A Bolognese pasta to beat the Januworry blues

For many households, money is tight after the indulgences and splurges of the December festive season. Purse strings will be stretched further in January with a lot of parents and guardians having to buy back-to-school supplies. Financial pressures in the first month of the year have given rise to the month in South Africa being referred to as Januworry – a combination of January and worry.

People usually face financial stress in January due to overspending during the December festive period. The long break between December’s earlier paycheque and the first income of the year landing in your depleted account adds another layer of financial pressure. There is a running joke that many households embrace cabbage in January because the leafy green vegetable is cheap, versatile, and can be stored longer. Meat is a luxury.

However, meat can be cheaper in January. Many leading retailers run promotions to clear all their unsold festive season merchandise. Seasonal meats such as gammon and turkey are heavily discounted. The meats are still fresh and tend to have a long shelf life. So, I take advantage of the discounts and freeze the meat to last throughout January. Our freezers in South Africa are more reliable these days because there haven’t been Eskom blackouts for more than six months. 

A few days ago, I took advantage of discounted ground beef (or mince) at my local retailer to make Bolognese pasta. This dish is budget-friendly, quick and easy to make, even for a rookie cook.

The dish requires ingredients that are already in your pantry and left over from the December festivities. Many households probably still have pasta, leafy greens, cheese and a variety of spices. For my Bolognese dish, I used fusilli which has been in my pantry longer than I am willing to admit. (I’m not sure whether pasta can expire but Aunty Google says pasta has a shelf life of two years because it is a dry product.)

The Bolognese pasta recipe below yielded a rich, thick and incredibly flavoured dish. Even if you’re pressed for time and have 30 minutes, the dish tastes like you have been slow-cooking it for a couple of hours. However, the more simmer time, the more the flavours are taken to another level.

My Bolognese sauce is not traditional, and has a touch of Durban about it, as you’ll see…

Ray’s quick and spicy Bolognese pasta

Ingredients

1 red onion

1 Tbsp crushed garlic 

1 x 400g can tomato purée 

500g beef mince (ground beef)

½ cup dry red wine (substitute with water or beef stock)

½ cup black beans

2 tsp mixed herbs 

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp Durban masala spice 

2 tsp brown sugar

1 beef bouillon cube

½ cup grated Cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

2 cups fusilli (or pasta of your choice)

Method

For the Bolognese sauce: 

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and crushed garlic, and cook for 3 minutes or until lightly golden and softened.

Turn the heat up to high and add the mince. Cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. Add red wine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pot, until the alcohol smell is gone.

Then add tomato purée, mixed herbs, black pepper and masala spice, and crumble in the beef bouillon cube. Stir, bring to a simmer, then turn down to medium so it bubbles gently. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes (no lid), adding water if the sauce gets too thick for your taste. Stir occasionally.

Add brown sugar, which cuts down the acidic taste of tomato purée. Then add black beans. If you have the time, add ½ cup of water, cover with a lid, and simmer on very low for about two hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. 

For the pasta: 

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook as per the packet instructions. Drain the pasta, plate on dish, top with the  Bolognese sauce and garnish with cheese. Microwave the dish for 1 or 2 minutes for the cheese to melt. DM