The staple meal in our household.
I could eat it every night.
And yet, it’s never quite the same. A tweak here, a splash of something there. Makes it different every time. Tonight I went to spell the word for the heading and learned that the spelling is even different. I always thought that it was spelled “Bolognaise” but have learned that the French spell it that way; the Italian way is “Bolognese”. Interesting huh! Not really, so I’ll move on to the dish!
I made my spaghetti earlier today, using just flour and water and rolling it through the machine. I was pleased to find I could do it myself, thinking it may have been a two person job. I rolled it out on to a floured tray and put it in the freezer.
When I cook something without a recipe, I find it difficult to tell someone else my measurements, if they ask for my recipe. I just watch what the food is doing, see how it’s coming together. This is how my sauce is made. I can tell you my ingredients, I just can’t tell you the exact measurements of things. So when I’m asked for a recipe, unless I’ve used one for the dish I’ve made, it’s very much guesswork and personal taste.
My sauce is easy. Brown a brown onion and a clove of garlic, both diced up. Throw in the beef mince and brown it. A splash of red wine. Finely grated carrots, zucchini and chopped tomatoes. If tomatoes aren’t great fresh, then I use tinned tomatoes. Some beef stock goes in and I bring it all to the boil. Put in some tomato paste. If it needs to be thickened up, I add some cornflour. The final touch is some tarragon leaves, some basil and some flat-leaf parsley.
Some nights, I leave out the zucchini and carrot. Throw in some red capsicum, chilli, black or kalamata olives and mushrooms. Other nights I leave out the mince and use sausage instead. I cook my sauce with the attitude of “anything goes” and we are yet to have a bad one.
So by the time the spaghetti is cooked, we’re desperate to put the delicious smelling sauce on top and into our bellies. Yum.