Spag bol is great for a cold night, reheated the next day, or enjoyed just whenever you feel like it. One of my favourite things about this recipe is the flexability of it - switch up the vegetables as you desire.
Ingredients
For the bolognese:
50g dried green lentils
15g dried porcini
200g chestnut mushrooms
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
1 stick of celery
1 carrot
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 bag leaf
50ml red wine
400g tin of tomatoes
160g spaghetti
For the breadcrumbs:
40g breadcrumbs
olive oil
3 sprigs of thyme
salt & pepper
Method
Wash the lentils in a suacepan, drain the water, cover with boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes. Drain, return to pan, and season with a little satle, pepper, and oil.
Meanwhile, rehydrate the porcini by placing in a small bowl and just covering with boiling water.
Dice the onion, crush the garlic, slice the mushrooms, and finely chop the celery and carrot. Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves.
Heat some olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat, add all the chopped veg, bay leaf, and rosemary, season, then cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. (Optionally, add some balsamic vinegar and sugar here)
Turn the heat up to medium, pour in the red wine and cook away.
Add the porcini (chop first if needed), along with the water - but leave any gritty bits out!
Add the tin of tomatoes, and half a tin of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10+ minutes. Add then lenitls when ready.
Cook the spaghetti according to instructions for al dente (normally 8 to 10 minutes in salted water). Reserve a mug of water when draining.
Pick the thyme leaves, combine with breadcrumbs, a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Then toast in a dry frying pan until golden and crisp.
Remove the bay leaf, and add the reserved mug of pasta water to the sauce along with the spaghetti.