It’s the best of both worlds

If I lived on my own there are several things that I would eat a lot more of.

Number one on the list is beans on toast. Without exaggeration, I’d say I could dine on beans on toast at least three times a week – if not more – as they’re perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Plus you can always soup them up with various additions if you’re looking for a change. Mexican spices? Curry paste? Extra butter and cheddar cheese?

Number two on the list is egg and onion sandwiches, or as our youngest calls them, Stink the House Out Sandwiches.

Again, very versatile, they’re good on floppy white bread, on toast, in a wrap, slathering onto sourdough, topped with crisps – they are a window into simple delectation.

Number three on the list is pasta. This is my go-to evening supper; fast, satisfying and – depending on what saucy accoutrements you use, magnificently tasty.

“Good job you don’t live by yourself,” I can hear you say. “You’d have scurvy before the year’s out.”

Aye, but it would be tasty getting there.

I am reminded of the time I first left home to embark on that galactically useful French degree at uni. Faced with catering for myself and myself only, I ate Galaxy Caramels and McCoys round the clock for almost a week, before my guts started to feel the strain.

Fast-forward to the Year of Our Lord 2024 and I can no longer be that self-centred (or soft-centred for that matter). Familial nutrition dictates that I can’t subsist on just carbs or beans or Stink the House Out Sandwiches. I have to think about vegetable options, five-a-day, proteins and good fats. Then there’s lunches to be made, suppers to be planned and most importantly, keeping sugar intake as such a manageable level that no-one develops diabetes. It’s a right juggling act, I can tell you. Add in the cast iron fact that everything has to be delicious, and it’s a full-time job, or at least pastime. Still, seeing as how I enjoy it, it’s never a chore.

One of our recent favourites has become a mixture of two of my erstwhile most preferred dishes, lasagne and spag bol.

A recent survey I saw claimed that spaghetti Bolognese is the nation’s favouritest dinner. This I can understand; it’s very tasty and very quick, so long as you already have the ragu pre-prepared. However, in my world, it’s not as good as lasagne. Enter spag bol lasagne pasta bake – the best of both worlds.

This is a dish best served on a Sunday evening when you’re doing your best to hold Monday at bay. It’s also best consumed with a glass or two of red wine. Seeing as how you need a glass for the ragu, you might as well.

For maximum results, make the ragu the day before to allow the flavours to develop.

INGREDIENTS (MEAT RAGU)

Scant tbsp of butter

2 tbsps of olive oil

3 slices of bacon, finely diced

1 large onion, finely diced

1 stick of celery, finely diced

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

300g of beef mince

200g of pork mince

2 tbsps of tomato puree

1 tsp of red miso paste (optional but recommended)

1 glass of red wine (250ml)

2 tins of good chopped tomatoes

350ml of beef stock

1 tsp of dried oregano

FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE

1 tbsp of butter

Scant tbsp of plain flour

At least a pint of full fat milk

70g of mozzarella, grated

30g of parmesan, grated

THE PLAN

You’ll also need about 400g of your pasta shape of choice. I didn’t include it in the list above because it didn’t fit in either the ragu or the sauce lists. So there.

Start by making your ragu, ideally the day before.

Add the butter and olive oil to a large sauce pan or frying pan and fry up the bacon for a few minutes until starting to crisp. Add in the onion and celery and cook until almost soft on a low to medium heat – about ten minutes. Add in the garlic and give it another few minutes.

Scrap everything out into a bowl and set aside.

Turn the heat up high and add in both minces. Stir about and fry until browned and popping.

Add in the veg again and then add in the tomato puree. Cook off for about a minute and then add the miso paste (optional) and the red wine and cook off the red wine until reduced by half or until you can’t smell the alcohol.

Add in the tins of tomatoes, the stock and the oregano, stir everything up and let it bubble for at least an hour and preferably two hours until thick and unctuous and irresistible. Taste for seasoning and adjust (it shouldn’t take much in the way of salt because of the miso and the bacon).

THE NEXT DAY

Pre-heat the oven to 175C.

Take the ragu out of the fridge as you make the cheesy sauce.

Add the butter to a smallish sauce pan and melt slowly. That done, increase the heat to medium and add in the flour. Cook and sizzle and stir for about two minutes or until it starts to smell biscuity.

Blast the milk in the microwave to take the chill off it and then add half to the sauce pan. Whisk until incorporated and all the lumps are gone, then add the other half in. Whisk again.

You want this sauce to be slightly thin because don’t forget you’re adding lots of cheese.

Let the sauce bubble for a while so as to fully cook off the flour and as that’s happening, cook up your pasta shape of choice in salted water. When the pasta is nearly done, remove the béchamel sauce pan from the heat and add in the cheese. Stir to combine and then check the seasoning. It’ll probably take a pinch of both salt and white pepper.

Drain the pasta and stir through the meaty ragu then tip all of this into a casserole dish. Top with the cheesy sauce and then grate on some more parmesan for the craic.

Retire to the oven for about 20-30 minutes until it’s bubbling and beginning to colour – as in the photo.

The best of both worlds.