Spag bol.....what are your 'must have' additions?

[Arrowfoot]

Wide tagliatelle ribbons are the right pasta to have with Bolognese anyway, Italians wouldn't entertain the thought of spaghetti with ragu, it's all wrong.

And buy a decent premium brand of pasta, not Tescos Economy. Makes a world of difference.

Absolutely. The most important thing is the type and quality of pasta. The ingredients and cooking comes second. Get the pasta wrong and things begin to slide.

My first trip to Italy and I was blown away by taste and texture of pasta and how the sauces get infused. I tried to time my boiling and realised that it is not same for various types of brand.

Love their food - One of the holy trinity with the French and Japanese.

 

[Randomnerd]

Hendersons here also.

Hendo’s on everything though @Jody, if you’re from Sheffield or related by birth or ever ate a pie in South Yorkshire…

SWEARY VIDEO CLIP!

 

[Cycleops]

So how was it @Dave7 ? Do you have a warm contented feeling this morning or were you rushing for the Liver Salts?

 

[Dave7]

So how was it @Dave7 ? Do you have a warm contented feeling this morning or were you rushing for the Liver Salts?

Good day to you.
It was voted a great success by all (2 of us) that partook.
IMO I was a bit heavy on the pepper or chilli (not sure which) but swmbo didn't think so.
I will definitely invest in some better quality spaghetti though.......tbh I thought spag was spag.
Plenty lf bolognese left so thinking what to do with it.

 

[winjim]

Spag is too messy, just about any other pasta is much better (not lasagne sheets!) or rather cleaner.

Lasagne sheets are fine as long as you layer it with some bechamel, surely?

 

[flake99please]

Bay leaves.

 

[Andy_R]

Isn't spag bol a british interpretation of Italian cuisine anyway?

No. Bolognaise sauce has it's origins in the city of Bologna. What we get on the supermarket shelves in jars is not Bolognaise sauce.

 

[bitsandbobs]

Chicken livers. Don't add too many or it will be impossibly rich.

Delia Smiths original 70s recipe called for chicken livers. The current version on her website substitutes pancetta. Whilst a bit more modern i suppose, it seems a bit of a step backwards to me.

 

[Andy_R]

Delia Smiths original 70s recipe called for chicken livers. The current version on her website substitutes pancetta. Whilst a bit more modern i suppose, it seems a bit of a step backwards to me.

Pancetta wasn't readily available in the UK in the 70's so cooks like Delia used alternatives like chicken liver.

 

[DaveReading]

+1 for chicken livers.

 

[Reynard]

Speaking of spaghetti and pasta...

Last year when things were hard to come by, Tesco had all sorts of "weird brands" in all over the shop. Now we're a bit provincial here, and most people tend to be conservative with food choices, and so if they see something they're not familiar with, they won't buy it. Ergo a lot of the stuff ended up in clearance, and well, me being me, I didn't need a second invitation.

I picked up a whole job lot of bronze die spaghetti, as well as Naples-made ordinary pasta and spaghetti. People didn't want the Naples-made stuff because there weren't any English instructions on it, and it's significantly darker than the typical pasta for sale here in the UK. I only paid 37p a kilo, so let's just say I stocked up...

Have to say, it is SO nice. There' is a distinct difference between pasta made for the UK market and pasta made for the Italian market, that's for sure.

P.S. I also picked up a job lot of 00-grade pasta flour at 15p a kilo...

 

[Arrowfoot]

Speaking of spaghetti and pasta...

Last year when things were hard to come by, Tesco had all sorts of "weird brands" in all over the shop. Now we're a bit provincial here, and most people tend to be conservative with food choices, and so if they see something they're not familiar with, they won't buy it. Ergo a lot of the stuff ended up in clearance, and well, me being me, I didn't need a second invitation.

I picked up a whole job lot of bronze die spaghetti, as well as Naples-made ordinary pasta and spaghetti. People didn't want the Naples-made stuff because there weren't any English instructions on it, and it's significantly darker than the typical pasta for sale here in the UK. I only paid 37p a kilo, so let's just say I stocked up...

Have to say, it is SO nice. There' is a distinct difference between pasta made for the UK market and pasta made for the Italian market, that's for sure.

P.S. I also picked up a job lot of 00-grade pasta flour at 15p a kilo...

Next time you get into these opportunities put out some pics. Keen on improving my pasta selection.

 

[Reynard]

Next time you get into this opportunities put out some pics. Keen on improving my pasta selection.

It may be a while, I bought what amounts to a four year supply

 

[slowmotion]

Delia Smiths original 70s recipe called for chicken livers. The current version on her website substitutes pancetta. Whilst a bit more modern i suppose, it seems a bit of a step backwards to me.

Spot on! I still use her ragu recipe. Here it is.......

I add a few cut-up up anchovy fillets.

 

[Reynard]

Spot on! I still use her ragu recipe. Here it is.......

View attachment 595901

I add a few cut-up up anchovy fillets.

Is that her "How to Cook" volume published in the mid-ish 70s? Novel sized, hardback, about 2 inches thick?

If so, I have a copy too. Love her recipe for Eggs Florentine