Jennifer learns to cook: Spaghetti Bolognese

As classic as cottage pie or bobotie, spaghetti Bolognese is just as useful for tightening-the-belt budget days. The true Bolognese sauce which gives the dish its name is a hearty mixture of meat, herbs and wine, quite unlike the subtle French sauces, but delicious in its way.

These are the basic ingredients for a true Bolognese sauce – known as ragu in its native town Bologna. You can drop the chicken livers and the wine, but don’t expect quite such delicious results.

8oz (226g) minced beef
4oz (113g) chicken livers
1 carrot
1 onion
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 wineglassful white wine
Olive oil or bacon fat
Chopped parsley
Bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Pinch nutmeg
½ pint (236ml) light meat stock
8oz (226g) spaghetti
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Chop the onion and the carrot finely. Brown them gently in the oil or fat in a heavy saucepan.

2.    Stir in the minced beef, turning it over until it has browned evenly. Add the chopped chicken livers, then the tomato paste and the wine. Season, add the nutmeg, bay leaf, parsley and the stock and simmer gently with the lid on the pan for a good 30 minutes.

3.    While the sauce is cooking, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil – at least 4 quarts (946ml) of water for 8oz (226g) of spaghetti. Add the spaghetti slowly, pushing it in as it softens. Cook for approximately 12-15 minutes or until the pasta is just resistant to the touch – al dente to the Italians.

4.    Drain the cooked spaghetti and place in a heated dish. Pour the sauce over it and sprinkle very generously with grated parmesan cheese. Mix together. Delicious!

This is the original recipe from the magazine and has not been altered.