You will need (serves 4):
300- 400g spaghetti
200g / 1 mug dried red lentils
bay leaf
olive oil
couple of onions, chopped
box of mushrooms, sliced
a few cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cans chopped tomatoes
veg stock cube
handful of fresh rosemary, chopped, or a couple of teaspoons of dried.
Ditto of sage
Pinch of sugar
A few chopped up sun-dried tomatoes
A dollop of tomato puree / ketchup / sun dried tomato paste
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated cheese to serve, if you like
NB: best not to wear a pristine white T shirt when making this recipe - it won't be by the end
What to do:
1. cook the lentils according to packet instructions, adding a bay leaf to the cooking water
2. meanwhile stir-fry the onions in a large pan/wok, until golden
3. add the garlic and mushrooms and keep stirring until the mushrooms have released their juices and look like they'll taste nice
4. add the chopped tomatoes to the pan, crumble in the stock cube and add the herbs, sugar and sun dried tomatoes. Bring it all up to the boil
5. let it all simmer away happily, stirring it frequently so bubbles freely in the pan rather than gluing itself to the bottom. You may find that the hob gets decorated a vibrant red colour, but don't worry, that's normal.
6. when the lentils are done, add them to the tomato sauce. Keep simmering and stirring until the liquid largely evaporates. You can do this fast and furiously - in which case it's quicker but will probably decorate the top of the hob more vividly, or more gently, which is less messy and gives a richer flavour, but may seem to take forever if you're very hungry.
7. when the sauce is almost done, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions - al dente is de rigeur according to any self-respecting cook book.
8. do the final flavouring tweaks - a squirt of tomato ketchup/tomato puree/sun dried tomato paste adds body; a drop of balsamic vinegar gives a nice tang; and of course salt and pepper handily allow you to season to taste.
9. drain the spaghetti, dollop it on to 4 plates (ideally divided equally, to avoid arguments)
10. Ditto with the bolognese sauce
11. then top it with some grated cheese, if you so desire
|
