A British Spag Bolognese

It's letter B in Alphabetti, an A to Z of twisted pasta. We are taking an easy shot at an absolute classic, spaghetti bolognese.

1 hour cook

Serves 4

Hugh Woodward
Ragu 1.png

Ingredients

  • 150gsliced unsmoked streaky bacon
  • 800g10% fat beef mince
  • 1 tbspflaked sea salt
  • 50gunsalted butter
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
  • 1celery rib, finely diced
  • 1onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 bunchthyme
  • 2 tbsptomato concentrate
  • 500mlblonde beer
  • 1 tsp (or more if you like)worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbspmarmite
  • 500mlbeef stock
  • 500grigatoni, cooked
  • 100gred leicester, grated

Spag bol is already pretty controversial, so why not take that even further and Anglicise the whole thing? Enter stage a whole host of slightly (in this context) suss British ingredients. You know what though? It works. The marmite gives complexity, a yeasty richness. Worcestershire sauce? Depth and tang. Give it a try - you won't regret it.

Method

  • Get a heavy bottomed saucepan and place the streaky bacon in it. Start on a low heat and gently render the fat from the bacon, leaving it crisp and delicious with a pan full of bacon fat. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.
  • Season the beef and fry in big chunks one at a time until they are nicely browned, then remove these and set aside as well.
  • Add the butter and turn down the heat, then gently fry the vegetables until soft and jammy. Add the thyme and tomato concentrate, then stir for around 30 seconds to cook out the metallic tomato taste.
  • Deglaze with the beer, then add the Worcershire sauce and the marmite. Pour on the stock and bring the whole thing to a gentle simmer - allow to thicken and reduce for around 40 minutes, until thick and delicious.
  • Toss together with the pasta and some of the cheese, then top with more cheese and revel in its Britishness.

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    Hugh Woodward

    Hugh Woodward

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    Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.

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