Today was a good day. It was T-shirt weather in late October, a homeless person gave me a chocolate bar (this happens relatively frequently) and I loved everything about work.
I also came home and made Spaghetti Bolognese Soup for lunch and it was splendid. (I could do this because France believes in Lunch Hour. Go France.)
I got the idea from a blog I love written by a girl called Joanne. Joanne was the first person to comment on my blog who wasn’t a forced/highly encouraged family member or friend.
Adapted fromJoanne’s Blog
You will need: (for four people)
4 zuchinni (and a julienne peeler or spiralizer) to make the spaghetti
For the Sauce:
1 tsp of olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp chilli powder or paste
400 g beef mince
A 425 ml tin of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp of sweet chilli sauce (alternatively ketchup)
1 Tbsp herbes de provence (or oregano)
750 ml of vegetable broth ( 750 ml boiling water with 1 veg stock cube)
salt and pepper
Toppings!
150 g of grated cheese (I used Emmental because that is what’s easiest in Paris but cheddar cheese would be wonderful. Given the option I’d have some cheddar flown in for the occasion.)
50 g parmesan
200 ml of plain yoghurt for serving
How?
1. First things first. Peel and spiralize/strip your zuchinni into spaghetti and set aside in a colander or similar.
2. Choose the largest pan you have for this operation.
3. Heat some olive oil in the pan and throw in the onion, sliced and diced into palatable choppies. The pan should be on a low-medium heat.
4. Mince the garlic and toss it in with the onions as well as the chilli powder.
5. Add the beef mince and allow it to cook for a few minutes. We don’t want no pink. Break up the big bits in the pan with a wooden spoon.
6. At this point you can add the diced tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce and herbes de provence.
7. Add the vegetable broth and let the mixture simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Whilst the bolognese is a-simmering you might like to grate your various cheeses. I buy blocks of parmesan because i’ve heard that the grated variety is less flavourful but I can’t say I’ve noticed the difference.
8. Dish up the zuchinni into four bowls and top with the bolognese sauce.
9. Garnish with dollops of yoghurt, grated cheese and parmesan. If you have some sort of edible leaf in the house that would serve beautifully as decoration.
(a note: If you do not have a julienne peeler OF COURSE you can just use regular spaghetti. Toss it in with the sauce and let it cook for ten minutes in the juices)
