The Ultimate Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti bolognese is one of those meals that everyone knows how to make. There are lots of variations on the basic recipe, everyone has their own little twist that makes the meal special. It is a meal that is perfect for serving when the family get together. When all my family got together at Knockbrex Castle for a family occasion, my brother cooked spaghetti bolognese on the night we arrived. It is a meal that is best cooked slowly, allowing the meat to gradually infused with the flavour of the tomatoes and herbs. Served with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and herbs on top of spaghetti, it is messy to eat but totally delicious. Strangely my dog loves spaghetti and will lurk under the table hoping for a strand. He will suck it down in Lady and the Tramp fashion, providing some entertainment while we eat.

Recently Lea and Perrins got in touch and asked if I would like to try their Lovelea recipe for spaghetti bolognese. The recipe uses a secret ingredient, Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce. I love eating spaghetti bolognese so was happy to try. It is one of those meals that can be eaten at any time and if you have any left over it can be frozen and used another day. In fact I often make twice as much of the mince mixture for that very reason.

To make the bolognese the main ingredient is mince. To this was added panacetta, garlic, onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms. To make the sauce I used a mix of tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, red wine, beef stock and of course Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce. I love my sauce to be full of tomato flavour so always add extra tomato purée. To complete the dish I had some basil, parmesan cheese and spaghetti. I got to work chopping, simmering and stirring.

A gorgeous smell wafted though the house as the mixture simmered on the stove, making me hungry and prompting my son to ask when dinner would be ready.  I cooked the mixture slowly wanting to impart the full flavour to the mixture. Soon it was time to boil the water for the spaghetti and wait for that to be ready.

Finally I served the dish, sprinkling over the parmesan cheese and a little shredded basil. The dish was worth the wait, it was full of flavour, the ultimate spaghetti bolognese. As Lea and Perrins say “A dash makes all the difference”, and in this case it added a lot more flavour to the dish. There were empty plates all round, much to the dogs disappointment.

Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Spaghetti Bolognese

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Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 5 chestnut mushrooms
• A small handful of panacetta cubes
• 500 g beef mince
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml beef stock
• 1 glass red wine
• 4 tbsp Lea and Perrins Worchestershire sauce
• 350 g spaghetti
• Handful grated parmesan
• A few sprigs of basil chopped

Instructions

• Add some oil into a pan and fry the panacetta until it browns and becomes crispy
• Add the mince and cook until brown
• Peel and chop the onions, carrot, celery, garlic and mushrooms and add them to the mince mixture, stirring well.
• Add the tomato purée to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring to coat everything with the purée.
• Add the red wine and the beef stock and simmer until the liquid reduces by half.
• Add the tin of tomatoes and the Lea and Perrins Worchestershire sauce to the pan.
• Simmer gently for 45 minutes.
• To make the spaghetti bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook for around 8 – 10 minutes.
• Place the spaghetti on a plate and add some bolognese to the top.
• Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese and the chopped basil

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If you wish you can serve the meal with a green salad and garlic bread to make a much more elaborate meal.