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Yes, I know Spag Bol isn’t actually Italian, but it is Italian-style. The sauce doesn’t just have to be served with spaghetti – any other pasta will do, as would chips, baguettes, garlic bread or jacket potato.
Ingredients
450g tin of chopped tomatos
500g of lean minced beef, frozen
4 rashers of pancetta or smoked bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 to 4 mushrooms, chopped
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 glass of red wine
1 1/2 teaspoon of dried chopped basil
1 teaspoon of dried chopped oregano
a little beef gravy powder or cornflour
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
150g dried spaghetti
2 to 3 tablespoons of mushroom ketchup (optional)
10 black olives, sliced (optional)
Method
Grill the pancetta or bacon until it starts to crisp. Then leave to cool. Once cool, chop as finely as possible.
Fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they start to become transparent. Then add the minced beef. Cook the beef, stirring occasionally, until it has browned. Now add the tomatos, wine, herbs, chopped bacon, mushrooms, mushroom ketchup and olives.
Combine a little gravy powder or cornflour with water in a glass and then add to sauce to thicken slightly. When the sauce looks thick and rich, taste it and add salt, pepper and more olive oil as required. The sauce should now be left to simmer for at least one hour.
Cook the spaghetti, as per the instructions on the packaging. Once cooked, thoroughly drain the spaghetti and place in plates or shallow bowls. Pour sauce over the pasta and garnish with generous amounts of parmesan cheese and a sprig of fresh oregano or basil.
