I remember being thrilled that he was cooking for me, although vaguely concerned that he put carrots in it. Carrots? In Spag Bol? Don't get me wrong, I have never been to Bologna, and I'm no purist (as you know from my previous post, I even serve risotto more than two minutes after it has finished cooking - oh the shame..). But carrots?
Anyway, clearly I wasn't too bothered, as we have been together 22 years since then. I seem to remember that I broke one of his wine glasses that night, and we ended up picking shards of cheap glass off a disgusting college dorm kitchen floor. But hey, he can't have been too bothered, as we have been together 22 years since then.
The Spag Bol of our college days has evolved considerably since then - a process of selective adaptation of which Darwin himself would be proud. Gone is the ground beef, and in its place, is ground turkey combined with some finely chopped mushrooms (I know I said I didn't believe in hiding vegetables, but I do get a sneaky sense of pleasure out of watching my youngest son eat his share of 10 oz of mushrooms - I know, I am evil). Gone are the carrots too, and in their place, some finely chopped sauteed onion and fresh basil (fresh herbs - couldn't afford them in college!). Gone is the spaghetti - honestly, I don't see the point, and have you ever seen my kids trying to eat spaghetti? Any onlookers need hazmat suits and a full shower afterwards. And it has become a baked pasta dish too, because, quite simply, there is nothing more tasty than a topping of melted bubbly cheese.
I like to think that this evolved Spag Bol is tastier and healthier than its distant ancestor, and more worthy of such an unassuming, but catchy, moniker. But that would be presumptuous of me - you would have to ask its creator, my husband. He would probably say that yes, it is tastier, but that might be because he wants this to last another 22 years at least :-)
I recommend accompanying this with a glass of full bodied Zinfandel (and using a drop of the same in the recipe). Of course, all those years ago, we would probably have slugged back a couple of bottles of Newcastle Brown or a glass of Lambrusco, but then, we have clearly evolved too :-)
Baked Bolognese
Serves 6
13.25oz pack of wholegrain penne
2 TBSP olive oil
1lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, finely diced
10 oz mushrooms, chopped very finely (preferably with one of those onion-chopper thingies)
1 24oz jar f your favorite marinara sauce (I use Safeway Select's)
1/2 cup red wine
large handful of basil leaves, chopped
handful of grated sharp cheddar
handful of grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
1. Heat a large panful of water to boiling point, and cook penne according to directions (because you're going to bake it in a sauce, only simmer the pasta in the water for the lowest cooking time in the range given - my box said 9-11 mins, so I did it for 9 minutes after it had returned to the boil). Drain and leave to one side.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, then saute onions until just starting to soften (about 4 minutes). Add ground turkey and break it up with a spatula as it browns.
3. When all the turkey is browned, add the mushrooms and stir until they are softened and releasing their juices (about 3 minutes).
4. Add the jar of marinara sauce. Then, DON'T rinse out the jar - pour the wine into it, replace the lid, and shake. Then pour the delicious contents into the skillet.
5. Bring the whole lot to the boil, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
6. Add the basil, and stir in.
7. Then stir in the cooked pasta and transfer the whole lot to an ovenproof dish (I find an 11" square one is about the right size), and top with the cheeses.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until cheese is starting to brown and is bubbly.
If you are not dribbling now, then you either have admirable willpower, poor salivary glands, or you're lactose-intolerant...
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