I have no scientific basis for my assertion but I reckon that the majority of families in the UK have a spaghetti bolognese (or spag bol as it is fondly known) at least a couple of times a month. So familiar is our favourite pasta dish that most of us under the age of 40 would have trouble believing that the BBC managed to fool the nation into believing that spaghetti grew on trees some fifty years ago in an extremely successful April Fool.
Growing up in Scotland in the 60s, I can honestly say that I knew no-one who ever ate pasta despite the fact that Scotland had a large Italian population who stayed on after the war. They had managed to convert the Scots into a nation of ice cream eaters but pasta seemed to be a dish eaten behind closed doors. Indeed it was not until the mid 70s that I was introduced to the delights of spaghetti bolognese by my future mother-in-law.
So, what is it that makes it such a popular dish? First of all it is easy to prepare, freezes well and is extremely versatile. If you are in a rush then simply brown your mince and add a jar of shop bought ragu sauce. If you are looking for something more sophisticated then think along the lines of chopped bacon or pancetta, sun dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red wine and fresh basil leaves. Companies like Schwartz offer great recipe ideas for something a little different.
If you have kids who hate vegetables then spag bol is an excellent way of sneaking some of their five a day into their diet without them objecting. Grating a carrot or two into the mince is an excellent way of disguising the vegetable and even if they profess to hate mushrooms they probably won’t notice them if they are finely chopped and popped into the sauce. Tomatoes, one of the key ingredients in a spag bol, are one of the so-called super-foods which are full of anti-oxidants and the good news is that it doesn’t matter whether they are fresh, tinned or in a tomato puree. Buy the leanest mince you can find and your spag bol is not only a delicious dish but excellent for you too!
