Chef’s spaghetti Bolognese recipes: L to Z

Bolognese sauce

Emma Knowles, food director, Gourmet Traveller

To add to the great Bolognese debate, this is our food director Emma Knowles’ version (although not our only version). Don’t use finely minced meat – ask your butcher to coarsely mince the meat for you. Or, if you feel so inclined, hand mince it yourself. Toss this sauce through fresh pappardelle or go Aussie and get yourself some good-quality dried spaghetti. Either way, generous amounts of Parmigiano-Reggiano are a must.

Nino Zoccali, Pendolino, Sydney

The recipe for “the classic Bolognese or meat ragù” can vary a lot, even in Bologna. They all taste good though. Meat: A secondary cut of pork and veal devoid of sinew or gristle. We mince pork belly with the skin (a Southern Italian influence), traditionally hand cut, but I use coarsely minced meat. Pancetta, prosciutto or guanciale are good to add. Cooking medium: Traditionally lard. I use 50:50 olive oil and butter. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic, leek. Herbs and spices: Parsley, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg. Livers: Chicken. Tomato: A lot of skinned, deseeded and chopped with tomato paste.Stock: Veal or beef. Wine: White. Cooking time: 2-4 hrs. Pasta: Spinach fettuccine or tagliatelle. Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Alla Wolf-Tasker, Lake House, Daylesford

I stick to a fairly authentic version, though on a cold winter’s day after a forage in the forest and a shot of Stoli, I might slip in a wild mushroom or two. Meat: Coarse machine-minced pork (neck/shoulder) and veal (shoulder), equal quantities. Finely-chopped pancetta or speck, for smokiness, about 1/8 the pork/veal weight. Cooking medium: Butter and oil. Herbs: Fresh thyme. Livers: Duck/chicken, not always.

Tomato: Tomato paste, not much. Stock: Light white meat/poultry. Wine: White.

Dairy: Milk to soften meat. Cooking time: 4 hrs. Pasta: Spaghetti, tagliatelle or maccheroni. Pasta must be added in the right quantity to a pot with the right amount of sauce and tossed through. Cheese: Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano for luxe. Additives: Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? No short cuts and no beef. Use good pasta and don’t overcook it.

Paul Wilson, late of The Botanical, Melbourne; and Half Moon, Melbourne

This is an extremely popular version both professionally and domestically.

Meat: Machine-minced lamb shoulder. Cooking medium: Butter and oil.

Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, fennel, garlic, green chilli. Spices: Cumin, smoked paprika, ras el hanout. Tomato: Somewhere between a little and a lot of paste and canned Italian tomatoes. Stock: Chicken or ham. Wine: White, aged vinegar gastrique. Additives: Peas or broad beans, finely shredded iceberg and mint leaves just before serving. Cooking time: 1-2hrs. Pasta: Spaghetti or cavatelli.

Cheese: Parmesan, Grana Padano, grated ricotta salata. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? The meat sauce to pasta ratio has to be equal.

Matthew Wilkinson, Circa, the Prince, Melbourne

I’ve got a great spag Bol recipe. I mainly took the method from my sous chef when I worked in Scotland. His gran was Italian and Scottish; they’re crazy people. Sweat diced garlic, onion and basil stalks in lots of olive oil. Add minced meat: ½ pork shoulder (20% fat for fuller flavour), ½ beef. Semi-freeze before mincing so the meat and fat don’t get stuck in the blade. Sweat minced meat to a light golden colour, deglaze with red wine vinegar and a sweet-style wine. Add tinned tomatoes (San Marzano, Italian plum with liquid), cook out. Take off heat, remove basil stalks and add to Robot Coupe; blend until fine. Return to pot. Add a little chicken stock. Reheat. Finish with chopped parsley, basil and prosciutto; season with black pepper and a little salt. Boil spaghetti, place in a metal bowl, add a little sauce, divide among serving bowls, pour more sauce over, add finely grated fresh Grana Padano, parsley, basil and more black pepper.

Robin Wickens, The Deanery, Melbourne

Meat: Machine-minced beef skirt and rump. Cooking medium: Oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, garlic. Herbs and spices: Bay leaf, parsley to finish, star anise a la Heston Blumenthal. Mushrooms: Buttons, finely sliced. Tomato: Not too much and not too little canned tomatoes and ketchup. Stock: Veal. Wine: Merlot. Additives: Dolmio (if you’re in a hurry). Cooking time: 1½ hours. Pasta: Spaghetti. Cheese: Parmesan or some cheap cheddar if you want that cooked-at-home memory. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? More sauce than pasta, don’t mix it. Season cooked pasta with olive oil and salt, sauce on top. Mmm.

Christopher Whitehead, Mad Cow, Sydney

Meat: Two-thirds machine-minced beef chuck and one-third pork shoulder.

Cooking medium: Butter and oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery. Tomato: A little canned. Wine: White. Dairy: Milk. Additives: Grated nutmeg. Cooking time: 2-4 hours. Pasta: Tagliatelle, I also like orecchiette. Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano.

What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? The above is based on Marcella Hazan’s recipe in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and is the best I have tried. It is simple and honest if you are looking for a classic Bolognese sauce. Variations are perfectly acceptable if you are looking for variety or a different flavour. I would never serve it with spaghetti as the sauce does not cling to that type of pasta. I would see nothing wrong with penne, rigatoni or any other pasta type where the sauce clings.

Warren Turnbull, Restaurant Assiette, Sydney

Like a good soup, spag Bol always tastes better the next day. Use 2 parts beef to 1 part pork, machine-minced. Pancetta is a must, chopped small and sautéed until crisp. Strain off the fat and use it to cook the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Add a star anise and a touch of fresh chilli, bay leaf and thyme. There’s nothing better than using homemade tomato sauce you’ve had cooking slowly for 3-4 hrs, but there’s also nothing wrong with a couple of good-quality tinned tomatoes. Use a good amount along with veal stock and a small amount of white wine; something good so you can drink the rest of the bottle while you wait. Stir often, and, to finish, season it with Worcestershire, cold butter diced in cubes and roughly chopped parsley. Spaghetti is always the simple option, but I’m extremely partial to homemade pappardelle (the more rustic, the better) and, like all good old-fashioned Kiwis, having it on toast is another winner.

Ryan Squires, Buffalo Club, Brisbane

I’ve only made it once or twice – shocking since my mother is Italian. I recently semi-followed a recipe from Blumenthal’s In Search of Perfection and found the best part was star anise. Meat: Machine-minced veal/beef shoulder, leg, skirt/chuck. Plus, pancetta, prosciutto, bacon/speck. Cooking medium: Canola; EVOO to finish.

Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery (finely diced) – for texture/flavour. Spices: Star anise.

Tomato: Fresh, canned, or overripe blanched; reduce to intensify. Stock: What comes out of the browned beef. Wine: Bold red. Additives: Worcestershire, Tabasco. Fish sauce works well. Cooking time: 1-2 or 2-4 hrs. Pasta: Some are better than others.

Cheese: Parmesan or Grana Padano. A mix next time, some itchi bai? What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Never stew beef in sauce for any length of time. My mother won’t agree to this – you can’t tell an Italian how to cook Italian.

Ben Shewry, Attica, Melbourne

Meat: Beef (whatever was left over from dad slaughtering a beast on our farm), minced with a crank-handled hand-mincer. Cooking medium: Oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, garlic. Tomato: A lot of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. Wine: Yes, any kind that is left over. Cooking time: 2 hours. Pasta: Spaghetti. Cheese: Tararua tasty cheddar. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Spag Bol was a favourite family dish back home in New Zealand, but it was not flash, just real comforting. For me the spag has always been more important than the Bol. It’s the sustenance of pasta. It’s addictive, fulfilling on a highly emotional level. As children, as a special birthday treat, we would get bowls of freshly boiled spaghetti with just-grated tasty cheese on top for breakfast. Those are happy memories and I still really enjoy that, especially after a cold winter’s surf.

Dietmar Sawyere, Forty One, Sydney; Berowra Waters Inn, Sydney

Meat: Machine-minced beef chuck. Cooking medium: A little butter.

Soffritto: Eschallots. Tomato: Tinned baby truss tomatoes from Italy, half the volume of the meat. Stock: 1 tsp Knorr chicken powder per 375gm of tinned tomatoes.

Additives: A splash of Worcestershire. Cooking time: 1-2 hrs. Pasta: Spaghetti.

Cheese: Fontina. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? A dark rich-tasting tomato meat sauce, plenty of pasta, lots of cheese but only a little sauce.

Danny Russo, The Beresford, Sydney

Danny Russo, The Beresford, Sydney

This ragù alla Bolognese recipe was given to me many years ago by a friend’s mum who comes from Bologna.

Jacques Reymond, Jacques Reymond, Melbourne

Meat: Machine-minced pork and beef shin (it’s the most gelatinous, adds richness and makes the Bolognese hold its texture) with chicken. Cooking medium: Oil and lard. Soffritto: Onion and garlic. Tomato: Just the right amount of fresh and canned.

Wine: Red. Additives: Fresh thyme and parsley. Cooking time: 2-4 hrs.

Pasta: Maccheroni, penne, rigatoni. Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? A combination of good-quality tomatoes and mince makes a great Bolognese. Also, you should always have a good-quality short pasta with a Bolognese or ragù sauce.

David Pugh, Restaurant II, Brisbane

Meat: a third each hand-minced pork (shoulder and throat), veal and beef. Plus brains or sweetbreads and sausage. Cooking medium: Lard. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Herbs and spices: Oregano, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, nutmeg.

Mushrooms: Dried. Livers: Chicken. Tomato: A little canned tomato and sauce.

Stock: Chicken. Wine: White. Dairy: Milk. Additives: Worcestershire. Cooking time: 2-4 hours. Pasta: Tagliatelle. Cheese: Grana Padano. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Good meat and slow cooking.

Giovanni Pilu, Pilu at Freshwater, Sydney

This is our version for home – extremely popular with our kids and all their “Aussie” friends. Meat: Coarsely minced pork neck and beef chuck. Cooking medium: Olive oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Herbs: Bay leaves. Tomato: Paste and one bottle of homemade tomato sauce per 1kg of meat. Dairy: Milk. Cooking time: 1-2 hours. Pasta: Tagliatelle. Cheese: Grana Padano. What is the secret to a good spag Bol? Good-quality meat and tomato sauce. Meat should be at room temperature and seasoned before adding to the soffritto. Don’t turn meat for the first 5 minutes; this way it browns instead of boiling.

Damien Pignolet, Bistro Moncur, Sydney

Meat: ¼ pork shoulder, ¾ beef hind shank coarsely minced. Also, pancetta (100gm per kg of meat) added to fat before soffritto. Cooking medium: 50:50 EVOO & unsalted butter. Soffritto: 2 parts each onion & carrot, 1 part celery, a bit of garlic.

Livers: Chicken livers, but only if served when cooked. Tomato: 50% fresh, skinned and deseeded; 50% passata, equal to meat weight. Stock: 200ml per kg meat.

Wine: White (375ml per kg meat) reduced to 100ml, then reduced with lightly sealed meat after addition of 300ml milk or cream. Additives: Nutmeg and flat-leaf parsley when serving. With thawed ragù, add 1 tbsp dry Marsala as well. Cooking time: 1½ hrs or until sauce looks gelatinous. Cook the ragù at 125C with a sheet of baking paper on the surface to restrict evaporation. Long cooking times result in dull flavours. Pasta: Fettuccine, but also good with homemade pasta. Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Neil Perry, Rockpool and Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney and Melbourne

Meat: Machine-minced or hand-chopped pork and beef shoulder, leg or anything with a good amount of fat that minces nicely. Also, bacon or speck. Cooking medium: Olive oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Tomato: A fair bit of Italian canned and whole. Wine: Oh yes. A beefy red. Additives: Only fresh thyme. Cooking time: Just on an hour with prep time. Pasta: Spaghetti. Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano.

What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Love, patience, care. I really like the mix of the two minces and the quality of the wine is important. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t stick it in the pasta sauce!

Justin North, Bécasse, Sydney

Meat: 50:50 machine-minced veal and beef shoulder or chuck.

Cooking medium: Butter and oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic.

Mushrooms: Fresh, finely sliced buttons. Tomato: Somewhere between a little and a lot of fresh tomatoes and a little paste. Stock: Veal. Wine: Red.

Additives: Worcestershire. Cooking time: 45 mins-1hr. Pasta: Spaghetti, fettuccine, tagliatelle, maccheroni, pappardelle and more, depending on my mood. Cheese: Parmesan, Grana Padano, or sometimes a little Cheddar as well. Not very authentic I know, perhaps a little “Australiana”. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Caramelisation of the meat is the key to a good depth of flavour and rich colour. Also, draining off the excess fat after caramelisation is important to avoid a greasy mouth-feel.

Matt Moran, Aria, Sydney

Meat: Machine-minced pork and veal, shoulder and chuck, and pancetta.

Cooking medium: Oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery. Tomato: Canned, but not too much or too little. Stock: Veal. Wine: Red. Cooking time: 2-4 hrs.

Pasta: Spaghetti. Cheese: Parmesan. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol?

Good tinned tomato, a good mince and herbs, my friend, herbs!

Scott Minervini, Lebrina, Hobart

Meat: Hand-chopped beef chuck and shin (good quality, aged, full of flavour); pancetta (optional). Cooking medium: Butter, or butter and olive oil.

Spices: A subliminal quantity of either mace or nutmeg. Tomato: Fresh, preferably peeled, deseeded and coarsely sieved; or good canned ones. Add just enough of them; this is not a “tomato” sauce. Stock: Not really, if quality of beef is up there.

Wine: White or red, either as long as it’s dry. Dairy: Milk. Cooking time: More than 4 hrs, dead slow for a long time. Pasta: Hand-made tagliatelle, lasagne (sheets or al forno) or with rice. Cheese: Parmesan, Grana Padano. The best you can afford.

What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? This is a counsel of perfection, but I cannot come to a conclusion other than that Bolognese sauce is one of those things of simple purity which cannot be hurried. With eggy, silky tagliatelle, butter and Parmigiano, it is a force of nature.

Mark McNamara, Appellation, Barossa Valley

Growing up with mum’s “spag bog” really isn’t a good reference point: beef mince, tomato, tomato and more tomato – but she did use white wine. In terms of making spaghetti Bolognese myself, it’s not something I do often. I’m more likely to make a version of a meat sauce based on one a “Napoletana” family I worked for used to make. It’s definitely not anywhere near “authentic Bolognese”. Meat: Hand-chopped pork shoulder and one piece prosciutto (skin only, about 15cm x 20cm).

Cooking medium: Oil. Soffritto: Onion, celery, garlic. Herbs: Oregano, parsley, bay leaf. Tomato: A lot of fresh and canned tomatoes. Stock: Veal, if needed.

Additives: Salt. Cooking time: 2-4 hours. Pasta: Tagliatelle or casarecci. Cheese: Parmesan.

Matt McConnell, Bar Lourinhã, Melbourne

The spag/tag Bol of choice comes from my “nonna-in-law” Lidia who taught me the most. Meat: Veal short rib, nothing but milk fed, cooked on the bone (remove meat from bone before serving and give the dog the bone). Also add sausage. Cooking medium: Olive oil. Soffritto: Onion and garlic. Herbs: Oregano, basil, chilli (optional in dry form). Tomato: Lots of homemade sugo. Wine: Red and a splash of Marsala.

Additives: No thanks, Heston. Cooking time: 2-4 hours. Pasta: Tagliatelle. Cheese: Grana Padano – fine, hand-grated while pasta is cooking. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Don’t try and reinvent the wheel, it is what it is. If anything, learn from our ancestors and preserve the essence of simplicity. P.S. Don’t toss the pasta in the sauce.

Andrew McConnell, Cutler & Co, Melbourne

Meat: Very cold diced beef skirt or pork shoulder or a veal and pork combo, put through a coarse mincer. Also, cured pork scraps (usually pancetta). 2 parts beef or veal to 1 part pork. Cooking medium: A little olive oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Herbs: A little parsley, basil and thyme added along with the tomatoes.

Mushrooms: Pinch of dried porcini. Livers: I don’t always use them, but chicken or goose when I do. Tomato: Definitely just theright amount of canned Italian tomatoes and some overripe fresh ones. Stock: Chicken. Wine: A splash of red.

Cooking time: 2-4 hrs. Pasta: Spag! But I’m pretty fond of gnocchi with me Bol.

Cheese: Grana Padano. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? The initial cooking of the soffritto and minced meat are important. You want to really caramelise the meat, scraping all the goodness from the bottom of the pot before deglazing with some red wine.

Karen Martini, Mr Wolf and Melbourne Wine Room, Melbourne

Meat: Machine-minced/hand-chopped pork and veal sausage and yearling (shoulder, leg, skirt, chuck). When times are tough, beef mince with pancetta. The combination: 40% sausage to 60% yearling; 20% pancetta to 80% beef mince. Cooking medium: Oil and the lard from browning the meat. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic.

Herbs and spices: Oregano, bay, nutmeg, black pepper; basil to finish. Mushrooms: 1-2 tbsp porcini powder if feeling fancy. Tomato: Fresh, canned, paste, sauce. Third each meat, tomato, stock; touch of red wine. Dairy: 6 tbsp milk if using tough cut of meat; add once meat is browned, vegetables caramelised. Cook until evaporated.

Additives: If tomatoes are too acidic, add 2 tsp raw sugar. Cooking time: 2-4 hrs.

Pasta: Spaghetti, maccheroni, pappardelle. Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano.

What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Cook slowly and don’t swamp the pasta with sauce.

Mauro Marcucci, Pizza e Birra and Mille Vini, Sydney; Bond Street Café and Wine Bar, Melbourne

My aunt, Giovanna, is from Bologna. She was a fantastic cook in her day and taught me how to cook Bolognese. Meat: 125gm minced beef chuck, 125gm minced veal leg, 125gm minced pork neck. Pieces of prosciutto, added at the end (optional).

Soffritto: Half an onion, half a stalk of celery and half a carrot, all thinly sliced. And garlic, of course. Mushrooms: Soaked good quality dried porcini mushrooms (50gm).

Wine: Red wine makes the salsa nice and strong in flavour. Tomatoes: Cook for 5 minutes at the most and add passata (lots) and a spoon of tomato paste. Herbs and spices: Bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stock: Chicken stock if you need some liquid. Pasta: Always eaten with pasta all’uovo (egg pasta), so spaghetti or tagliolini.

What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? A great pasta Bolognese needs to be very strong in flavour, but not heavy.

Robert Marchetti, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar and North Bondi Italian Food, Sydney; Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons, Melbourne

Meat: Hand-chopped (1cm dice) pork leg and veal shoulder, whole pig’s trotter and finely minced pancetta, prosciutto and guanciale. 5% cured meat to 80% fresh meat.

Cooking medium: Oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, ½ an orange, garlic, thyme.

Mushrooms: Dried porcini. How much tomato: A little paste, small amount canned.

Stock: Chicken. Wine: Red. Additives: Parmesan rind. Cooking time: 5 hrs. Pasta: Gnocchi. Cheese: Parmesan. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? The basics are a really good shoulder meat with an even distribution of intramuscular fat so it stays moist when cooked over the long period. The pig’s trotter gives it a rich, gelatinous flavour. Sweat the vegetables until soft with a little colour. Make sure the meat has colour. The orange balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Use good tinned tomatoes in juice.

Stefano Manfredi, Bells at Killcare, NSW Central Coast

I make different ragù depending on the situation: alla Bolognese, alla Napoletana with beef, all’Abruzzese with lamb, even one with a mixture of chicken and veal. Italians prepare ragù differently from their neighbours. The following is from rural Lombardy. Meat: Machine-minced pork and veal shoulder and leg; chicken giblets, hearts, crests and wattles (if you can find them); pancetta. Cooking medium: Extra-virgin olive oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Herbs: Parsley, rosemary, sage, bay leaves. Livers: Chicken mostly; duck and goose are good also. Tomato: Just enough passata di pomodoro, preferably made by someone you know, or good quality Italian peeled tomatoes such as La Motticella. Stock: Veal or chicken broth.

Cooking time: 2-4 hours. Pasta: Any ribbon pasta, potato gnocchi, cannelloni or polenta. Cheese: Any grana cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano).

Eugenio Maiale, A Tavola, Sydney

Meat: 50% machine-minced pork, veal or chicken and 50% pancetta/prosciutto.

Cooking medium: Butter, oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Herbs and spices: Nutmeg, cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, marjoram, hint of orange zest. Livers: Chicken, duck, goose. Tomato: Just the right amount of fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Stock: Veal, chicken. Wine: White. Dairy: Milk. Cooking time: 2-4 hours. Pasta: Spaghetti, fettuccine, gnocchi. Cheese: Grana Padano. What is the secret to a good spag Bol? A 50:50 ratio for meat and veg: the combined soffritto should be equivalent to your meat portion. Deglaze toughly with white wine, fill with milk and cook slowly. To be served with Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 06.

Chui Lee Luk, Claude’s, Sydney

Meat: Machine-minced beef chuck with pancetta or chorizo. Cooking medium: Butter and olive oil. Soffritto: Garlic and fresh chillies. Mushrooms: Dried, reconstituted in some red wine and chopped, added for flavour. Livers: Chicken or duck liver. I might finish with a chicken liver parfait. Tomato: Combination of tomato paste and fresh or tinned tomato (depending on season/quality), on the generous side. Stock: Chicken, if required. Wine: Red. Dairy: I sneak cream into it when nobody’s watching. Additives: No, but if I need to boost flavour, I use fish sauce. Cooking time: Slowly, in the oven, covered for more than 4 hrs. Pasta: Depends on the day.

Cheese: Either Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, depending how rich we’re feeling. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Brown the meat beforehand, caramelise the soffritto, add fresh garlic towards the end, use additional herbs and long, slow cooking.

Bruno Loubet, Baguette, Brisbane

Meat: Machine-minced beef shoulder (70%), speck (20%) and chicken livers (10%).

Cooking medium: Olive oil. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic, red capsicum.

Herbs and spices: Oregano, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, basil, chilli, nutmeg.

Mushrooms: Fresh and dried. Tomato: Just the right amount of canned tomatoes.

Stock: Veal. Wine: Red. Additives: Worcestershire and Tabasco. Cooking time: 1-2 hours. Pasta: Spaghetti. Cheese: Grana Padano. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? Cook the sauce long enough to make it rich and full flavoured. Serve the pasta in a bowl and spoon the sauce over – do not mix through.

Adam Liston, The Wine Underground, Adelaide

Meat: 50:50 machine-minced lamb and beef shoulders. Cooking medium: Oil.

Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Herbs: Oregano, parsley, bay leaves, thyme.

Spices: Chilli. Mushrooms: Fresh. Tomato: Fresh and paste, equal to meat content.

Stock: Chicken. Wine: Red. Cooking time: 2-4 hrs. Pasta: Spaghetti. Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? The mirepoix base, slow cooking and, of course, love.

Cheong Liew, The Grange, Adelaide

Meat: Hand-chopped, minced pork, veal and beef combination (all shin, it’s got good flavour, but is not too dry) and bacon. Cooking medium: Butter. Soffritto: Onion, carrot, celery, all finely chopped. Mushrooms: Fresh. Livers: Chicken. Tomato: Paste, 1 tbsp per each 1kg of ground meat. Stock: Veal or chicken. Wine: Dry white.

Dairy: Cream. Cooking time: 1-2 hrs. Pasta: Spaghetti. Cheese: Parmesan. What’s the secret to a good spag Bol? The right balance of the rich meat sauce, spaghetti and cheese.