I’ve been making spaghetti bolognese for all of my adult life. It was one of those meals that I grew up with, so when I moved out of home I started making it for myself. It’s not the kind of dish that I tend to make over summer, but it’s perfect on a cold winter’s night. So I made a batch this week and really enjoyed it!

I like to use both pork and beef mince when I make a bolognese as I think it makes the flavour more rich and gives it more depth. This time I tried something a little different when I fried off the meat before I added it to the sauce. I broke it up, but allowed it to stay a little rough. I wanted to add a bit more texture to the finished sauce, so I let some of the meat stay in larger pieces (as big as an almond or so) when I seared it in the pan.

Other than that it was a pretty standard bolognese – onion, garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, capsicum, beef stock, pepper, oregano, basil, sage, a dash of soy sauce, and some brown sugar to balance the acidity of the tomato. I would have also added some red wine, but sadly I was fresh out!

The pasta I chose was not my normal pasta, but something a bit special – a black as black squid ink spaghetti! Not something that I have ever tried before.

Now it looks very different to regular pasta, but let me tell you – it is wonderful! The squid ink gives it a slightly rich, umami flavour that complemented the bolognese sauce beautifully, add some grated Romano cheese and fresh cracked pepper it was absolutely delicious.

My plan for next time is to make my own fresh fettuccini using squid ink. I love making fresh pasta and I think this would be fun to try.

So – if you feel like a winter get away at the farm with some fabulous food, a warm fire, and would like to try my pasta, then let me know.

John