What goes in your Spagbol?

Two table spoons of Creme Fraiche plus a tbl spoon of chili olive oil.

I use beef mince, onions, celery, sometimes carrots depending on what kind of mood i'm in, peppers, chilli peppers, red wine, juice of an orange if i'm feeling really flash, couple of tins of tomatoes, tin of tomato soup and passata.

Chop two middle-sized onions and add the pieces to three tablespoons of heated olive oil. Fry gently and stir till the onions get really soft. Add beef mince and then spice it up with black pepper, salt, parsley, basil. Finally finish it with a jar or two of Tesco original pasta sauce Of course when I lived in Serbia I used my Mum's home made tomato sauce which is always brilliant but since I have no idea how to make it myself and it probably takes a lot of time and patience, I find Tesco pasta sauce an ideal substitute. It already contains celery, oregano, white pepper etc. Serve it with melted cheese and a glass of quality red wine.

El Jarvo wrote: What do you stick in your sauce?

Everyone's different. Got one mate who swears by 'nine veg' in his mix. Can't remember which nine, but peppers and 'shrooms are ominpresent.

I've always been a traditionalist meself. Nice base of celery / carrots / onions and garlic (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties) and for my meats go for beef mince (or veal mince if I can get it), chicken livers and pancetta (or bacon). Have always cooked my meats in milk too. Can't even remember why, think it's supposed to tenderise them more. For the 'erbs I go with oregano, basil, bay leaf and nutmeg. And chuck in a dribble of balsamic and worcester sauce. Then I boil the whole shebang down in passata and TWO bottles of marsala wine, so it takes a minimium of 4hrs for that lot to go from soup to sauce.

Anyways, caught Heston Blumenthal's "In Search of Perfection" prog over Xmas and his Spagbol recipe was convoluted, to say the least, but he raved about using star anise (reckons it accentuates the meat flavours) and also Thai Fish Sauce! Added these two ingredients at the weekend and they do, truly, give you a really meaty ragu. Maybe a bit too meaty, they completely drown the flavour of any tomato whatsoever so you effectively ended up with a 'gravy'. Nice all the same, mind. Might need an extra bottle of passata if I use them again though.

So, anyone else got any bizarre ingredients they stick in theirs?!

Jesus, that sounds awful. Remind never to come to yours for dinner.

Angel with a Catapult wrote: Jesus, that sounds awful. Remind never to come to yours for dinner.

Great! More for me!

I got into making lasagne for a while and put all sorts in there. Nothing as exotic as Al, but got some really good results as I perfected a recipe (which I then forgot).

From memory, beef, pork and lamb mince went into the sauce (or Sunday Gravy, as I believe the Italians call it). Plenty of red wine, billions of tomatoes and lots of herbs and spices including garlic, ginger and a little fresh chilli. Two different types of cheese sauce, a standard béchamel (featuring traditional Scottish ingredient of mustard) and another made from egg and ricotta.

The killer punch came in the layering - sauce, pasta, sauce then a layer of cured ham, which almost dissolves when cooked. Then more sauce and pasta layers then, right beneath the top layer of sauce, a covering of basil leaves (anyone spot where I nicked that one from). Top with sliced mozzarella and tomato and you've got a one-stop heart attack right there in the oven. And a messy kitchen, if you've done it right.

Meat cooked in milk? But how do you brown it (shut up at the back please)

Sounds like something my wee susters would do, she start with the veg and watery ingredients with still pink mince, and the meat tastes SO BLAND.

I mean milk BURNS before most animal tissue fats even liquify.

A chef once told me never to buy the very best lean mince for spagbol, as the fats are very important.

(mind you, buying 50p/10kg reconstituted lips, teeth, foreskins and ringpieces, is not the preferred alternative)

Doctor? wrote:

lips, teeth, foreskins and ringpieces

BIGINOIL wrote:

Doctor? wrote:

lips, teeth, foreskins and ringpieces

In my day,the kids used to sing it as... Heads,shoulders,knees and toes,knees and toes.

They are dragged up nowadays!

Mrs BRF makes a nectar Spag bol kids love it an all. Not a ringpiece left on the plate by anyone.

NObabe wrote: Chop two middle-sized onions and add the pieces to three tablespoons of heated olive oil. Fry gently and stir till the onions get really soft. Add beef mince and then spice it up with black pepper, salt, parsley, basil. Finally finish it with a jar or two of Tesco original pasta sauce

That's exactly what I do although I usually add more veg and I use Dolmio, yum!

El Jarvo wrote: (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties)

Listen, bollocks to the Eyeties. Itallian scran is one of the most overrated "cuisines" around. I visit my pal Ruth at least three times a year in her wee village in the Abruzzo where she lives with her Tally husband. I've eaten at their house loads and in all the little rustic eateries frequented by the locals thart surround them. All decidedly average.

Pasta and pizza. That's all they fuckin eat. ALL THE TIME!!!! They live right by the port and his old man runs a fish restaurant. But you cannae just have a bit of fish...it's fish pasta!! With a pasta starter. And another wee bowl of pasta at the end. And Ruth bangs on about how she loves Italy for the food. Mind you she does come from Airdrie so anything's likely to be an improvement to what she's used to.

Most importantly,drain the fat off once you've brown the mince off.

D'You know what i like though? A mix of Sheperds Pie & Spag Bol. Basically Do the mince and sauce part of the spag,then make some fresh mash mixed with some tomato juice (the kind you find in tinned plum tomatoes) then grill it until the potato crisps up on top.

steveone wrote:

D'You know what i like though? A mix of Sheperds Pie & Spag Bol. Basically Do the mince and sauce part of the spag,then make some fresh mash mixed with some tomato juice (the kind you find in tinned plum tomatoes) then grill it until the potato crisps up on top.

I'm not sure whether i'm offended or tempted by that!

Reading it back,it sounds awful! but its just basically Sheperds pie with tomato. It is really tasty,its probably got a name because it was something i had on holiday in Italy a few years ago.

Nothing goes in mine, I don't ever make it. Haven't eaten beef mince for many years now.

GlasVegas wrote:

El Jarvo wrote: (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties)

Listen, bollocks to the Eyeties. Itallian scran is one of the most overrated "cuisines" around. I visit my pal Ruth at least three times a year in her wee village in the Abruzzo where she lives with her Tally husband. I've eaten at their house loads and in all the little rustic eateries frequented by the locals thart surround them. All decidedly average.

I agree completely. . I didn't have my first proper american thanksgiving until I was in college. it was like "where's the lasagne or and raviolis? What's this bird thingie in the middle of the table??" dagos

ChrissMari Must Die! wrote:

GlasVegas wrote:

El Jarvo wrote: (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties)

Listen, bollocks to the Eyeties. Itallian scran is one of the most overrated "cuisines" around. I visit my pal Ruth at least three times a year in her wee village in the Abruzzo where she lives with her Tally husband. I've eaten at their house loads and in all the little rustic eateries frequented by the locals thart surround them. All decidedly average.

I agree completely. . I didn't have my first proper american thanksgiving until I was in college. it was like "where's the lasagne or and raviolis? What's this bird thingie in the middle of the table??" dagos

Yeah, it's their arrogance that cracks me up most. That whole "just like mama used to make it" pish. Pizza and pasta. Pizza and fuckin pasta!

God I'm hungry now... Wish I hadn't started reading this lot.. Gonna have to go make myself a little snack now..

GlasVegas wrote:

ChrissMari Must Die! wrote:

GlasVegas wrote:

El Jarvo wrote: (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties)

Listen, bollocks to the Eyeties. Itallian scran is one of the most overrated "cuisines" around. I visit my pal Ruth at least three times a year in her wee village in the Abruzzo where she lives with her Tally husband. I've eaten at their house loads and in all the little rustic eateries frequented by the locals thart surround them. All decidedly average.

I agree completely. . I didn't have my first proper american thanksgiving until I was in college. it was like "where's the lasagne or and raviolis? What's this bird thingie in the middle of the table??" dagos

Yeah, it's their arrogance that cracks me up most. That whole "just like mama used to make it" pish. Pizza and pasta. Pizza and fuckin pasta!

I've just finished reading Pierluigi Collina's autobiography, he's obsessed with pasta!

ChrissMari Must Die! wrote:

GlasVegas wrote:

El Jarvo wrote: (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties)

Listen, bollocks to the Eyeties. Itallian scran is one of the most overrated "cuisines" around. I visit my pal Ruth at least three times a year in her wee village in the Abruzzo where she lives with her Tally husband. I've eaten at their house loads and in all the little rustic eateries frequented by the locals thart surround them. All decidedly average.

I agree completely. . I didn't have my first proper american thanksgiving until I was in college. it was like "where's the lasagne or and raviolis? What's this bird thingie in the middle of the table??" dagos

When I was a lad, we had the bird thingie... Along with the mashed potatoes, stuffing, greenbeans, candied yams, and cranberry sauce.

And the ham, dungeness crab, lasagne, ravioli, three bean salad, and green salad.

After we had our sourdough bread, garlic olives, prosciutto, salami, and mortadella, but before we had our pumpkin pie, mince meat pie, and jello salad...

I feel like I'm forgetting a few of the courses...

El Jarvo wrote: What do you stick in your sauce? ...I've always been a traditionalist meself. Nice base of celery / carrots / onions and garlic (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties)

Celery? Carrots? Sounds like traditional Engerlish, to me...

No sense me making a Bolognese, being vegetarian an' all, but I do occasionally make my grannie's chuck roast sauce, sans chuck roast.

Just brown the diced onions and tomato paste in olive oil, Add water, tomato sauce, minced garlic and parley, sugar, and salt to taste, then simmer.

I have no idea what's in my spagetti, wife cooks it, I eat it....you know, a 50/50 relationship.

Can't give my reciepe away, although strips of Smoked Bacon is but one item I include :D

El Jarvo wrote: EDIT: Apparently the base is know as a soffritto!

Good base for a Minnestrone, that's for sure.

GlasVegas wrote: All decidedly average.

I've yet to find an Italian pizza that compares to a New York pizza. I'll keep trying, though...

On the other hand, I had THE BEST gnocchi ever in Milano. Tried to find the place the second time I went, and couldn't remember exactly which place it was, but thought I'd sorted it out, sat down, ordered the gnocchi, and was informed that they weren't serving gnocchi that day...

El Jarvo wrote:

Doctor? wrote: Meat cooked in milk? But how do you brown it (shut up at the back please)

Sounds like something my wee susters would do, she start with the veg and watery ingredients with still pink mince, and the meat tastes SO BLAND.

I par-fry the meat, then add the milk.

I really don't do BLAND, Steveo.

Phew, was starting to think you'd gone fluffy on the inside of yer head there. In that case, it sounds fairly bloody nice

I'm very simple with mine, onions, bit of garlic, toms, peppers, and maybe some shrooms. And of course a slice or two of bacon to sry off before the mince at the start.

Don't like most bottled sauces, too over strong. And I hate having too much sauce with me pasta, which is apparently "correct" in that you're only supposed to use enough sauce to make yer pasta taste great.

El Jarvo wrote:

Comrade Shampanyov wrote: Celery? Carrots? Sounds like traditional Engerlish, to me...

Eh? Google it. Invented by the Italians. Them's their choices, not ours. !

I just googled it, and you are correct, sir.

This was invented by the Italians so many years ago, and it was their version of our 'Stew' ie; cheap meal, so pretty much went into it. However, The Italians use no such recipes these days, its just our pompous tv chefs that do............

Whilst I like to make it from scratch, hours of work do not always permit and it is one of the quickest things to make when the kids are starving. Brown the LEANEST STEAK MINCE and then add chopped red onion; when the onion has 'sweated' add 'Four Seasons Organic' Pasta Sauce and half a jar of the the same but with Baby Cherry Toms and Roasted Garlic Sauce; stir - do not boil or even simmer just heat................. then add half a bulb of roasted garlic - roast a whole bulb until its soft and squeeze the bit out of the middle into the pasta (the rest is great to make garlic bread); heat it through and hey presto! (if you love basil - throw loads of it in - not dried herbs - fresh and chopped loosely)

Spaghetti tip here; if you dont make it or buy fresh, buy organic spaghetti, cook until nearly nearly done(with a dash of sea salt and olive oil in the water), drain it well, heat some olive oil in a pan until smoking, add the spaghetti back to the pan, toss well, add some fresh chopped basil................ stops it sticking and going cold.

So forget the fancy recipies guys!

Bloody hell, I should write a book!

Add a bottle or two of wine to the table, plenty of parmesan..........yum.

I make 2 types of sauces, one thats slow cooked the other fast.

Sunday Gravy Saute olive oil, garlic and onions then add crushed tomatoes and little bit off tomato paste, then basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Slow cook with sausage and meatballs for about 2 hours.

Marinara Saute garlic in olive oil, add can of crushed tomatoes, cook about 10 minutes add pinch of sugar, basil and salt and done.

Tim wrote: Nothing goes in mine, I don't ever make it. Haven't eaten beef mince for many years now.

Tim tou want to try and force yourself to eat you,ll make yourself ill mate.

I'm not that fussed on it or lasagne. Hence I've never made either or ordered either in a restaurant. Though I have sampled a few nice lasagnes in restaurants. Saw Bloomenthal's program. 8 hours to prepare a simple peasant dish? His presentation was daft as well.

As far as mainstream Spaghetti goes, I have tried sauces from Ragu, Prego, and Paul Newman.

Now, I love to eat seafood spaghetti. The sauce is made of tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic, shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, and fresh basil. Yum...

[magenta]cozmonite61[/magenta] wrote: As far as mainstream Spaghetti goes, I have tried sauces from Ragu, Prego, and Paul Newman.

Now, I love to eat seafood spaghetti. The sauce is made of tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic, shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, and fresh basil. Yum...

Ever had cioppino, Coz?

No, but after reading that article...

This gives you an idea of what it looks like, how it's made. Unbelievably good.

Used to be an inexpensive meal for Italian fishermen working off the wharfs in San Francisco, prolly expensive as all get out these days....

Haa... Haaa...

Wow Al, you really go to town - especially with your meat choices. Impressed that you enjoyed the chicken pasta I cooked for you after reading that!

Mine is chopped toms, onion, peppers, celery sometimes carrot (don't like mushrooms in it), tom purree, garlic, bit of stock and red wine. Organic beef mince has been my only meat choice so far, but I may be inspired to progress beyond that with your imfluence!

Comrade Shampanyov wrote:

ChrissMari Must Die! wrote:

GlasVegas wrote:

El Jarvo wrote: (though I believe garlic is frowned upon with the Eyeties)

Listen, bollocks to the Eyeties. Itallian scran is one of the most overrated "cuisines" around. I visit my pal Ruth at least three times a year in her wee village in the Abruzzo where she lives with her Tally husband. I've eaten at their house loads and in all the little rustic eateries frequented by the locals thart surround them. All decidedly average.

I agree completely. . I didn't have my first proper american thanksgiving until I was in college. it was like "where's the lasagne or and raviolis? What's this bird thingie in the middle of the table??" dagos

When I was a lad, we had the bird thingie... Along with the mashed potatoes, stuffing, greenbeans, candied yams, and cranberry sauce.

And the ham, dungeness crab, lasagne, ravioli, three bean salad, and green salad.

After we had our sourdough bread, garlic olives, prosciutto, salami, and mortadella, but before we had our pumpkin pie, mince meat pie, and jello salad...

I feel like I'm forgetting a few of the courses...

we had ham... I think my mummum used to make turkey before my time but no one ate it.. haha we had chicken for christmas this year! :P

Shug wrote: Lean Steak Mince, Green, Red & Yellow Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms & Chopped Tomatoes. Plenty of Basil, Oregano & Italian Mixed Herbs & Garlic.

Viola.

i still want to know why shug adds a string instrument to his...

Must give it a stringy texture.

garlic, onion mushroom the meat (the healthy living - extra-low fat one) cherry tomato tin of puree maybe a tin of skinned plum tomato half a glass of red wine

drink the other half glass it's from Chile - half price in tesco - nice!

oh, and ALWAYS use the wholewheat spaghetti

had it last nite - lovely

The Side dishes are equally important!

Garlic Bread!

steveone wrote: The Side dishes are equally important!

Garlic Bread!

And copious amounts of parmesan.........

Napolitan pesto with parmesan.