This is a simplified version of the first Bolognese recipe I shared with you few years ago. It’s a fusion of Filipino, Thai and definitely Italian cooking. My version of spaghetti bolognese is sweet, salty, a bit chili, savoury and cheesy dish. I hope you find it interesting enough to try.
Here is what you’ll need.
Ingredients:
-Minced pork (or beef), 300-400g
-Pork liver, 50-100g, minced or chopped-Olive oil, 2-3tbsp
-Garlic, 6-8 cloves, crushed and minced
-Onions, 1 whole, chopped
-Raisins, 40g or 1 small packet
-Pasta, 500g
-Fish sauce, to season
-Tomato sauce, 400g or 1 can
-Sweet chili sauce, 1tbsp
-Water, ½ cup for the sauce
-Italian herbs, 1tbsp
-Dried oregano, ½tbsp
-Dried basil, ½tbsp
-Grated cheese, as much as desired
-Salt and pepper, to taste
-Water, to cook the pasta with
-Salt 4-5tbsp
Directions:
1. Cook the pasta in salted water.
I used 4-5tbsp of salt in my water. You can put more salt if you like. It won’t make your pasta salty. If anything, it will give it its own taste. Be generous with the salt is all I’m saying. Also, there is no need to follow the instructions in the pasta packets to a T. You determine whether your pasta is ready or not. Test it by getting a strand from the pot. Bite it in the middle and check if it still has an “eye” or a center. If yes, then give it a few more minutes. If none, turn off the heat. Your pasta should be ready.
2. When the pasta cooks, strain and set aside.
3. Heat cooking oil in a pan.
4. Saute the garlic.
5. When the garlic turns golden, add in the onions.
6. When the onions turn sweaty, put in the pork (or beef). Stir well.
7. Season the dish with fish sauce.
Earlier I mentioned that this pasta recipe has a touch of Thai cooking in it. It’s the fish sauce. I noticed that Thai food usually uses fish sauce rather that salt for seasoning. I find it more subtle in taste than salt. You can use salt though, if you wish.
8. Saute the dish well.
Cooking the pork is the most that takes time in this recipe. I want to saute it well so that its fats mix well into the dish. It takes me 10-15 minutes under medium to high heat before I proceed to the next steps.
9. Add in the pork liver.
10. When the liver is cooked, put in the raisins. Stir well.
11. Add the water. Stir well.
12. When the dish boils, add the tomato sauce. Cook under low-medium heat.
13. When it simmers, add the sweet chili sauce. Stir well.
14. Put in the Italian herbs, oregano and basil. Stir well.
15. Add in the cheese.
16. Season with salt and pepper.
You may notice that after step 8, everything else would follow quickly. As soon as the proteins are cooked, I just add in the other ingredients one by one. I let the sauce simmer to another 5-10 minutes under low heat before I season with salt and pepper. Adjust the sweet chili sauce to your liking, too. If you want a hotter pasta sauce, add a little more in there.
The spaghetti Bolognese is now cooked.
You may mix the pasta and the sauce together or serve the two separately on different dishes. Personally, I don’t mix. I let the people (namely, my hubby most of the time) to balance the pasta and the sauce on their (his) plate/s. It’s up to them if they want generous serving of the sauce or otherwise. I also prepare grated Parmesan cheese on the side. Somehow, spaghetti pasta has to be married to cheese all the time. It’s just how I think!
Remember me when you cook!
