Recipes on the Road: Spaghetti Bolognese and Chilli

I’ve already mentioned once or twice that I love food. Now, I’m no professional chef (although the BF is) but I’ve been cooking since I was in my early teens and I find it to be a great way to relax and have fun. Lots of people who have eaten my cooking enjoy my recipes and say things like “I wish I could cook like you” I find this amusing because when I took Food Technology (essentially cooking) at school my teachers despaired of how useless I was. What I am good at is experimenting, combining flavours and textures in classic ways which anyone can enjoy. What I am REALLY bad at is anything fiddley or complex. You won’t find any roux based sauces or delicate presentation tips on these pages; the food that I cook is simple, tasty and can be made by absolutely anyone. I will post new recipes whenever I have time here, give them a go and don’t be afraid to change things or experiment. I’ve honed these meals to suit my tastebuds so do the same and tailor something special just for yours!

Today I’m going to share with you my recipes for Chilli and Spaghetti Bolognese. I am posting these together because they use a lot of the same ingredients and back when I was a poor student I used to buy vast amounts of mince when it was on special offer and cook up huge batches of both on the same day. They would then be frozen and available for dinners whenever I was running low on money or just had a craving for something tasty! The recipe that these were developed from were actually originally in the weightwatchers pure points cookbook, however they have been adapted so much now that they are barely recognisable and definitely no longer low in calories!

Generally the pure points cookbook is actually a really good recipe book which details how to cook almost every basic dish you can imagine with a low fat spin. I’d suggest it as a great first recipe book for any health conscious teens just learning how to make food. 

 Often whilst travelling, measuring devices are an expense than backpackers cannot afford either cost or space-wise and I’m therefore going to give some of my portion amounts in more estimable units than pounds or millilitres, in most cases accuracy isn’t that important as seasoning should always be to taste. I will give amounts in grams if it will be sold by the gram (e.g. meat)

 Spaghetti Bolognese (makes 6-8 serves)

 Ingredients :

• 500g minced beef (although also nice with lamb where available)
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 or 5 small mushrooms or 2 large mushrooms
• 1 carrot
• Two dessert spoons dried (or fresh where available) basil
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (if unavailable use peeled tomatoes or even fresh; fresh will  require an increase in cooking time by an hour or so)
• 1 beef stock cube
• A squirt of tomato puree/ ketchup
• 4 glugs of red wine
• Water
• Salt and pepper
• Dried pasta of your choice (I suggest spaghetti or linguini)
•  Parmesan cheese to serve

Method:

select the largest pan that you have, Slice all vegetables as small as you can. Feel free to add any other vegetables you have available. The more vegetables you have the more serves you will get out of this recipe and the longer you let the dish simmer for the less noticeable the vegetables will be. I often add a few fresh tomatoes, a stick of celery or green peppers. Sautee the onion and garlic in oil until they become clear and soft. Add the mince, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until all the mince is brown. Add all other vegetables and basil and cook for a few minutes more, stirring constantly. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock cube and tomato puree/ketchup and stir, then slowly introduce water and wine a little at a time. Leave to simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so and adding more water or wine if the pan is boiling dry. After 40 minutes taste and add more salt, pepper, basil and wine to taste. Keep simmering for as long as you are able to, adding more wine or water to taste as the liquid in the pan boils off. 20 minutes before you wish to eat, bring the pan back to the boil stirring constantly until desired consistency is obtained. Bring a separate pan of water to the boil simultaneously. Add the dried pasta and follow packet instructions for cooking times. Drain pasta and serve when it is at desired softness. Add Bolognese sauce and parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and basil to taste. this recipe is all about tasting and adapting as you go. You should end up with a very rich tasty sauce which you will be proud of.

Give it a twist: add a handful of chopped sundried tomatoes and 2 finely chopped Birdseye chillies

Make it decadent: use grated mature cheddar cheese instead of parmesan and substitute all water for wine to make your dish even richer!

Chilli (makes 4-8 serves)

Ingredients:

• 500g minced beef
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 or 5 small mushrooms or 2 large mushrooms
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• Fresh chilli peppers
• Chilli powder
• Teaspoon of Cumin
• Tin of sweet corn
• Tin of kidney beans
• Tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 beef stock cube
• A squirt of tomato puree/ ketchup 
• 4 glugs of red wine
• Water 
• Salt and pepper

Chillies and chilli powder:

  

I haven’t given quantities above because everyone has very different thresholds regarding spiciness. Also chilli powder differs greatly everywhere in the world. If you love your food spicy then buy a hot chilli powder as well as two or three small hot chillies such as Birdseye or Habanero. If you have a more delicate mouth, just purchase mild chili powder, start off using a tablespoon or so and then add more to taste. Cumin gives dishes that classic Mexican flavour but is not always available.

Method:

Again, select the largest pan possible, and slice all your vegetables. I often add carrots or courgette/zucchini to the ingredients above. Sautee the onion, fresh chillies (if you’re using them) and garlic in oil until they become clear and soft. Add the mince, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until all the mince is brown. Add chilli powder to taste and as instructed on the packet. Add cumin. Stir until spices are evenly distributed. Add mushrooms, peppers and any other fresh vegetables and cook until they begin to soften. Add beef stock cube, tin of tomatoes, tomato puree/ketchup, and red wine and fill the pan with water. Bring to the boil stirring constantly and then leave to simmer, adding water as the level in the pan starts to drop. Stir occasionally. After an hour or so, taste and add more chilli powder, salt or pepper as desired. If you find it is too spicy, add more tomato puree/ketchup and/or another stock cube. Keep simmering for as long as you are able to, adding more water as the liquid in the pan boils off. 20 minutes before you wish to eat, add the kidney beans and sweet corn and bring the pan back to the boil stirring constantly until desired consistency is obtained.

Serving suggestions:

Chili is very versatile and can be served in a number of ways. If you want a simple option just use plain boiled rice or a crispy baked potato. Chilli is also delicious served over chips/fries or as an ultimate nacho platter with tortilla chips, cheese, salsa and guacamole. It is also deliciously warming and hearty in a bowl as a soup with crusty bread, if you wish to serve it like this then do not boil off as much water and allow it to have more of a liquid consistency. If you find your chilli too spicy then a good dollop of soured cream or crème fraiche will make it far more bearable. Grated cheese and green onions are other common accompaniments.

Happy cooking and feel free to post anything you add or change from these recipes and how it tasted!