
1 tube concentrated tomato puree
4oz mushrooms
2 tablespoons dried or finely chopped fresh oregano (or basil)
1 glass of red wine (optional)
black pepper and salt to season
also needed
half a pack of dried spaghetti
1/2lbs grated mature cheese or Parmesan as required.
Fry the minced beef until brown and drain the fat. (Don’t use beef that’s too lean it will dissolve in the sauce). Meanwhile chop the onion and crush and chop the garlic. Add this to drained mince and stir well in. Chop mushrooms and add to the pan. Add oregano (you can use basil to be more traditional but I prefer oregano). Grind black pepper liberally over the top and mix well. Allow the herbs to become aromatic then add the tinned tomatoes and stir well. Fill both tins with hot water and add to the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for half an hour.
Add the tomato puree and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow the sauce to reduce until thick. Add half a can of water and the glass of wine (or a full can of water) and leave again to reduce. At this stage most of the work is done. You can even turn off the pan and warm it up later. Or leave it until the next day, which will improve the flavour incredibly. The sauce should be deep red when it’s at its best.
Cook the pasta fifteen minutes before serving in plenty of boiling water. Grate the cheese and use as a topping. Best served with decent Chianti and crusty bread and butter.
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