Ready, Steady, Spaghetti

February 19, 2015

The humble spag bol gets a bit of a bad rap these days.

Sure, it's old school, basic and unsophisticated. It's meaty, unapologetically carbtastic and all the things we're supposed to eschew in these times of organic this and gluten free sustainable artisan that.

But bogan?

Well, bleach my hair and call me Shazza because it's always been one of my favourite meals to both cook and consume.

spaghetti bolognaise | Almost Posh

This may be because I grew up in Port Augusta in the 80s, where the most exotic cuisine available was lemon chicken from the now-closed King Po Chinese Restaurant and Takeaway.

I'm not much of a creative cook and most of my staple dishes are traditional old-school country meals you might find in the Wirrabara Primary School Cookbook. I will unapologetically serve up casseroles, meat and three veg, roasts and tuna mornae alongside the multi-cultural offerings of the new millenium like laksa and curries.

Lots of blogs turn out amazing healthy recipes which I will happily pin to Pinterest and then forget about unless it promises the use of only one pan or mug, in the case of the amazing microwave brownie.

I think this cooking apathy comes from a pathological loathing of doing the dishes. I hate it. HAAAAATE it. And after finally moving into a house that has a dishwasher (cue angelic choir every time I open it), it is still a hard mindset to move away from. No longer do I have to be utensil retentive. However I will use the nasty cheap saucepans rather than the good Tefal ones because they can go in the dishwasher!

So, anyway, my top tips for spaghetti bolognese:

Use pork mince. Seriously. Even if you're not into pork (like me), use pork mince. You will never look back. We switched a few years ago and the change in flavour was amazing. Also, it's better for you.

Use a pre-made jar if you want but only as a base. Add extra cans of tomatoes, onion, fresh or minced garlic, herbs, salt and pepper, chilli flakes if you like. Add a splash of red wine. Not heaps, just a splash. Give it a good chance to simmer and boil down into flavourtown.

Use whatever pasta you want. Seriously. Nobody is judging. Bows, alphagetti, spirals, penne, fettucini . . . I like angel hair because it cooks quickly or the vegeroni spirals. Align yourself to a particular brand or get whatever's on special. Personally, I buy San Remo because they're South Australian, but that's me.

Serve, eat, freeze the rest.


Simples!

Where do you stand on spaghetti?

You Might Also Like

3 comments

  1. I would never have thought of bolognese as bogan! It's such an easy dish to make I think everyone has their own twist to it. Really tasty option for the winter months, and so easy to freeze and reheat again later! I agree with you on adding extra veggies in, so tasty when you do that. Never tried it with pork though I must confess!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, Mica! I kept seeing it pop up on sites like Things Bogan Likes and Bogan Recipes etc. I had it again last night and for lunch today! Let me know if you ever try pork mince - it really does make such a difference.

      Delete
  2. One of the first dishes I learnt to cook, had no idea it was bogan. lol

    Must try pork mince next time round.

    ReplyDelete