SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

I find it hard to believe that I've been writing this blog for over six months and I still haven't shared my recipe for spaghetti bolognese (or "spag bol", as us Brits call it). This was my favourite meal as a child growing up in the 1980s, probably because it was one of the most exotic meals on the menu. Back in those days, spaghetti bolognese night was the only time we ever ate pasta (unless you count canned spaghetti in tomato sauce), which I find rather incredible considering how much of the stuff my own children consume!

This recipe is probably as far from a classic Italian spaghetti bolognese (or ragu) as you can get but it's the only version I can contemplate making because it's the dish of my childhood. It's not my mother's recipe, but it tastes similar (from what I can remember) even though I've made some tweaks to make it more acceptable to my own children. They are not keen on "bits" so I've learnt to grate the carrots rather than dice them, and to use passata in place of canned tomatoes for a smoother sauce - and cleaner plates!

The recipe I've given below serves four adults, but the sauce is ideal for batch cooking so the ingredients can easily be doubled, or even tripled if you have a large enough saucepan. I also use the sauce as a base for lasagne (recipe to follow another time), which is a fabulous dish to serve when you have a crowd to feed.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves 4

2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (100g prepared weight)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g lean steak mince (5% fat)
1 reduced-salt beef stock cube
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried mixed herbs (I like to use Italian seasoning)
400g passata
350g dried spaghetti
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat the oil over a low-medium heat, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Increase the heat and add the mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over. Crumble over the stock cube and stir until thoroughly combined.

Add the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and passata. Season to taste with pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for at least 25 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and reduced.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, then add the spaghetti and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender but firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to dishes along with the bolognese sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tips

• There's no reason why you couldn't add extra vegetables to the sauce - mushrooms work especially well, but finely diced red peppers or celery, or grated courgette would also make fantastic additions.
• The bolognese sauce freezes successfully and is very useful to have to hand when you need a quick dinner. Freeze in single portions in freezerproof containers or freezer bags. Remember to label and date them - unless you enjoy playing freezer roulette!
• When I'm cooking meals that the children will eat, I only season with pepper as I figure that some of the ingredients I use (for example, the stock cube, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan) are salty already.

CHILLI CON CARNE

Chilli con carne might seem like an odd meal to give to children, but this is actually a fairly mild version and my kids certainly don't seem to find the spiciness off-putting – if I'm perfectly honest, they object more to the red pepper! If I'm cooking for both adults and kids, I tend to keep the chilli con carne fairly mild but serve it with crushed chilli flakes alongside, so anyone who wants their portion to have extra heat can add the chilli flakes at the table.

We went to the South Devon Chilli Farm recently and the chilli con carne they were serving in their café included dark chocolate in its ingredients. I really fancy trying that out at home sometime. My husband tried the stuff at the chilli farm and said he couldn't really taste the chocolate but presumably it's supposed to add an extra depth of flavour. What do you think? Has anyone been brave enough to try this? I've tried a few different brands of dark chocolate with chilli and I quite liked them, in a weird kind of way, so I definitely think it's a flavour combination that works.

Chilli con carne is a great meal to cook for a crowd. Even if I'm just cooking for the four of us, I usually make a double batch because it freezes well. I find that using mince is an economical way to make meat-based meals but if you want to stretch out the meat even further simply add more beans – chickpeas are a nice addition.

There are loads of ways to serve beef chilli – whether with rice, spooned over tortilla chips for nachos, or as a filling for tortillas. We love to eat ours with avocado, natural yogurt and grated cheese on the side.

Chilli con carne

Serves 4

½ tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
½ tbsp ground cumin
½ tbsp paprika
½ tsp mild chilli powder
450g lean beef mince

1 reduced-salt beef stock cube

150ml water
250g passata or canned chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
200-g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Pour the oil into a large saucepan and place over a low–medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 8 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and red chilli and cook for a further minute, then stir in the spices.

Meanwhile, place another large saucepan over a medium–high heat. Add the beef and dry-fry, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned all over. Crumble over the stock cube and stir well.

Add the browned beef to the onion mixture. Add the water, passata, tomato purée, oregano and bay leaf and stir to combine well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add the kidney beans and cook for a further 15 minutes. If the mixture seems runny, continue to simmer until reduced. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Tuck in!