Back in 2010 Italian chefs pooled together to reclaim their national dish of spaghetti bolognese. They claimed the original recipe had become so corrupted it was in urgent need of a culinary rescue, penning an authentic recipe which reflected its historical routes.
But here’s the rub. Brits don’t seem to give two hoots. According to new research eight in ten people in the UK never use a recipe when creating the dish, and 56 per cent regularly improvise – adding Worcester sauce, ginger or even chocolate to the dish.
The study, commissioned by Sacla, found one in ten parents add unusual ingredients to the dish and 23 per cent use it as a way of getting vegetables into the children as they can “hide them” in the sauce.
So with that in mind, here’s 20 ways to ‘boost’ your bolognese:
1. Red wine
2. Worcester sauce
3. Chillies
4. Bacon
5. Celery
6. Grated carrot
7. Ketchup
8. Paprika
9. Pesto
10. Courgettes
11. Lentils / pulses
12. Tabasco sauce
13. Olives
14. Kidney beans
15. Baked beans
16. Gravy
17. Marmite
18. Chocolate
19. Brown sauce
20. Ginger
