BY ANTONIO CARLUCCIO, writing for the Daily Mail in January 2010
For decades, you British cooks have been churning out spaghetti bolognese for every dinner occasion you can think of – all the time believing you’ve been making an authentic Italian dish. How wrong you are.
This week, the Italian farmers’ union denounced your ‘bolognese’ sauce as an ‘improbable concoction’. And I couldn’t agree more. Spaghetti bolognese is no more authentic Italian than I am authentic British.
Because, when I first arrived in London in 1975, I had no idea what people meant when they referred to this ‘famous Italian dish’ spaghetti bolognese.
In fact, the bolognese served across the UK today is a purely British invention, cultivated by Italian chefs over here in the Sixties.
It panders to what the Italians believe British people expect from Mediterranean food – plenty of garlic and loads of herbs, and served with spaghetti.
But it bears no resemblance to a traditional Italian ‘bolognese’, known as a ragu, which has no garlic whatsoever, nor a single herb.
This is by far the best-known bolognese recipe which, to be genuine, has to be made with fresh tagliatelle. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
500g (1lb) fresh tagliatelle or 400g dried egg tagliatelle
60g (2oz) parmesan cheese, grated
FOR THE RAGU
55g (1.9oz) butter
55g (1.9oz) minced prosciutto fat or pancetta
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
100g (3.5oz) minced lean veal or beef
100g (3.5oz) minced lean pork
1 glass of dry white wine
A little beef or chicken stock
3 tbsp tomato paste salt and pepper
METHOD
To make the ragu, heat the butter in a large pan, add the prosciutto fat or pancetta, carrot, celery and onion and fry gently for about 10 minutes.
Add the minced meats and stir with a wooden spoon to break them into smaller chunks.
Cook for about 15 minutes to brown the meat, then add the wine and bubble for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Stir in a little stock to prevent the mixture sticking to the pan. Stir in the tomato paste and dilute with a few tablespoons of stock. Leave to simmer for 90 minutes, adding more stock if the mixture becomes dry. Then add a little more stock to obtain a smooth consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water until al dente, then drain and mix with the sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese.