Inside the bubble

[Earl Aelfheah]

You serve it in the hat and sell it to a Hipster.

[Siduhe]

The Times has an entire article on this today - including several recipes - behind a paywall but this is what they report Anna Del Conte as saying:

Del Conte watched Mary Berry making rag? alla bolognese, and her first reaction was that it was not authentic. ?The traditional rag? alla bolognese is one of a very few dishes that has in fact has been written down, and deposited at the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna,? she tells me, when I call her at her home in Shaftesbury, Dorset. The term bolognese simply means something from the city of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna. What you?re making is rag? alla bolognese ? Bolognese-style pasta sauce ? and the real recipe, she says, ?is made with red wine?. Tomato pur?e is mandatory, but on no account should peeled tomatoes make an appearance. ?And certainly no cream ? but it is made with milk, which adds sweetness.?

[Earl Aelfheah]

.. hmmm, no mention in that Times piece of Marmite. They clearly don't know what they're talking about.

[titch juicy]

Siduhe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The Times has an entire article on this today -

> including several recipes - behind a paywall but

> this is what they report Anna Del Conte as

> saying:

>

> Del Conte watched Mary Berry making rag? alla

> bolognese, and her first reaction was that it was

> not authentic. ?The traditional rag? alla

> bolognese is one of a very few dishes that has in

> fact has been written down, and deposited at the

> Chamber of Commerce in Bologna,? she tells me,

> when I call her at her home in Shaftesbury,

> Dorset. The term bolognese simply means something

> from the city of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna. What

> you?re making is rag? alla bolognese ?

> Bolognese-style pasta sauce ? and the real recipe,

> she says, ?is made with red wine?. Tomato pur?e is

> mandatory, but on no account should peeled

> tomatoes make an appearance. ?And certainly no

> cream ? but it is made with milk, which adds

> sweetness.?

That's pretty close to Carluccio's version (sans milk). Therefore i'm claiming some sort of moral Italian food high ground and declaring myself the winner (of something....not sure what).

[jaywalker]

Well, I just went to Carluccio's, and the beef ragut was good (although weirdly served with spaghetti rather than tagliatelli as is mandatory in Bologna according to The Times today). However, things have moved on from parochial Italian cooking.

BTW, never mind that May has now formally torn up the manifesto on which she gained power, or that millions of pensioners are worse off due to some sort of Treasury enthusiasm that forgot they earn income from shares, we should focus on our stomachs...

To which end ...

... in all seriousness, authentic cooking is generally a disaster. what do you want: to return to medieval flavours?? and I remember the spag bol from my childhood with great affection: that tub of sawdust masquerading as 'parmesan' particularly.

as someone said above, even Italians didn't always have tomatoes. There can be no 'authentic' recipe or Italian cuisine: it was always-already a turbulence of reinvention.

So here is what you have to do today in Lordship Lane (where else?).

traditional base essential. in casserole dish, lightly fry chopped celery, onion, carrot in butter and olive oil (fundamental: if this is too much just forget it and go to M&S for ready-made).

add and gently brown beef mince (Moxon's of course)

turn up heat.

add red wine. this must be worth drinking. current best value is Cote du Rhone Villages 2015 (the year matters) in bags at M & S (probably the best value wine currently on sale in London). 2015 was a sensational year for all French alcohol. You need more than any of the newspaper recipes. I suggest two big glasses.

Reduce a little.

Add Moxon's beef stock. I have found this superior to all stock cubes. Add half tin of Italian chopped tomatoes. Add squeeze of tomato paste. Also add a little boiling water (add more if sauce dries out during cooking).

Add (here is the riff) fresh OREGANO (SMB foods generally stock this), and at least two bay leaves. W Sauce optional (just a little if so). By this stage, Italians have now declared war (probably at the opening of the tin of Italian tomatoes), but that is just a reactionary stance.

Personally I add garlic (crush a cube with the heel of your hand and add to pot). This is as inauthentic as it gets. Delicious.

Add: ground black pepper and only a little salt (lots already in the tomato paste).

There is no need at all for disgusting MILK in this recipe if the mince is well sourced.

If you have gas you must now deploy a heat diffuser between gas flame and casserole dish. This sauce is ONLY possible if it simmers rather than boils.

Simmer for a MINIMUM of 2.5 hours (three is better).

Ensure sauce is reduced to thick consistency with no water run-off (if you force the simmer there will be).

Serve with tagliatelli (I always used dried, much better than fresh).

Add copious parmesan reggiano from Cheese Block.

Note to pensioners or the self-employed: enjoy whilst you can. You still have a year: most of the tax increases don't come in until 2018.

I love the way May said tonight of the tax change: 'It's fair'. How about 'we lied, but its fair' (the Manifesto was rather clear on the subject) or (more duplicitously) 'Cameron lied, but its fair'. Or (more truthfully) 'we knew you were too stupid to realise we were lying, but its fair'. And it seems 'fairness' in her eyes includes monstrosities such as exclusive privileges in education for an arbitrarily chosen 10% of school children aged 11, a continued reduction of social benefits to those who most need them and etc.)

[maxxi]

Mince beef and beef stock from Moxons... I guess you have to get there early.

I prefer a southern-Italian meat ragu to the restrictive bolognese and always use tomatoes, white wine, crushed dried red chillies (in moderation) and a smattering of Origano Sicilia a Mazzetti (from Fratelli Camisa - preferably with flower heads).

And of course I let it 'bubble' - for about three gentle hours.

[Seabag]

Curry and Spaghetti Bol aside

I'm more cautious when I hear the "I make a mean chilli con carne" statement

Specially when the 'secret' ingredient game follows "Go on, guess"

[maxxi]

Yes but it's always bloody chocolate.

[Seabag]

maxxi Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yes but it's always bloody chocolate.

Ha ha, I so nearly posted that

It's always the fekkin same 'secret'

That said, dark chocolate adds a certain 'mole' depth to the chilli

[titch juicy]

A cinnamon stick

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

"That's pretty close to Carluccio's version (sans milk). Therefore i'm claiming some sort of moral Italian food high ground and declaring myself the winner (of something....not sure what)."

Not so fast, Titch Juicy! I followed La Regina's recipe exactly. I think you'll find that makes me the only authentic Italian in town.

[Jeremy]

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> .. hmmm, no mention in that Times piece of

> Marmite. They clearly don't know what they're

> talking about.

Next you'll be telling me it doesn't contain a dash of Worcester and a squeeze of ketchup!!

[Earl Aelfheah]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> rahrahrah Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > .. hmmm, no mention in that Times piece of

> > Marmite. They clearly don't know what they're

> > talking about.

>

> Next you'll be telling me it doesn't contain a

> dash of Worcester and a squeeze of ketchup!!

Exactly, these so called 'chefs' don't know what they're talking about!

[Seabag]

Micheal Heseltine knows how he sees thing regarding stuff not to be messed with.

"Those of us in politics, those who care, we are not performing fleas where the ringmaster says 'jump' and we all turn hands up over ourselves. We are not like that.

I'm sure he then followed that with "and that Boris Johnson and that Mary Berry can go fuck themselves with thier meddling in sauces they quite clearly know nothing about"